Quick! The sun is out, so grab your picnic blankets and anoraks and get some dates in the diary for some local days out. Whatever the weather, the food is going to be great.

Here are just some of the events coming up:

June 14 - Oaklands Summer Fair

This is a lovely event for all, set in the spacious grounds of Oaklands college. As well as being able to visit the alpacas and emus, there will be equestrian displays, a fashion show and lots of food stalls. The hospitality and catering students will be serving BBQ and pulled pork, and you can also choose from Lebanese, Turkish, Japanese, Caribbean, Italian and French food!

There will also be a hog roast and plenty of locally baked cakes. You can picnic in the grounds – and it’s free to enter. (11am to 5pm, Smallford campus, Hatfield Road)

June 21 - Alban Street Festival

St Peter’s Street will be closed to traffic and filled instead with live music, stalls and tables where you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere. Look out for stalls from locals Baked Nation, Freddies, Smokehouse Deli, Godfreys, Bar Meze, Crumbs n all and many more. If you have time when you are not eating, there is an outdoor yoga class, designer clothes stalls, mini golf and tennis and lots of activities for children too.

Rock Choir and the Swan Vesta Social Club among others will be there so it should be quite a party. (12-6, St Peter’s Street and around)

June 24 - Pride and Prejudice in Highfield Park

Pretty Highfield Park is the setting for Chapterhouse’s production of Pride and Prejudice. You are invited to take a picnic, or even better, you can buy supper from Godfrey’s fish and chips van which will be coming all the way from Harpenden.

The Pud Stop will be selling their fantastic puds and neighbouring pub The Plough at Tyttenhanger are setting up a bar for the evening, so you have everything you need (hopefully you won’t need an umbrella). Tickets are available from The Tourist Office in St Albans and chapterhouse.org.

Inn on the Park open air season

The lovely hedged garden at Inn on the Park will again become a theatre and jazz venue this summer. The Duncan Fraser Trio will be playing three nights (June 26, August 21, September 25) and for just £15 a head you can listen to the music and have a barbecue meal, which includes chicken skewers, halloumi kebabs or beef burgers. Twelfth Night will be on for six nights (July 22-24, July 30–August 1). The food is always good at Inn on the Park and what a setting for a summer evening.

July 1 - St Michael’s Street Folk Festival

A really wonderful annual music event with the characterful pubs that line the main street selling very good beer and barbecue food. You can wander from pub to pub with your drinks watching the folk dancing and listening to the live music.

July 3-5 - Childwickbury Arts Fair

Set in the beautiful courtyard area of the Childwickbury Estate this festival is a fantastic place to find paintings, jewellery, scarves and other desirable things.

Not many people realise that there is also a very good selection of pop-up food stalls and vans there too. Ginger’s Comfort Emporium do amazing ice cream and you can get something more substantial from Now Now Bunny Chow, Fired Up Pizza and Carmen’s Caribbean Kitchen, and others.

Look out too for Andrea Hill’s honey collected from her village hives. The bees feast on the local pollen and the honey has a unique flavour.