Food and drink festivals you should visit in 2024

Taste of London

Back and celebrating its 20th year, Taste is five days of foodie celebrations in the centre of London. With eight sessions across the five days, you’ll be able to sample food from the most talked about restaurants in London and try dishes from the food stars of the future. Look out for fuel-flamed theatrics at the fire pit stage, sample some tipples at the tasting theatre and after having your fill of food, dance the evening away with DJs and a singalong around the piano.

12-16 June, Regents Park
Tickets starting at £24, london.tastefestivals.com

Vineyards of Hampshire Fizz Fest

The Fizz Fest returns for its 10th anniversary at The Grange, The Winery at Burges Field, celebrating Hampshire’s premier vineyards. This is a chance to taste new vintages and talk to the producers at the heart of their production. You’ll also be able to enjoy street food, music and get involved with masterclasses, as well as exploring the vineyard on a tour.

23 June, Alresford, Hampshire
Tickets £35pp, vineyardsofhampshire.co.uk/our-events, use the code FIZZFEST10 for 10% off tickets.

FIZZ FEST 2023 Bottle pouring VoH Glass Programme Guest hands

Good Food Festival

The Good Food Festival will be returning to Goodwood Racecourse in West Sussex from the 16 - 18 August 2024. Now in its third year, the Good Food Festival will once again bring together foodies, chefs and producers from across the UK for a three-day culinary celebration. With something for all ages, there will be cooking demos, family activities, VIP experiences, book signings, live music and much more.

The festival features the Festival Kitchen with Ruby Bhogal, star of the Great British Bake Off, hosting a line-up of guests including a line-up of guest experts showcasing their culinary tips and tricks will include gluten-free food blogger Becky Excell, West Sussex local Jane Dunn of Jane’s Patisserie, award-winning vegan baker Philip Khoury and Sian Anderson, a restaurateur and BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ.

18-20 August, Goodwood Racecourse, Chichester, West Sussex
Tickets from £12.50 (adults). Children under 12 go free, goodfoodshow.com/goodwood-festival/

Hampton Court Palace Food Festival

Spend the bank holidays week at the annual Hampton Court Palace Food Festival, with celebrations for all the family in Henry VIII's beautiful gardens.

There will be more delicious street food to graze on than ever before, plus amazing pop-up bars serving tasty tipples, refreshing craft beers and exquisite wines. With over 150 fantastic brands and producers, you'll be able to get your hands on everything from mouth-watering cheeses and sausages to brownies and churros. Plus, your ticket will give you access to the palace made famous by Henry VIII, his wives and children.

24 – 26 August 2024, Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
Tickets from £27.20. HRP members go free. hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com

Cardiff Food & Drink Festival

This is by far one of the most popular events of the summer for the city of Cardiff. This free festival will have a host of stallholders at The Producers Fair and Farmers Market offering a spectacular spread of produce. Over at the Street Food Piazza expect everything from curries and kebabs to tapas and tacos. For the creatives they’ll also be the Crafters Market where you can find an eclectic mix of handmade arts and crafts.

5-7 July, Cardiff Bay
Free entry, visitcardiff.com/food-drink/

tray of welsh cakes — © Huw Evans Picture Agency

Winchester Food Festival

Discover Winchester’s finest local produce and the people that make it at this free food festival in front of Winchester’s epic cathedral. For 2024, visitors can expect an expanded array of stalls, chef demonstrations and activities for all ages. Some of the local delights you can expect are coffee, trout, honey and gin.

14 July, Winchester Cathedral
Free entry, winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/winchester-food-festival/

Edinburgh Food Festival

First launched in 2014, the Edinburgh Food Festival has got bigger and better every year. Festival goers will enjoy dishes from around the world suitable for all dietary requirements as Scotland’s best food and drink vendors serve up their finest over the 10-day event. This is Edinburgh’s only free-to-enter food festival, and you can expect a full programme of activities including chef demos, street food and thirst-quenching drinks.

19-28 July, George Square Gardens
Free entry, edfoodfest.com

Rock Oyster Festival

Cornwall’s Rock Oyster festival is more than food. With a full weekend of chart-topping music, talks from authors and a wellbeing programme including surf lessons, yoga and massages, this is not an event to be missed. Across the three-day festival top chefs like Jack Stein, Thuy Diem Pham and Matt Tebbutt will be taking to the food stage with demos and talks. You can also see headline music performances from The Human League, Sugababes and Bombay Bicycle Club for a jam-packed culinary and music experience.

25-28 July, Dinham House, North Cornwall
Adult day tickets from £64. Full weekend with camping options, rockoysterfestival.co.uk

New Forest Food Festival

This is a new one to add to the summer calendar. The New Forest has always been rich in local produce, renowned chefs and restaurants, artisan food and crafts so why not package it up into a festival? There will be food from local producers, cooking demos from local chefs and an artisan and craft market where you can purchase products from the best makers and bakers of the New Forest. This part of the world is also great for a camping holiday, so the festival has teamed up with In Nature Camping to provide a small, family-friendly, pop-up campsite just a short stroll away from the main festival.

17-18 August, Hinton Admiral
Pre-booked adult tickets £8, kids under 16 free, newforestfoodfestival.co.uk

Harrogate Food & Drink Festival

Enjoy a weekend of family-friendly celebration of local talent through food, music and entertainment. For 2024 there will be two stops of this festival, one in June at The Stray and one in August at Ripley Castle. Savour international street food, quench your thirst with independent drink suppliers, shop at the Fine Artisan Markets and have fun with live music, comedy and magicians. In partnership with Mind in Harrogate, the festival will also be raising money to support the community’s mental health.

29-30 June, The Stray and 25-26 August, Ripley Castle
Adult tickets from £5.95, harrogatefoodfestival.com

Abergavenny Food Festival

With 180+ exhibitors and caterers spread across six venues; the Abergavenny Food Festival brings a full weekend of entertainment for its visitors. A Stroller Ticket will get you access to all six market venues. You can also purchase Night Market tickets if you fancy a different evening out, and on the Saturday evening you can buy tickets to the Party in the Castle for an evening of music, dancing and fireworks. Taking place at the end of September, this is a great one to finish a foodie summer.

21-22 September, Abergavenny town
Daytime stroller tickets from £16, abergavennyfoodfestival.com

Meatopia

This huge, four-day event is back with a bang for 2024, promising delicious fire-cooked food, drinks and entertainment. Watch talented chefs cook a bespoke dish over live fire before getting the chance to taste it for yourself. This year expect to see Karla Zazueta of Mexican Food Memories, Adriana Cavita of Cavita and Sam Yorke from Heron in Edinburgh.

29 August-1 September

All tickets must be purchased in advance, ticketing options available through their website, meatopia.co.uk

MEatopia 150-September 02, 2023-untitled shoot015A6318

York Food Festival

Take a trip to the beautiful city of York for this free-to-enter food festival. Discover the best of York’s culinary scene and pick up some delectable local treats from the market. There will be opportunities to take part in free cookery workshops to help you up your cooking game. A series of fringe events will also be held by local restaurants, hotels and retailers and can range from special menus, tastings and workshops. While the festival is free, there are some ticketed activities and donations are welcomed with all money going back into the festival.

20-29 September, York
Free entry, donations welcomed yorkfoodfestival.com/event/2024/03/29/

Dartmouth Food Festival

The not-for-profit festival, now in its 20th year, is run entirely by volunteers and is free for visitors, meaning they can fully explore its three-day programme. This year they will be welcoming Professor Tim Spector, Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt and MasterChef winner Dhruv Baker among many other names.

25th-27th October, Dartmouth
Free entry, www.dartmouthfoodfestival.com