Food festival is hoping for a perfect ten

HOPES WILL be high for fine weather when the tenth annual Wexford Food and Wine Festival kicks off this Friday.

The festival is celebrating its tenth birthday and a host of events are planned to mark the occasion including the ever popular food stalls dotted throughout the town, the South Main Ale Trail, and plenty of other food-related events.

There will also better linking of the exhibitor areas through the incorporation of a busker and food trail.

Over the past nine years, the festival has established itself as a must attend premier food and drink event in the south-east and, last year, over 15,000 people descended upon the streets of Wexford for the weekend.

This year will feature more exhibitors than ever before and there is an ever-expanding waiting list of companies keen to take part in the event.

On Friday evening, The Feast of the South East barbecue takes place at Greenacres from 7.30 p.m. Numbers are limited and the event is open only to reservations. Meanwhile, in The Sky and the Ground, the White Gypsy Brewing Company barbecue is taking place from 6 p.m.

On Saturday, the festival really kicks it up a notch with a number of events taking place. The Open Air Food Producers Market takes place in Selskar Square, South Main Street and the Bullring, featuring local, regional and Welsh artisan producers, displaying a huge variety of foodstuffs. The markets are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Also on Saturday, the Natural Health Store will hose ‘Utterly Nutritious’ between midday and 4 p.m.; there will be a cookery demonstration at Fulacht Fiadh in the Irish National Heritage Park; the Greenacres Emporium and FOod Paradise will have tastings and product launches; and the South Main Ale Trail takes place between Simon Lambert’s, The Sky and the Ground, and the Bugler Doyle’s from 9.30 p.m. onwards.

These events will run again throughout Sunday. Also on Sunday is a Guided FOraging tour at The Raven at 3 p.m.

The Wexford Food and Wine Festival is organised by a voluntary committee of local people on a non profit making basis. Most events are free while others have a small cover charge to cover costs. Any profits generated are donated to charities and local causes.