Five food festivals fit for kings
ShareReady to get a taste of what England can offer? From fresh seafood to fire-cooking dishes, discover some of the famous food festivals that are part of England’s calendar.
Whitstable Rock Oyster Festival, Kent
Located in southeast coast of England, Whitstable has been synonymous with oysters for hundreds of years.
Providing visitors a unique gourmet seafood experience, the annual Whitstable Rock Oyster Festival will return this year between the 16th and 18th September.
To make the festival experience complete, don’t forget to build a ‘Grotter’, a small dome structure made out of oyster shells – but don’t forget to put them back, as the shells are crucial in protecting the baby oysters.
If you are unable to attend the festival, no worries! Visitors, delegates and locals can enjoy Whitstable’s seafood all year long. From oyster shacks to Michelin-star restaurants, there are plenty of options to enjoy oysters, lobster and all kinds of seafood.
Meatopia, London
Dedicated to meat and fire, Meatopia gathers some of the world’s best live-fire chefs, who cook up exclusive dishes.
This year, the festival returns to Tobacco Dock in London between the 2-4 September and groups can experience different methods of fire cooking, from grills to open fire cooking. Live music and DJs will help keep the party going all weekend long.
The Big Feastival, Cotswolds
Held annually over the August bank holiday weekend (26-28 August), The Big Feastival gathers Michelin star chefs, award-winning street food, a spectacular music line-up and exciting activities in a single place. Taking place in the backyard of Blur bassist and cheese farmer, Alex James, the festival offers hearing loops and British Sign Language Interpreters to make the event more accessible.
45-minutes away from Oxford, the Big Feastival is a 20-minute drive from Colesbourne Gardens, famous for its stunning collection of Snowdrops and the Foodworks Cookery School. Swapping memories of cooking and food experiences, your team will get to know each other while they prepare key components of dishes, with guidance and top tips from enthusiastic professional chefs.
Pub in the Park, Various locations
Looking for a quintessential British pub experience in an outdoor space?
Created by the chef Tom Kerridge, Pub in the Park is one of the biggest food and music festivals in the UK.
The event that had already taken place in Marlow, London, Warwick, Bath and Tunbridge Wells, will next arrive in Chiswick (2-4 September), St. Albans (9-11 September) and Brighton (16-18 September).
Created to celebrate British pubs, the festival brings pubs and restaurant ‘pop-up’s, where attendees can grab great drinks and pub food.
The Great British Food Festival, Various locations
Created in 2010, Great British Food Festival has been growing year after year and is now ready to take place in 11 destinations across the UK.
The festival will be showcasing bakers from the popular show, Great British Bake Off, to bake their recipes on stage. There will also be BBQ masterclasses, and accessible taster walks to find wild foods. Attendees will enjoy unique food experiences, live music, and a variety of food stalls.
Held in historic buildings, the next editions of the Great British Food Festival in England will be held in Wentworth Woodhouse, in Yorkshire (20-21 August), Borde Hill, in West Sussex (17-18 September) and Arley Hall, in Cheshire (24-25 September).
Looking for tasty festivals to enhance your delegates and groups' experiences? Get in touch with our team to get impartial, expert advice to support you to reimagine your event: https://www.visitengland.com/business/get-touch