15 festivals for food lovers
Hot wings, mezcal masterclasses and a celebration of Caribbean cuisine — this summer’s headliners are tasty. David Ellis has your ultimate guide
La Piñata
A weekend celebration of Cinco de Mayo, this one is all-Mexican-everything, with a heavy lean into the mind-numbing joys of tequila and mezcal. Twenty producers will be on hand, said to each be carrying a dozen or so expressions of the stuff, and there’ll be explanations of what goes into the spirits — both are complex beasts, really — with tastings galore. It’s not all just for drinking neat, though, with margaritas, palomas and micheladas served at the bar. Street food is on hand for soaking-up duty, too.
• May 7, Tobacco Dock, E1W, spiritssociety.com
London Restaurant Festival
Co-founded by this paper’s then restaurant critic Fay Maschler, this month-long festival has for the past 13 years urged eaters to explore new favourites across the capital. Expect chef-led sittings (Nieves Barragán, Matt Tebbutt and Sally Abé and Theo Randall are all involved), restaurant-hopping tours and even a rosé masterclass or two. October is arguably the main event, but so far, the summer one looks more fun. • June (summer edition) and October, across London, londonrestaurantfestival.com
Taste of London
They call it “the wo rl d ’s g re a te s t food festival” which is a tad strong, bu t fo r almost two decades, Taste has been offering tens of thousands of Londoners — some 55,000 this year — a chance to tuck into food stalls from some of the capital’s best-known spots. Where else could you eat Andalusian from Bibo, only to turn around for a bite of west African from Chishuru? There are bars throughout, cheffy demos and even a speed-dating session.
• June 15-19, Regent’s Park, NW1, london.tastefestivals.com
London Craft Beer Festival
Similar in principle to the Great British Beer Festival, but with more of a party atmosphere, this one has some top restaurants serving plates alongside the endless parade of pints — think the likes of Fallow, Farang and 10 Greek Street. Tickets at around £60 are pricey but include all the beer, and there’s live music to boot. Wines, spirits and nonalcoholic beers are on tap too. • August 12-13, Tobacco Dock, E1W, londoncraftbeerfestival. co.uk
Pub in the Park
Star chef Tom Kerridge is back touring the country with a shindig that does what it says on the tin, celebrating the best of the Great British boozer. Hosted with the help of his cheffy mates — Michel Roux Jr, Andi Oliver and Ravneet Gill among them — the family-friendly fest promises pints, finely-done pub grub, cooking demos and music from the likes of Craig David, Sister Sledge and Faithless.
• May 27-29 (Wimbledon Park, SW19), June 24-26 (Dulwich Park, SE21), September 2-4 (Chiswick House & Gardens, W4), pubintheparkuk.com
The Great British Beer Festival
Pumps at your local not cutting it? Pint lovers are met with something of an impossible challenge at the huge Olympia — namely, where to start? The Campaign for Real Ale has pulled together hundreds of brewers pouring here, while classic pub games on too, stopping it all getting a bit nerdy.Anyone dragged along who doesn’t fancy, say, a double-hopped sour IPA, will find gin and wine and coffee at bars dotted about here.
• August 2-6, Olympia London, W14,
gbbf.org.uk
Hampton Court Food Festival
Though in part about the venue — a summer’s day in the palace grounds is glorious — this one is for the whole family, with a mix of street food stalls (look out for Camden’s creole spot, Bayou New Orleans Kitchen, or cult fried-chicken specialists, Cluck Farm
Pint lovers are met with something of an impossible challenge at the huge Olympia — namely, where to start?
yard), bars, a bandstand and entertainment for the little ones, including Shire Horse rides. Ahead of the main event is the Artisan Fayre on May 13-15, promising stalls of independent bites, a chance to nosy around HenryVIII’s gaff and fête games as well.
• August 27-29, Hampton Court Palace, KT8, hrpfestivals.com
Meatopia
If a festival had a beard, it would be this one: on its black, blokey website, it describes itself as dedicated to “food, drink, fire and music”. Still, it has modernised in recent years and despite the name, is now more about (very en vogue) live fire cooking, including with fish and veg. Gusts of smoke carrying the scent of sizzling fat billow as 60 of the world’s top live-chef chefs stir the flames to the sound of roaming brass bands and live soul singers and DJs doing their thing.
• September 2-4, Tobacco Dock, E1W, meatopia.co.uk
Brew//LDN
Another craft beer get-together, this one is less about ferments and yeasts and hops — though it’s there for those whowant it — and more geared towards having a good time.
With 99 stands and more than 150 drinks exhibitors pouring, the huge Printworks is likely to feel cosy. DJs play throughout and there’s drinking food on hand — think pizzas, chicken nuggets, burgers and pies.
• May 6-7, Printworks, SE16, brewldn.com
Junipalooza
Hosted by the same gang as La Piñata, above, this one does a similar thing but for gin — only, it’s rather bigger. Awhopping 60 distillers, who between them have more than 300 gins, will be on hand handing out free samples (all included in the £30 ticket price), alongside a chance to mingle with some of the industry’s biggest names. This year, for the first time, there will be street food from Feast It, as well as a lounge area and live music. • June 11-12, Tobacco Dock, E1W, spiritssociety.com
Urban Village Fête
They’re calling this the “party of the year”, which may be a first for a village fête of any kind. Bold claims aside, while it’s not quite the arena of largest courgette competitions and Morris dancers, there’s enough in that vein: a collage club, paper hat making and a coaster marbling workshop. But come too for the local street food traders doing their thing, plus free talks and music from the likes of Bradley Zero and Cosmo Murphy.
• May 15, Central Park, SE10, greenwichpeninsula.co.uk
Vegan Life Live
Gusts of smoke carrying the scent of sizzling fat billow as 60 of the world’s top live chefs stir the flames to brass bands
This straightforwardly-named session does exactly as might be expected: vegan food in all its forms. Think meatfree pizza, kebabs, ice creams, pasta, curry and soul food, alongside talks and demonstrations from some of the scene’s biggest names, including @ pengveganmunch’s Jacob, Nourishing Amy and Omari McQueen.
• June 11-12, Alexandra Palace, N22, london.veganlifelive.com
Taste of the Caribbean
The biggest festival dedicated to Caribbean food in Europe, not just the UK. For one day only the Croydon Road Recreation Ground will be home to almost 30 street food stalls, traders and producers serving everything from hot snacks to creamy desserts. A celebration of the region as a whole, there will also be live music, cooking demonstrations and a decently kitted-out children’s area.
• July 2, Croydon Road Recreation Ground, BR3, tasteofcaribbeanuk.com
London Halal Food Festival
Now in its seventh year and going strong, the festival is a celebration of Halal cooking in all its guises, across a multitude of cuisines, alongside smoothie and mocktail bars, a pudding-only zone and what’s being dubbed a “Cookery Theatre”. Competitive types should try the Halal Eat Offs. • July 9-10, London Stadium, E20, londonhalalfoodfestival.com
Wing Fest
The humble chicken wing is treated as a king here, with an entire festival dedicated to it. A touring enterprise — wing mania is apparently a UK-wide thing — the London edition is the largest chicken wing festival in the world, which is perhaps a claim that is rarely contested. Nevertheless, it looks enormous fun: wings every which way, lots of live music, and chicken-scoffing competitions for those who think they’re the cock of the walk.
• July 16-17, London Stadium, E20,
wingfest.co.uk