Cheese, honey and riverside feasting run through the core of the summer/autumn transition where food and drink festivals in Wales are concerned. Hannah Collins recommends these seven to bring an empty stomach to…
PEMBROKESHIRE STREET FOOD FESTIVAL
Street Food Circus sets up shop in Fishguard this month for three days of foodie festivities – more than 20 vendors and market stalls serving dishes from Afghan to Uzbek – and live entertainment. A sustainability drive also means you can buy a £2 cup with your first drink order to reuse throughout the festival.
Goodwick Car Park, Fishguard, Fri 9-Sun 11 Aug
Admission: FREE. Info: here
NARBERTH CHEESE FESTIVAL
Narberth’s yearly celebration of local cheeses and all the accoutrements that go with it – namely, pickles and preserves, as the advertising makes specific note of. If cheese isn’t your thing, there’ll be plenty of other food, booze and sweet stuff to choose from too.
Queens Hall, Narberth, Sat 10 + Sun 11 Aug
Admission: FREE. Info: here
CARDIGAN RIVER & FOOD FESTIVAL
The 23rd iteration of this staple in the Welsh outdoor food and drink festival scene, offering all the usual sights, sounds and tastes amidst its riverside setting, along with stuff to keep the kids entertained and live entertainment.
Quay Street Car Park, Cardigan, Sat 17 Aug
Tickets: £3/FREE kids. Info: here
CAERPHILLY CHEESE FESTIVAL
A rebranding of The Big Cheese, which probably makes more SEO sense but isn’t as fun to read. Caerphilly’s largest outdoor food festival will also not be in its usual place due to the redevelopments at the Castle, instead setting up on the grass behind it with a drinking area in the Twyn Car Park and local restaurants and pubs adding special outdoor areas.
Caerphilly town centre, Sat 31 Aug + Sun 1 Sept
Admission: FREE. Info: here
NEWTOWN FOOD FESTIVAL
Sprawled over the town’s public lawns just outside of the centre, this will be the tenth anniversary of Newtown Food Festival. Fixtures include a main stage for live entertainment, ‘Food To Go’ lawn, children’s village and festival kitchen, as well as fringe events in the runup: Safari Supper (Thurs 3 Aug) and a ceilidh (Fri 1 Sept).
Severn Street, Newtown, Sat 7 + Sun 8 Sept
Admission: FREE. Info: here
AMGUEDDFA CYMRU FOOD FESTIVAL
Featuring some of the most diverse programming of any food festival in Wales, St Fagans opens its farm doors to more than 80 food, drink and craft stalls, and offers you the chance to milk cows, churn butter, meet a miller and gardener, make seed bombs, learn circus tricks, or just take in some live music, outdoor theatre and historic displays.
National Museum Of History, St Fagans, Sat 7 + Sun 8 Sept
Admission: FREE. Info: here
CONWY HONEY FAIR
Over 700 years ago, King Edward I granted beekeepers in North Wales permission to sell honey for 24 hours, tax-free, a tradition enshrined in the town’s Royal Charter and continuing to this day in the form of the biannual Honey Fair. This year, 25 honey stalls are bulked out by around 50 other vendors selling plants, crafts and farm produce.
Conwy High Street, Fri 13 Sept
Admission: FREE. Info: here
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