Curries, crepes, cocktails and mocktails will be among the delights on offer at next weekend’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival.
Durham County Council, which organises the festival, has confirmed more than 150 traders from Durham and beyond will be taking stalls at the event on Saturday April 20 and Sunday April 21.
Alongside the familiar faces that regular festivalgoers will recognise, there’ll be 30 new traders selling everything from paella to Portuguese street food. There’ll also be activities and performances within the grounds of Auckland Castle.
Last year’s festival pulled in an estimated 28,000 visitors across the weekend and organisers are hoping for big crowds this time out too.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We’ve got more traders than ever this year and we’re incredibly proud to be playing host to the finest food and drink producers from the region and beyond.
“Once again, it’s particularly pleasing to see so many Bishop Auckland and County Durham-based traders among this year’s line-up and benefiting from the kind of exposure and ability to reach new customers that a festival of this profile will give them.
“This year’s offer includes Sicilian and Sri Lankan street food, smash burgers and crispy duck wraps, as well as sweet treats such as churros and pancakes. We’ll also have cheeses, jams, quirky gins and bubble teas, and even handmade dog treats.
“We cater for all kinds of tastes. There’s an A to Z of traders plus a handy street map on the festival website and on both we’ve got those with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options all clearly labelled to make it easy for people to find their way around.
“Don’t forget, we’ve also got the cookery demonstrations from our celebrity chefs, plus live music, family activities, and street entertainment, so people can really make a day of it.
“There’s just over a week to go now and we’re really looking forward to another successful weekend.”
This year’s celebrity chefs are BOSH! duo Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, Matt Tebbutt, Cyrus Todiwala, Meliz Berg, Marcus Bean, and Dan Hunter.
For the full list of traders visit www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk/exhibitors and follow its social media channels for all the latest festival news and announcements.
