Taste, don’t waste, with a stylish festival pack...

Blas na hÉireann: Ireland’s largest quality produce competition...

ENERGY, conservation and anti-waste initiatives have long been a feature of the festival’s ethos and 2018 promises to enhance this position. You too can take a green approach to the festival with your own festival pack. This consists of a plate, bowl, cup and cutlery made from durable and reusable eco-friendly bamboo in an organic cotton carry bag. The pack costs €15 and is available at the festival office at the information stall on Gray’s Lane and at participating shops around town

Rinse stations will also be conveniently situated around the town for you to clean your dishes between tastings. New to this year’s festival will be water refill points, which are located next to the rinse stations. Here is where you will be able to refill your water bottle for free thanks to support from Kerry County Council.

To further reduce plastic waste, most food outlets are using compostable containers and cutlery which can be reused or disposed of in the compost bins at each rinse station. Participating vendors will be awarded the green footprint logo so look out for stall holders and Taste Trail venues with this logo. The festival organisers’ main aim is to reduce waste completely, while compostables will give a helping hand on the road to becoming a zero waste festival.

Transition Corca Dhuibhne’s volunteers are pioneering the initiatives in an effort to make the festival waste free by 2020. Together, the Dingle Food Festival and its patrons can make the festival a greener one. Be sure to join in and ‘be a taster, not a waster’!

An energy savvy festival? ESB Networks, who are sponsoring the generators for the Dingle Food Festival, recently launched the Dingle Project which will help achieve a sustainable low carbon future. They would be delighted for you to visit their stand to learn about the benefits of the new technology. This year’s ‘Farmers Forum’ will take place at 8pm on Friday in An Diseart. The 2018 theme is entitled: Farming Energy: encompassing both energy retrofits and bioenergy. ALSO running during the festival is Blas na hEireann - The Irish Food Awards Food Festival. This is the biggest competition for quality Irish produce on the island of Ireland. Over 2,500 products have been entered into the 2018 competition to win Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards in over 100 food and drink categories, as well as key awards such as Supreme Champion and Best Artisan Producer. There will also be food networking events for producers throughout the weekend.