A THREE-DAY festival of food and music has announced its return.
Dubbed Gastro-Glastonbury, the Foodies Festival is due to be held in Preston Park, Brighton, from April 30 to May 2.
The bank holiday event is a celebration of food, drink, music and theatre, with a line-up featuring MasterChef champions, stars of The Great British Bake Off and TV cooking show experts.
This year’s event will host MasterChef: The Professionals 2021 champion Daniel Lee, fellow finalists Aaron Middleton and Daniel Marreiros, MasterChef 2021 champion Tom Rhodes, and 2018 MasterChef winner Kenny Tutt.
They will be joined by Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch bread expert Jack Sturgess.
Among the music line-up is Scouting For Girls, The Feeling and Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe from boy band Blue.
Foodies Festival is the biggest touring gourmet food festival in the UK
Festival director Sue Hitchen said: "Foodies Festival Brighton celebrates the start of summer, and we are delighted to be back at our new venue Preston Park.
“The festival has become a meeting point for friends and family to enjoy a great weekend of delicious food, live music and fun.”
A host of award-winning chefs are also to attend, including Alun Sperring from The Chilli Pickle and Michael Bremner from 64 Degrees, who’ve both been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, as well as Brice Lenglet from The Salt Room, Duncan Ray from The Little Fish Market and Isaac Bartlett-Copeland from at Isaac At.
Among the new features for the 2022 event include Ready Steady Chef, which will see celebrity chefs compete against each other, as well as a chilli eating competition.
More than 200 exhibitors will showcase their produce, providing festival-goers with the opportunity to sample the best of the region.
The Chilli Pickle chef Alun Sperring said: “I have been coming to the foodies Festival for a few years now and it just seems to get better every year.
“The ethos and support for local restaurants alongside showcasing food offerings is something to be applauded and it's a great day out.”
Early bird tickets are available now from £19, while weekend tickets are available for £38 or £47 on the door.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here