From the quiet harbour of Aberaeron to the busier streets of Cardiff, these festivals offer to appetize with a diverse feast for vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike. Billy Edwards is your man with the info and the words.
MILFORD HAVEN STREET FOOD FESTIVAL
Milford Haven’s waterfront festival took a couple of years to bounce back from the pandemic, yet it is going ahead this year, promising delectable flavours from Moroccan to homemade lemonade. For those with a sweet tooth, brownies and more adventurous churros are on site. Though it is cashless, there is said to be good variety as its organisers ensure no two trading stalls serve the same cuisine.
Mackerel Quay, Milford Haven, Fri 4-Sun 6 Aug
Admission: FREE. Info: here
THE BIG WELSH BITE FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL
Over 50 food stalls will be in attendance to celebrate a century of the park. Venetian food truck The Queen Pepiada will be in attendance, and Baker Bears are bringing an unusual invention: cookies in a pie. Plus, for those who wonder how their dishes are concocted, there will be live cooking demonstrations with local chefs.
Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Pontypridd, Sat 5 + Sun 6 Aug
Admission: FREE. Info: here
ABERAERON BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL
A long-awaited return to this Ceredigion town for a winner of The Welsh Enterprise Award’s Best Annual Food & Beverage Festival. This year’s lineup is currently TBC, yet previous years have featured drinks brewed in Mumbles, the Wye Valley, and Porthmadog’s Purple Moose Brewery. Also featuring is a DJ playing dance classics along the picturesque harbour.
Aberaeron Yacht & Watersports Club, Sat 12 Aug
Admission: FREE. Info: here
NARBERTH CHEESE FESTIVAL
The annual cheese festival is a highlight of the summer months in this town. Taking place inside the Queen’s Hall, a selection of fine Welsh cheeses will be on sale. What’s more, if it’s good with cheese, it’s covered: cheesecakes, pickles, preserves, and olives, plus wines, beers, and ciders to wash it down.
The Queens Hall, Narberth, Sat 12 Aug.
Admission: FREE. Info: here
CARDIGAN RIVER AND FOOD FESTIVAL
Apprentice winner Alana Spencer will be supplying cakes with Ridiculously Rich, Babita’s Spice Deli will boast vegetarian Indian street food, and Signore Twister will combine Welsh and Italian foodstuffs for their Potato Twisters, for starters. Entertainment is on hand in the form of boat trips, a duck race, and demonstrations of a coracle, a traditional Welsh one-person boat built with woven wood.
Quay Street Car Park, Cardigan, Sat 19 Aug
Tickets: £3. Info: here
VEGOUT WEST
A brand-new festival solely dedicated to vegan food; tickets include a pass to camp overnight, creative workshops and yoga. H!P Oat M!lk Chocolate, recently founded by a member of the Cadbury family, will promote its newest flavours, such as salted pretzel. Swansea’s Vegan Filth, which prides itself on vegan junk food, from towering burgers to surf‘n’turf, is a sure highlight.
Llanteg, Pembrokeshire, Sat 19 + Sun 20 Aug
Tickets: £40/£20 kids. Info: here
WELSH VEGAN FESTIVAL
Vegan is again the word for this Cardiff-based event, with a range of south Wales food vendors that aim to taste like the real thing. Strictly vegan clothing and cosmetics will be on offer, as well as talks with guest speakers and educational documentary showings concerning the vegan lifestyle. And it’s all for the good of charity, conducted in aid of Farplace Animal Rescue.
Tramshed, Cardiff, Sun 20 Aug
Tickets: £4. Info: here
PONTYCLUN FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL
Pontyclun is hosting its very own festival, the first of its kind, on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Twenty stalls will be open, ranging from pizzas and Welsh cakes to an elaborate chocolate fountain. Furthermore, tuck into street food at the trendy Pipeworks Bar’s outdoor space to a soundtrack of rock, blues, and reggae.
Pontyclun Free Car Park, Sat 26 Aug
Admission: FREE. Info: here
SWANSEA FOOD FEST
On the August Bank Holiday, Swansea will welcome a few Michelin-starred chefs. This festival’s line-up boasts Chocolate Innovation Chef Of The Year winner Thomas Leatherbarrow, who’s travelled around the world in pursuit of studying chocolate farmers to improve his own production. The Taste & Talks Theatre, too, will tackle the industry as a whole with discussions on food trends and sustainability.
Singleton Park, Swansea, Sat 26 + Sun 27 Aug
Tickets: £12. Info: here
SWANSEA BAY BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL
For their 34th festival, the Campaign For Real Ale’s Swansea branch will be introducing several new brews to the area. With 100 ales reportedly on offer, there will no doubt be something to cater to all tastes – perhaps from the Gower and Mumbles breweries, this year’s main sponsors. Attendees will also be given a commemorative half-pint glass.
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, Thurs 31 Aug-Sat 2 Sept
Tickets: £7. Info: here
words BILLY EDWARDS
