Festivals
Preview
The best UK festivals for foodies this summer
All the places you’ll want to be this year if you love live music and nice things to eat
Gone are the days when you could make it through a weekend of live music on just the Polos in your pockets and half a falafel wrap. Festivals are about more than just the music now – there’s arts, culture, activities, and lots and lots of food and drink. But some festivals go above and beyond, opening their gates to truly next-level culinary experiences.
If you’re a foodie putting together your summer festival schedule, you might be getting overwhelmed trying to work out where the best places to eat are. We’ve put together this handy guide to the UK’s best festivals for food lovers. Most of them will see live music and gorgeous grub going hand-in-hand, while there are also some brilliant family activities for those of you with mini foodies in tow. Whether you’re looking for mouth-watering BBQ or sophisticated fine dining, you’ll find something here that will get your stomach rumbling.
Here are all the foodie festivals that should be on your plate this summer.
Smoke & Fire
With events at Ascot and at Maldon, Smoke & Fire Festival is set to be the UK’s largest BBQ festival. Both events will feature BBQ demos, award-winning street food vendors and a mini Real Ale and Cider festival, while at the Maldon event, you’ll get to experience the 2025 Great British Open Freestyle BBQ Championships. Meanwhile, Ascot boasts a Mexican flavour with the Tacover Taco & Tequila Zone. When you’ve finished stuffing yourself with all of this mouth-watering grub, there’ll be live music and DJs to close out each night — with Dodgy headlining at Ascot and Toploader at Maldon, as well as a Britpop showdown between Blurd and Shoasis at both events.
Ascot, 5-6 July and Maldon, 16-17 August
Big Feastival
Hosted by Blur bassist and famous foodie Alex James on his Cotswolds farm, this is the ultimate experience for the best of British street food and nostalgic bangers. You’ll get to see Nelly Furtado, Travis, Faithless, Scouting For Girls, Rizzle Kicks, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Wombats, and many more, plus the main event: our host Alex James debuting Britpop Classical, featuring classical renditions of all your favourite Britpop anthems complete with a 20-piece orchestra. Meanwhile, there’ll be a dazzling array of street food vendors, covering about every cuisine you could hope for — and, if you fancy, a selection of fine dining experiences serving up four-course banquets.
Cotswolds, 22-24 August
Cheese & Chilli Festival
This one is basically what it says on the tin — if you’re a fan of cheese, chillis, and what happens when you put them together, it might be one for you. There’ll be stalls selling a handpicked variety of unique cheeses and chilis; plus, chilli-eating competitions, cooking theatre with Chili Olly and Chili Dave, and all kinds of family entertainment (including wrestling and crazy golf!). To sweeten the deal, there’ll be live bands throughout the weekend too.
Chichester, 21-22 June and Guildford, 19-20 July
Gatcombe Food Festival
Located on Princess Anne’s idyllic country estate in Gloucestershire, the Gatcombe Food Festival brings some of the best chefs and bakers in the UK to one place. There’ll be live demonstrations from the likes of celebrity chef Lesley Waters, ‘Britain’s Best BBQer’ BBQ Ben, Michelin-starred chef Steven Doherty and The Great British Bake Off’s Howard Middleton among others. Not only that, but there’s a huge range of stalls to peruse, as well as children’s activities and even a children’s BBQ competition. And while you’re at it, you can stop by the on-site vineyard and enjoy a glass of boutique wine. A truly regal foodie experience!
Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire, 26-27 July
London Restaurant Festival
If you’re looking for a more city-based event, London Restaurant Festival is the place to be. Through all of June and all of October, it offers a chance to enjoy the very best of the capital’s restaurants, with masterclasses, restaurant-hopping tours and exclusive set menus. There’s no better opportunity to explore one of the world’s best food cities.
London, 29 May-30 June and 27 September-31 October
Wilderness
Wilderness is no mere music festival – although it’s got one of the best line-ups going this summer, featuring the likes of Basement Jaxx, Wet Leg, Air, Orbital and Supergrass. It’s much more than that, with all kinds of experiences from meditation and fitness sessions, to arts and dance performances and workshops, to thought-provoking talks. And then, of course, there’s the food. There’ll be dining experiences from some of the country’s top chefs – including Angela Hartnett, OBE, Prue Leith, and Michelin-starred chef of Indian cuisine Rohit Ghai. It’s safe to say you’ll be spending the weekend blissed out.
Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, 31 July-3 August
Camp Bestival
Perhaps the UK’s most well-known family festival, there’s loads going on here for kids and adults alike. You’ll see Basement Jaxx and Annie Mac alongside Mr Tumble and Horrible Histories Live, before wandering off to enjoy a yoga session, art workshop or kids’ sports activities among many other brilliant events. It’s got a strong reputation for its foodie scene, and this year will be no different with tons of street food vendors dotted around the festival.
Dorset, 31 July-3 August
St. Osyth Summer Sounds
This brand new music and food festival will take place at the St. Osyth priory near Colchester. There’ll be performances from saxophonist YolanDa Brown, Keynotes gospel choir and jazz pianist Joe Stilgoe, as well as appearances from top chefs like Joe Hurd, Madeeha Qureshi and Arbinder Dugal. There’ll also be a street food festival and producers’ market which is sure to be full of culinary delights.
St. Osyth, Essex, 30-31 August
Darkside of the Grill: The Ultimate Master Class Pitmaster Experience
BBQ master Mel Chmilar Jr., also known as Dark Side of the Grill, will be bringing his BBQ masterclass to the UK for one day only. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you’ll learn some essential tips and tricks that will turn you into a beast on the grill. Plus you’ll get some complementary drinks, some goodies to take home and a 25% discount on tickets for Smoke & Fire festivals. We’re getting hungry already!
London, June 29
Find these festivals and more in our Festival Guide
