Foodies Festival Fire Stage
FOODIES FESTIVAL – The UK's biggest touring celebrity food & music festival series expands into 3 new regions – Bath, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Guildford - and announces a huge line-up of TV chefs and chart-topping music stars.
FOODIES FESTIVAL – known as Gastro-Glastonbury – prepares for its biggest tour to date. Following a record-breaking number of visitors last year, the family-friendly festival announces a visit to fourteen regions across 42 dates between May and September 2024.
Expanding its portfolio, the festival has launched in three new regions – visiting the World Heritage City of Bath, the historic spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells and the medieval market town of Guildford, Surrey.
The three-day weekends feature live cooking demonstrations from an extensive menu of top chefs, including MasterChef and Great British Bake-Off champions, Great British Menu winners and judges and TV guest chefs, plus highly-rated Michelin-starred chefs in each region. Over 600 live demonstrations will feature across the series.
Music headliners include: Example, Blue, Peter Andre, Sister Sledge, Scouting For Girls, Boyzlife with Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy and Symphonic Ibiza Orchestra.
Star names appearing in the live theatres, include: Great British Bake Off 2023 winner, Matty Edgell, Singer and TV personality, Peter Andre, MasterChef: The Professionals 2023 champion, Tom Hamblet, MasterChef champions, Tom Rhodes, Alex Webb, Thomas Frake, Shelina Permalloo and Dhruv Baker, celebrity TV chef, Atul Kochhar, ITV This Morning chefs Theo Michaels, Jimmy Lee and Omar Allibhoy, Channel 4 Sunday Brunch chef, James Golding, and MasterChef 2023 finalists Omar Foster and Anurag Aggarwal.
Also cooking up a storm, two times winner of Great British Menu, Adam Reid, MasterChef: The Professionals 2023 finalists, Tommy Thorn and Kasae Fraser, Bake Off finalists, Jürgen Krauss, Dan Hunter and Sandro Farmhouse and Channel 5 and BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter, Sian Anderson.
“I’m so excited to be joining the Foodies Festival tour this year. I’m a proper foodie, so I’m buzzing to be able to attend, let alone bake in the live theatre! I’ll be whipping up delicious sweet treats and sharing some recipes that the audience can try out at home”
Peter Andre, said: “Music, food and warm evenings, the perfect combo! I’m looking forward to performing my favourite songs on the musc stage, and I’m thrilled to also be cooking live in-front of an audience with some brilliant chefs. I love getting creative in the kitchen at home and trying out new dishes"
Duncan James, Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook-off winner and member of Blue, said: “We’re all looking forward to joining the Foodies Festival tour again this year. The crowd is always bouncing and up for a great day and night out! A definite highlight is the lovely food from around the world. We’ve enjoyed some amazing dishes on previous visits and can’t wait to try some more!”
Blue
A prodigious list of multi-award-winning and Michelin-rated chefs will also appear throughout the summer, including: TV chef, Galton Blackiston, from Michelin-starred Morston Hall, North Norfolk, National Chef of Scotland and MasterChef: The Professionals champion, Gary Maclean, from Creel Caught, Edinburgh, Great British Menu chef, Josh Eggleton, from Michelin-starred Pony and Trap, Somerset and Jeff Galvin, from London and Essex based Michelin-starred Galvin restaurant group.
Throughout each weekend, visitors will enjoy a jam-packed schedule of TV cooking show champions and award-winning chefs in the interactive live theatres. In the Chefs Theatre, celebrities will create their signature dishes and share new tips and tricks, whilst in the Cake & Desserts Theatre, patisserie chefs and star bakers whip up showstoppers and offer tempting sweet treats.
Fire Stage
Brand new to Foodies this year, LumberjAxe will be bringing live-fire cooking to the festival, with meat, fish and vegetables elevated in the great outdoors - seared on grills, nestled in coals or hung over fire bowls. Where’s the party? Follow the smoke.
BBQ specialists LumberjAxe and pitmaster James Brace will be joined by chefs, cooking on the Weber and the Kadai, with meat from The Village Butcher, seafood from RockFish and charcoal from Big K. Head to the Fire Stage for food, fire and friendship, inspiring, educating and entertaining in equal mouth-watering measure.
In The Kids Cookery School, Foodies SuperChefs make cooking fun, helping younger guests to prepare delicious food which they can take away and enjoy. Masterclasses in the Drinks Theatre include tutored Champagne, Beer, Cider, Cocktail and Wine-tasting, including presentations from ITV, BBC and Channel 4 drinks experts.
Visitors can browse the latest food trends in the Shopping Village, meet local producers in the Artisan Market and taste exotic and unusual new dishes in the Feasting Tent – which features a mouth-watering range of street food and delicacies from all four corners of the globe. Other attractions include a fairground and fun activities for children.
New for Fridays: The festival launches brand new family-friendly entertainment features taking place throughout the live theatres and extended opening hours until 10pm. As the sun goes down, the legendary Symphonic Ibiza will present an unforgettable fusion of dance anthems, live vocals, a sensational DJ and an exhilarating live orchestra. Created by dynamic producer and DJ Andy Joyce (Pacha, Amnesia, Eden, Cafe Mambo) and accomplished composer and musical director Steve Etherington.
New features for 2024 include:
Cook School: Visitors are invited to take their kitchen game up a division in the Cook School; learning new skills with top chefs
Foodies Fiesta: Pop up and walk about drum troops, choirs, circus acts, drag queens, mass sing-alongs, show tunes, dance troops and more!
Silent Disco: Sessions to suit all, from old school bangers to new chart hits, and early sessions for the younger audience to get their groove on!
Mad Hatters Tea Party: Children are invited to tumble down the rabbit hole into The Kids Cookery School, where they can make delicious treats. Don’t be late!
Cookbook Shop: with celebrity signings, photo opportunities and top chefs showcasing their latest cookbooks.
The Heat is On!: World Chilli-eating Champion Shahina Waseem will challenge those brave enough to compete in the daily Chili Eating Competition.
Director Sue Hitchen said: "Following a hugely successful series last year with record-breaking visitor numbers, we’re thrilled to expand into three new regions in 2024. Entering our 19th year, we look forward to our biggest tour to date and delivering superb value weekends of top entertainment. We are proud to showcase and support the hundreds of local artisan producers and restaurants that join us across the UK"
Sister Sledge
For the sixth year running, the festival is supporting Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH) with donations to UK-wide homelessness charity Crisis.
2024 VENUES AND DATES
Brighton, Preston Park: 4th, 5th, 6th May - Bank Holiday
Cardiff, Bute Park: 10th, 11th, 12th May
London, Syon Park: 25th, 26th, 27th May - Bank Holiday
St Albans, Oaklands: 31st May, 1st, 2nd June
Bath, Royal Victoria Park: 7th, 8th, 9th June *New Location
Chelmsford, Hylands Park: 21st, 22nd, 23rd June
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Dunorlan Park: 5th, 6th, 7th July *New Location
Cheshire, Tatton Park: 12th, 13th, 14th July
Winchester, North Walls Recreation Ground: 19th, 20th, 21st July
Edinburgh, Inverleith Park: 2nd, 3rd, 4th August
Glasgow, Rouken Glen Park: 9th, 10th, 11th August
Oxford, South Parks: 24th, 25th, 26th August - Bank Holiday
Guildford, Stoke Park: 30th, 31st August, 1st September *New Location
Norwich, Earlham Park: 6th, 7th, 8th September
Ticket information
Tickets from £4 (child) and £21 (adult)
Weekend tickets (3-day) from £42
Under 6 go free
Exclusive Discount Code
Use code foodies30 to save a massive 30% off tickets