The festival opens with the Kings Road street party on Saturday 30th March, 11am to 3pm.

The street will be transformed into a magical children’s railway with a free family activity making steam engine models, carriages, signals and more. Children will be able to process their cardboard train up and down the road every 20 minutes with a steam train soundscape and even steam.

Scamper round the shops with a special Kings Road train ticket. Kings Road Traders turned train guards will clip your ticket when you answer a fun quiz themed on E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children.

Fun for dogs too: the dog show registration is at 11am for 3 classes at 11.30am and and 1pm for 3 classes at 1.30pm, all themed on the book. At 2.15pm, a 7th class, best in show, will close the day.

This event opens the festival art trail and the platform panel project at St Leonards Warrior Square Station which will run through the spring school holiday until Sunday 14th April 2024.