The best food festivals in the UK 2025

Group of young people sharing pizza in a field surrounded by food trucks

From street food to Michelin-starred recipes, Britain's food festivals have something for everyone

(Image credit: SolStock / Getty Images)

published 10 March 2025

There's a tasty menu of food and drink festivals on offer in the UK this year, guaranteed to whet the appetite of even the fussiest of foodies.

There are more than 100 food festivals around the country each year, said Visit Britain, delivering "scrumptious food with a healthy dollop of music and a side of good times". Indeed, added Good Food, the UK has become a hotspot for "delicious discoveries". As well as treats to eat and drink, many offer live cooking demos from top chefs and stalls featuring local produce and delicacies to take home.

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Mixing a "basketful of foodie treats" together with "egg-citing activities for the whole family", according to the organisers, Broadstairs Food Festival promises three days packed full of Easter indulgence. The line-up features 100 local producers, as well as a range of drinks, including Kentish ales, ciders and wine and spirits from some of the region's award-winning vineyards and distilleries. Many of the family-friendly activities are free to attend, while the bandstand offers a packed programme of musicians. The fun doesn't end there – there's an Autumn Food Festival in October, too.

Boasting almost 500 events across 89 venues in six days, this is one of the world's largest whisky festivals. Highlights include a foot-tapping ceilidh at the Macdonald Highlands Hotel in Aviemore, a whisky school offering insights into the history, science and craftsmanship of Scotland's national drink, and a painting-and-tasting session by the sea at Findhorn. There are also tours of the area's distilleries and a six-course tasting menu dinner at The Macallan's TimeSpirit restaurant, described by Condé Nast Traveller as a "contemporary cathedral consecrated to the worship of malt whisky".

If you're after a "jam-packed schedule" call in to one of this year's Foodies Festival venues, said The Telegraph. With events held across the country, this event, "dubbed 'gastro-Glastonbury'", is the UK's largest food and drink celebration, mixing big names with local artisans, street-food traders and food and drink producers. Among those offering recipe ideas and cookery tips are award-winning chef and restaurateur Dipna Anand, baker Mich Turner and "Great British Menu" champion Daniel McGeorge, while Pixie Lott and Judge Jules are among the music stars attending or you can party in peace and quiet at the Silent Disco.

Take a one-hour drive out of London to the riverside town of Marlow to join chefs including Tom Kerridge, Yotam Ottolenghi and Raymond Blanc celebrating street food, craft beers and local pubs. Foodie festival-goers can enjoy an "unforgettable gastronomic journey" on a tapas and wine cruise down the river, an exclusive picnic at The Compleat Angler hotel and music from the likes of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Jess Glynne, Dizzee Rascal, Squeeze and Billy Ocean. It is truly an "epic line-up", said Squaremeal. If you can't make it to Marlow, there are three other Pub in the Park festivals throughout the summer.

Known as the "Food Fest of the North", Malton Food Lovers Festival showcases Yorkshire's finest produce and cooking with stalls, street food, talks, tastings, celebrity chefs, demos, festival bar, live music and more. The full menu of events is yet to be revealed, but last year's festival featured demos from "Great British Bake Off" 2019 winner David Atherton and 2023 "Masterchef: The Professionals" finalist Molly Payne. It's all set up in the style of a giant street party, with lots of activities to entertain young foodies, too. The best bit, said Country & Town House, is "it's free to attend".

Wales's biggest free food festival is a "real treat for the senses", said Wales Online. This long-running festival offers a "veritable feast for foodie lovers", promise the organisers, with bakeries, artisanal ice creams, drinks, cheeses, meats and sweets all up for tasting. There are more than 50 stalls in the Farmers' Market, selling wines, beers and ciders as well as preserves and treats, and you can find more exotic fare ranging from curries and kebabs to paella and poutine at the Street Food Piazza, while the Bandstand promises a "lyrical larder" of "food for your soul". No tickets are required and the entertainment goes on into the night.

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Elizabeth Carr-Ellis is a freelance journalist and was previously the UK website's Production Editor. She has also held senior roles at The Scotsman, Sunday Herald and Hello!. As well as her writing, she is the creator and co-founder of the Pausitivity #KnowYourMenopause campaign and has appeared on national and international media discussing women's healthcare.