From chef's talks and demonstrations to kids cookery workshops and independent producers, food shows is one thing the UK does very, very well. Whether you fancy oyster shucking along Scotland’s east coast or a trip to the Isle of Wight’s aromatic Garlic Farm, Britain's diverse regional produce is something to be explored, tasted and celebrated.
Here are the UK food festivals we will be booking tickets for this year.
Best food festivals in the UK – by season
April – May
June – August
- Pub in the Park, Reigate then various locations
- Shrewsbury Food Festival, Shrewsbury
- Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival, Yorkshire
- Great British Food Festival, Hertfordshire then various locations
- Isle of Wight Garlic Festival, Isle of Wight
- The Big Feastival, Cotswolds
- Meatopia On Fire, London
September – October
- North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival, Norfolk
- Ludlow Food Festival, Ludlow Castle, Wales
- Stranraer Oyster Festival, Scotland
- Abergavenny Food Festival, Wales
- Scottish Wild Food Festival, Scotland
- Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival, Yorkshire
- Brogdale Heritage Orchard Days and PYO, Faversham, Kent
- Malvern Autumn Show, Worcestershire
- York Food and Drink Festival, Yorkshire
- Apple Harvest Weekend, Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire
- Falmouth Oyster Festival, Cornwall
Dalemain Marmalade Festival, Cumbria
22 April 2023
Jane Hasell-McCosh, chatelaine of Dalemain Mansion in Cumbria, dreamt up the World Marmalade Awards in 2005 to attract tourists to the region after the Foot & Mouth outbreak. A huge success, the accompanying festival now boasts everything from orange-dyed sheep to a visit from Paddington Bear, of course. NG
Alresford Watercress Festival, Hampshire
21 May 2023
Every year, the pretty Hampshire town of Alresford plays host to a festival celebrating all things watercress. The highlight is a parade where the watercress king and queen distribute the first of the season’s harvest. There's also a watercress-eating championship (now in the Guinness Book of Records), cookery demonstrations, a street market, Morris dancers and Punch and Judy shows, all in honour of this nutritious leaf. NG
Pub in the Park, Surrey and UK-wide locations
23-25 June
Hosted by Tom Kerridge, this touring food show brings together top chefs, award-winning restaurants, live music and Michelin-starred food for a three-day bonanza of all things culinary.
The show will also feature at Leamington Spa in the Midlands (30 June – 2 July), Tunbridge Wells in Kent (7 – 9 July), Brighton in Sussex (14 – 16 July), Chiswick in Greater London (1 – 3 September) and St Albans in Hertfordshire (8–10 September).
Shrewsbury Food Festival
24 – 25 June 2023
A two-day celebration of local, independent food producers in the picturesque medieval town of Shrewsbury. 200 food and drink producers are joined by street food vendors, top chefs, local brewers, and distillers, serving up the finest food and drink. With a live music stage, an educational Field to Fork area, home and garden stalls, and free kids activities - it's a fun day out for the whole family.
Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival
21 – 23 July 2023
Funkirk Farm in Skipton is the venue for this two-day extravaganza offering live celebrity demos by the likes of James Martin and The Hairy Bikers, alongside workshops, masterclasses and hundreds of foodie exhibitors.
yorkshiredalesfoodanddrinkfestival.com
Great British Food Festival, Hertfordshire
15-16 July
This travelling roadshow of all things foodie offers a packed line-up of live music, chef demonstrations and talks, artisan food stalls, kids' cookery workshops plus tractor rides, treasure hunts and craft stalls! Learn how to master the grill at the BBQ stage, enter a cake in the Cake Off competition (don't forget to get your free slice after judging has passed) or just kick back and enjoy the music.
greatbritishfoodfestival.com/knebworth
The show will also feature at Hardwicke Hall in Derbyshire (28-30 July), Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire (19-20 August), Margham Park in South Wales (2-3 September), Borde Hill in West Sussex (9-10 September), and Arley Hall in Cheshire (23-24 September).
Isle of Wight Garlic Festival
19 – 20 August 2023
A heady mix of country fair, pop festival and a vampire’s worst nightmare, this festival offers everything from garlic beer and ice cream to fudge, with much of the raw ingredients grown just minutes away at the island’s multi-award winning garlic farm.
The Big Feastival, Cotswolds
25 – 27 August
The Big Feastival, held at former Blur guitarist Alex James' Farm in the Cotswolds, pitches itself as equal parts music and food. Taking care of the latter will be headliners Sigrid, Tom Grennan and Blossoms, while the impressive roll call of decorated chefs includes Asma Khan, Nathan Outlaw, Anna Haugh and Ching-He Huang MBE. And there's plenty there for kids, too.
Meatopia On Fire, London
31 August – 3 September 2023
Top chefs from around the world assemble for this visceral celebration of meat and fire at Tobacco Dock in East London. It’s a party with principles though – the festival’s manifesto insists on ethically produced and sustainable ingredients and extols the benefits of nose-to-tail eating.
North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival
2nd–3rd September 2023
In the spectacular setting of the Walled Garden at historic Holkham Hall, this year's North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival is set to be the biggest yet with more than 70 stalls featuring the best of local produce. Stallholders sell cakes and bakes, artisan beer, bread, tarts, juices, fresh meat and game, vegetables, chocolates and much more at this successful festival, now in its 14th year. A wide selection of concessions include a hog roast, artisan coffee, Thai curries and real lemonade. Learn new tricks at the cookery theatre and keep the children busy with face painting and other fun activities. Entry is free and car parking costs £5 per vehicle.
http://www.northnorfolkfoodfestival.co.uk/
Ludlow Food Festival, Ludlow Castle, Wales
8 – 10 September 2023
One of the most popular food festivals in the UK, Ludlow Castle hosts three days of foodie talks by chefs, producers and speakers, along with trails, feasts, masterclasses, workshops and free activities for kids! And of course, there's the live fire kitchen where you can watch demonstrations and go home filled with inspiration for your next dinner party or barbecue.
Stranraer Oyster Festival, Scotland
15 – 17 September 2023
The UK’s native oyster season opens on 1 September and the boats here need at least a week to land enough for this fun festival on the shores of Loch Ryan. Witness the high-stakes Oyster Shucking Championship in which chefs from all over Scotland compete, or grab a napkin and enter the oyster-eating competition yourself.
Abergavenny Food Festival, Wales
16 – 17 September 2023
Since it was first founded by two farmers in 1999, Abergavenny Food Festival has become one of Britain’s leading food events, with talks and workshops. The Saturday night party at the castle is legendary.
Scottish Wild Food Festival, near Glasgow, Scotland
16th–17th September, 2023
Learn about local wild food and hone your foraging skills in the delightful courtyard of Tir na Nog, Balfunning, just 17 miles north of Glasgow. With long-table dining experiences, foraging walks, wild cocktail making, bushcraft, talks and demonstrations, workshops, live music and a marketplace, there's something for everyone interested in nature's larder.
scottishwildfoodfestival.co.uk/
Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival, Yorkshire
16–17 September
In the heart of the Yorkshire Pennines, Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival is a fun family day out packed with live music, good food and entertainment. Browse the stalls for local produce and tap along to street performers.
Brogdale Heritage Orchard Days and PYO, Faversham, Kent
16–17 September; 30 September – 1 October; 14–15 October
Set in a beautiful orchard, Brogdale Farm is the National Centre for fruit, with 2,200 varieties of apple – more than any other collection in the world. Over the weekend, there are hundreds of different rare and heritage apple varieties you can try straight from the tree in the National Collection, alongside tractor and walking tours of the orchard. Children can join in with apple campfire cooking, traditional apple pressing and visit the fabulous face painter. There’s also weekend-long entertainment and craft stalls offering unique gifts.
brogdalecollections.org/event/heritage-orchard-days/
Malvern Autumn Show, Worcestershire
22 – 24 September
Held at the Three Counties Showground in the beloved Malvern Hills, the Malvern Autumn Show is a village fête on a grand scale. It's home to the Canna UK National Giant Vegetable Competition, for a start, where the average pumpkin is larger than a five-year-old child. Alongside a huge array of food and produce stalls, there's plenty to do for kids, including last year's new addition, the World of Animals.
York Food and Drink Festival
23 September – 3 October
Enjoy some of York's best street food, interactive demonstrations and activities in an event that celebrates the local food and drink culture of the city. It offers a range of exciting activities, including chef demonstrations, free cookery workshops, markets, fringe events, taste trails and the famous cookie tour.
Apple Harvest Weekend, Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire
24–25 September
Celebrate the apple harvest at Canons Ashby, a National Trust property based in Northamptonshire. Help yourself to delicious garden produce for a donation, explore the ancient parkland on the Harvest Trail or help to press apple juice from the produce that grows in the historic grounds. In 2023, enjoy traditional Morris Dancing, family craft activities, a tombola and a trail.
nationaltrust.org.uk/canons-ashby/features/celebrate-harvest-at-canons-ashby
Traditional Harvest Festival, Chiltern Open air museum, Bucks
30 September – 1 October
Discover more about our farming heritage at this annual celebration in this historic farm. Visit the bodger's area and learn about this ancient skill, see the fire kiln and saw pit, marvel at the harvest display in Henton Chapel, made from the museum's homegrown allotment produce. With blacksmithing, straw plaiting and plenty of animals to befriend, kids will love it here too.
coam.org.uk/events/harvest-festival/
Falmouth Oyster Festival, Cornwall
12–15 October
A four-day extravaganza 'devoted to the mighty mollusc', Falmouth Oyster Festival is one of Cornwall's biggest and most popular food events. The native Fal oyster takes centre stage, which is still harvested using the traditional sail and oar method. Expect cookery demonstrations, live music, food stalls, Cornish food produce, arts and crafts marquee, real ale, wine and champagne bars, oyster and seafood bars, the Grand Oyster Parade, shucking competition, the Grand Oyster Draw and of course, the highlight in the local race calendar, the Working Boat Race – the last of the season.
