The Best UK Food Festivals for 2024
Taste the Summer at World Class Food Festivals
Tantalise your tastebuds this summer. Visit some of the UK’s leading food festivals and events close to our enviable hotel and resort destinations.
Start salivating at the promise of an intoxicating fusion of international flavours, along with streetfood specials from closer to home. Attending a food festival offers a unique opportunity to observe emerging food and dining trends from renowned culinary experts, chefs and restaurateurs keen to showcase their latest dishes.
Indulge in a world of cuisine within one setting, where sampling the variety of high-quality food and drink on offer makes for a great day out for all ages.
Pub in the Park – Higginson Park, Marlow
Staying at Compleat Angler (16th - 19th May)
An annual foodie extravaganza hosted by Tom Kerridge, the Pub in the Park event takes place right across the river from The Compleat Angler, and describes itself as the ‘Ultimate Food and Music Festival’. You'll get no argument from us.
There'll be thrilling combinations of food and drink from celebrated local pubs and restaurants, who will be serving up street food versions of their classic dishes. Among the food on offer will be dishes from Atul Kochhar, whose food you can also enjoy at Sindhu in The Compleat Angler.
If that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, there's also a cracking line-up of cooking demos from Tom, Mary Berry and Michel Roux Jr, plus live music from Van Morrison, Paloma Faith and Busted.
Foodies Festival - Bath
Staying at Bath Spa (7th-9th June)
Head to Royal Victoria Park for Bath Foodies Festival, reachable in a few minutes by car from Bath Spa Hotel or a via pleasant summer’s walk through the city.
Eclectic music acts performing here include Example, Blue and Symphonic Ibiza, while you’ll also have the chance to attend the all-new Cook School with celebrity chef Nigel Brown and get hands on with his fabulous Thai cookery masterclass.
You'll also learn how to make show-stopping cakes with demonstrations from Great British Bake-Off stars, sample champagne cocktails, and meet artisan producers. Those with stronger stomachs can enter a chilli-eating competiton too.
Big Feastival, Cotswolds
Staying at The Bear (23rd - 25th August)
Get ready for a weekend of music, food, and fun as the Big Feastival returns to the Cotswolds. As usual, this year's event takes place on Blur bassist Alex James's farm, just a 30-minute drive away from our former 13th century coaching inn - The Bear Hotel - in the charming town of Woodstock.
Expect an exciting lineup of chart-topping artists including Becky Hill, Snow Patrol and Ella Henderson, and celebrity chefs including Raymond Blanc, Cherish Finden, and mother-daughter chefs Andi and Miquita Oliver.
But the big question is - what's to eat? Well, you'll find global street food including everything from Korean chicken wings to East Asian Noodles and Indian kati rolls, plus an almost obscene amount of burgers and barbeque stalls. You're not going to leave hungry, that's for sure.
Shrewsbury Food Festival, Shropshire
Staying at Hill Valley Hotel, Golf & Spa (29th - 30th June)
Reachable in under 40 minutes by car from Hill Valley, our comfortable golf and spa base in Whitchurch, Shrewsbury Food Festival brings an exciting mix of family-centric fun and entertainment, with almost 200 stalls and independent food producers, plus chef demonstrations and local brewers serving up a treat.
From non-stop live music to theatre performances, plus circus games and alpacas in the kids area, there’s something for everyone as part of an extra special foodie weekend.
Winchester Foodie Festival, Hampshire
Staying at Botley Park Hotel & Spa (19th - 21st July)
When looking for enjoyable day trips in July from our hotel near Southampton, Winchester Foodies Festival at North Walls Recreation Ground is just a 25-minute drive from our Botley Park hotel.
A stellar music line-up featuring Sister Sledge, Blue and Symphonic Ibiza is complemented by recipe demonstrations from celebrity and local chefs, with MasterChef champions Shelina Permalloo and Thomas Frake featuring over the weekend.
Artisan markets, pop-up bars, kids’ cookery sessions and a feasting tent combine for a foodie spectacle well worth adding to your calendar.
Lymington Seafood Festival, Hampshire
Staying at Elmers Court Hotel & Resort (12th - 14th July)
Only a 7-minute drive from our picturesque location of Elmers Court, which looks out to Lymington Pier and the wider Solent Coast, don't miss Lymington Seafood Festival this July for a gloriously gastronomic treat.
Discover the best artisan food and drink producers in the region, and sample their wares throughout the day to the sounds of live soul, Motown, blues, rock and pop music. Enjoy a demo or two at the Chefs Stage, or even get your apron on and learn new skills in the Cookery School.
Totalling over 80 stands, with fish and seafood featuring prominently on the menu, you can also savour local gin, rum and award-winning sparkling wine as you lap up the feelgood coastal vibes.
Great British Food Festival, Cheshire
Staying at Portal Golf & Spa Resort (21st - 22nd September)
The ever popular Great British Food Festival tour rolls up at Arley Hall in Cheshire this September, with a stay at our leafy golf and spa hotel near Tarporley located just under 40 minutes’ drive away.
The stunning stately home setting and expansive gardens are the ideal spot for a weekend of feasting, with chef demonstrations from the likes of Thomas Robertson, Marlon Sanchez and Marni Xuto.
Sumptuous street food, a mini zoo, kids and adult cookery lessons, a "live fire stage" and artisan market are included at this impressive, dog-friendly food festival.
Edinburgh Food Festival
Staying at Houstoun House Hotel (19 - 28 July)
Edinburgh Food Festival is the city's largest free-to-enter food fest, and this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Taking place in George Square Gardens, in the heart of the city and a short drive from Macdonald Houstoun House, this year promises another incredible selection of mouth-watering street food stalls, thirst-quenching drinks, live chef demos and more.
Details of this year's festival are still being kept tightly under wraps, but we have a sneaking suspicion that Okanda's spicy chicken wings, The Falafel Stop's Lebanese cuisine, and churro funnel cakes will be back on the menu.
