Our round-up of some of the best food festivals on this year. The UK has become quite the hub for delicious discoveries, blending global flavours to create something extraordinary. Food festivals are popping up everywhere, so whether you’re a carnivore, a seafood aficionado, or a plant-based enthusiast, there’s something for everyone. You can indulge in bites and delights at parks, beaches, fields or exhibition centres throughout the year.
You can enjoy live cooking demos, find unique treasures and connect with fellow food lovers who share your passion for a fun day out with family or friends.
So, mark your calendars and prepare for a mouthwatering experience at some of the best UK food festivals in 2026.
The best UK food festivals
England
- Porthleven Food Festival, Cornwall
- St Ives Food Festival, Cornwall
- Taste of London Food Festival, London
- Good Food Show Summer, Birmingham
- Shrewsbury Food Festival, Shrewsbury
- Bolton Food and Drink Festival, Bolton
- Vegan Camp Out, Oxfordshire
- Hampton Court Palace Food Festival, Surrey
- York Food Festival, York
- Taste Cumbria Cockermouth, Cumbria
- Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival, Suffolk
- Dartmouth Food Festival, Devon
Ireland
- Belfast Mela, Belfast
- Armagh Food & Cider Weekend, County Armagh
Scotland
- Taste of Nairn, Nairn
- The Eat & Drink Festival Scotland, Glasgow
- Foodies Festival, Glasgow
- Stranraer Oyster Festival, Stranraer
Wales
- Cardiff Food & Drink Festival, Cardiff
- Abergavenny Food Festival, Abergavenny
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England
Porthleven Food Festival
When: 24-26 April 2026
Where: Porthleven Harbour, Cornwall
Price: Free
The Porthleven Food Festival returns from 24-26 April, celebrating Cornwall’s top food and drink producers alongside UK culinary talent. Hosted by chef Jude Kereama, this free-to-attend event features a range of activities, including chef demos, masterclasses, street food, live music, and family entertainment. Highlights include a live music lineup and an opportunity to have lunch with The Porthleven Mermaid and her friends. For those seeking an elevated experience, VIP tickets include access to exclusive evening sessions and premium parking. Don’t miss this unforgettable culinary weekend by the picturesque harbourside.
St Ives Food and Drink Festival
When: 15-17 May 2026
Where: Portminster Beach, St Ives
Price: Free
The St Ives Food & Drink Festival, the UK’s only food festival on the beach, returns for 2026 from 15-17 May on the stunning Porthminster Beach. This beloved free event attracts thousands and supports the local economy, offering a refreshed programme of food celebrations, wellness activities, and family-friendly fun.
Taste of London Food Festival
When: 17-21 June 2026
Where: Regent’s Park, London
Price: TBC
Taste of London will be back in their sun-drenched spot in the park with five days of outdoor feasting. Organised by Taste, the festival brings together the crème de la crème of London’s culinary scene, showcasing the hottest restaurants, emerging food heroes and upcoming culinary trends. Join 55,000 other food-loving Londoners for an indulgent garden party spread across five days.
Good Food Show Summer
When: 18-21 June 2026
Where: NEC, Birmingham
Price: From £21.35
The Good Food Show Summer is set to warm up the NEC at Birmingham from 18-21 June. Expect a show bursting with recipe inspiration, tips and tricks from top chefs and experts, hands-on workshops and tastings, unique dining experiences and a huge variety of producers and brands offering endless advice, tastings and shopping opportunities.
Book your tickets to see show favourites including James Martin, Si King, John Torode, Lisa Faulkner, Gennaro Contaldo and more. Watch Celebrity Bites sessions where special guests including the Fletchers, Joanna Page and Greg Rutherford, will join Marcus Bean and Andy Clarke to chat and cook live!
2026 will also see multiple exciting new additions to the Good Food Show Summer, including a Princess Cocktail Club for drinks lovers, food conversation Let’s Talks hosted by Good Health by Good Food, and a Smoke & Fire Festival for any outdoor cooking fans.
As usual, general ticket includes free entry into BBC Gardeners’ World Live where you can get ideas for outdoor entertaining in the beautiful Show Gardens.
Shrewsbury Food Festival
When: 27-28 June 2026
Where: Quarry Park, Shrewsbury
Price: From £17.95 for adults, £10.95 for children, under 4s go free
On the last weekend of June, Shrewsbury Food Festival takes over the town’s park with nearly 200 food, drink, home stalls, street food vendors, and bars, offering the widest choice of quality products in one fun-filled place. A celebration of local and independent businesses, you can expect live music, chef talks & demos, and plenty of kid-friendly activities at this two-day family event.
Bolton Food and Drink Festival
When: 28-31 August 2026
Where: Victoria Square, Bolton
Price: Free
The UK’s biggest food and drink festival returns to Bolton this summer, taking over the Greater Manchester town from Friday 28 to Monday 31 August in a bank holiday weekend extravaganza.
From street performers, children’s activities, music events to regional chef cookery demonstrations, the Bolston Food and Drinks Festival returns for its 21st year with loads of artisan stalls and ways to keep the family entertained. Entry to the festival is free, with options to enhance the experience by purchasing tickets for live celebrity chef demos.
Vegan Camp Out
When: 14-17 August 2026
Where: Walesby Forest, Nottinghamshire
Price: Weekend tickets £135 (adults), £67.50 (children)
Experience a plant-based paradise at Vegan Camp Out, where people come together from all over the world to celebrate vegan living.
There’s so much going on from inspiring talks and live music to invigorating yoga sessions and soul-soothing meditation classes. Delve into diverse workshops where you can deepen your understanding of veganism and holistic living.
There’s plenty of delicious food and drink on offer from Indian and Chinese dishes to pizzas, kebabs, decadent ice cream, and refreshing smoothies and juices. And for those with dietary requirements, there are plenty of gluten-free and raw options available. In previous years, the festival has boasted a staggering line-up of 60 vendors, making history with the largest gathering of vegan food options ever assembled in the UK.
Hampton Court Palace Food Festival
When: 29-31 August 2026
Location: Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
Price: TBC. HRP members go free.
The annual Hampton Court Palace Food Festival is held over the August Bank Holiday weekend and is a family-friendly celebration of all things food, hosted in the epic location of Henry VIII’s beautiful gardens.
There’s a broad range of street food, plus pop-up bars serving tasty tipples, refreshing craft beers and exquisite wines. With over 150 fantastic brands and producers on site, you’ll be able to get your hands on everything from mouth-watering cheeses and sausages to brownies and churros.
What’s more, your ticket will give you access to the palace made famous by Henry VIII, his wives and children.
York Food Festival
When: 18-27 September 2026
Where: Parliament Street, York
Price: Free entry
York Food Festival runs events throughout the year celebrating local and regional food and drink, with the main 10-day festival held at the end of September. It is a not-for-profit organisation, and any money generated from ticket sales goes back to the festival to improve it year after year.
The festival focuses on Yorkshire produce and chefs, with cookery lessons on offer, demonstrations and events. While admission to the festival is free, those keen to take part in city-wide events such as food factories, wine tastings, dinners and trails can find further details on the York Food Festival website.
Taste Cumbria Cockermouth
When: 26-27 September 2026
Where: Cockermouth, Cumbria
Price: Free with some events ticketed
This event, a staple of Cumbria’s calendar since 2010, was born out of the need to revive Cockermouth following devastating floods. Here’s a taste of what’s in store: producer stalls, a street party in Market Place, a drinks tent and outdoor picnic area with live music all weekend, hot food court, cookery demonstrations, fairground rides, and children’s activities. Best of all, attendance is free, with ticketed events to be announced closer to the time.
Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival
When: 26-27 September 2026
Where: Snape Maltings, Suffolk
Price: TBC
The festival is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting the local community and businesses within it, working year-round to give Suffolk producers and businesses a platform to showcase what they do. Last year, their Seafood Stage hosted live cooking demos featuring the incredible seafood caught, prepared and sold on the East Coast and their Main Stage welcomed a mix of local and celebrity chefs offering live cooking demos. They also held a selection of Masterclasses and organised an abundance of family activities to get the children involved. Keep an eye out on their site for any 2026 updates!
Dartmouth Food Festival
When: 23-25 October 2026
Where: Dartmouth, Devon
Price: Free
The Dartmouth Food Festival is a well-regarded event celebrating food and drink in the heart of this Devon town. It brings together an impressive line-up of chefs and a varied programme of events at locations across Dartmouth.
Run entirely by volunteers, the not-for-profit festival is free to attend, allowing visitors to explore its diverse programme over three days. With a strong focus on education, inspiration, and sustainability, the festival supports the local community while ensuring its long-term future.
Returning for its 21st year, the festival attracts around 20,000 visitors each year to explore the big issues in the world of food.
Ireland
Belfast Mela
When: 21-30 August 2026
Where: Belfast city centre
Price: TBC
The Belfast Mela is one of Northern Ireland’s leading arts festivals, dedicated to celebrating the city’s growing cultural diversity with music, dance, theatre, wellbeing and food from around the world.
August heralds the arrival of Mela, a Sanskrit term signifying ‘to meet’, drawing up to 60,000 visitors annually to Belfast. The event transforms the city, infusing its streets with the kaleidoscopic sights, sounds and aromas of nations worldwide.
This year, Mela turns 20 years old and is set to celebrate two decades of togetherness in a big way so keep an eye out for their 2026 programming.
Armagh Food & Cider Weekend
When: 3-6 September 2026
Where: Armagh, Orchard County
Price: TBC
Taking place among beautiful apple orchards, this festival celebrates cider-making and Armagh’s fantastic local produce. At the Food & Cider Weekend you’ll find artisan bits, pop-up dining experiences, farm-to-fork feasts, immersive culinary trails, and behind-the-scene orchard tours. Previous programmes have included a pizza pottery workshop, foodie film night, bread-baking sessions and a murder mystery dinner, so expect lots more exciting events this year.
Scotland
Taste of Nairn festival
When: 8-10 May 2026
Where: Nairn Community & Arts Centre
Price: Free entry
Taste of Nairn festival is a three-day celebration of food and drink that proudly hosts the renowned World Tattie Scone Championship. This event highlights Nairn’s exceptional producers and growers and includes an array of attractions, including an artisanal market, cookery demos and a baking competition. This year, Taste of Nairn will host two markets on 9 May: one in the Nairn Community and Arts Centre and the other in the town centre, run with Moray Markets.
Lucy Harding from Nairn Business Improvement District shares, “Each year, we tweak the event to ensure it is fresh and offers something new. This year’s event will definitely tickle those tastebuds and as well as the competitions, we have some great food and drink demonstrations lined up.”
The Eat & Drink Festival Scotland
When: 22-25 May 2026
Where: SEC Centre, Glasgow
Price: £13 a day for adults, £12 for those over 60, and free for children under 15
Eat & Drink Scotland is a celebration of modern cuisine, mixology marvels, global flavours, and independent craftsmanship all under one roof. Eat, drink and see celebrity chefs cooking live and sharing tips. Shop at the artisan producers market, with some of Scotland’s best food on offer including locally sourced meats and cheeses, bread, patisserie, pickles, oils and more.
Foodies Festival
When: 14-16 August 2026
Where: UK-wide, at Rouken Glen Park in Glasgow
Price: Adult early bird tickets start from £22
Looking for a delicious day out? Look no further than the Glasgow Foodies Festival. It’s set to be the biggest celebration of chefs, food, drinks and live music featuring Gareth Gates, Boyzlife and Symphonic Ibiza.
Watch top chefs, including MasterChef finalists and Michelin-starred experts, whip up their signature summer recipes in the Chefs Theatre. And for those with a sweet tooth, join fan-favourite Bake Off contestants in the Baking Theatre to learn the secrets behind show-stopping cakes.
You can also taste new wines, champagnes, and cocktails at the Drinks Theatre while eating delicious street food from around the world. And there’s plenty of fun for everyone, with hot chilli-eating competitions and food challenges happening all day long. Kids can even get involved at the Kids Cookery Theatre.
Stranraer Oyster Festival
When: 11-13 September 2026
Where: Stranraer
Price: TBC
Stranraer is home to Scotland’s last wild, native oyster fishery, and the festival pays homage to the town’s prized delicacies with a dynamic three-day programme. The 2026 line-up is yet to be announced but expect celebrity chef demos, live music, amazing food & drink, family fun, and a huge oyster bar with sensational native oysters, freshly landed from beautiful Loch Ryan. At the festival’s heart lies the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championship, affectionately dubbed the ShuckOff.
Wales
Cardiff Food & Drink Festival
When: TBC
Where: Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff Bay
Price: Free
The Cardiff Food & Drink Festival is a highlight in the city’s summer calendar. At the heart of the festival, the producers fair and farmers market offer a variety of top-quality produce. There’s also a street food piazza where you can try everything from curries to paella, catch live music at the bandstand and find unique handcrafted goods at the crafts market. More details about their 2026 program will be made available on their homepage.
Abergavenny Food Festival
When: 19-20 September 2026
Where: Various venues in the centre of Abergavenny
Price: TBC
Founded in 1999 by two local farmers in response to the BSE crisis, the Abergavenny Food Festival (AFF) has grown into a significant event. It’s held over the third weekend of September, drawing people together to celebrate the diverse food culture of Wales and beyond.
There are six venues and the food markets have over 200 stalls, each packed with tasty local treats, artisanal goodies and flavours from around the world. Visitors can also enjoy cooking demonstrations by top chefs, talks and debates on food-related topics, hands-on workshops for all ages, live music and street food.
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