The UK’s best food and drink festivals in summer 2022

The popular alfresco Cocktails in the City festival will be held three times in London’s Bedford Square this summer. After the first edition in July there will also be events on 11-13 August and 8-10 September. The August edition will have an international theme celebrating the diverse bar influences and experiences found in London. Exciting new venues like Silverleaf at the Pan Pacific Hotel and The Libertine will be showcased, and visitors will also be able to tuck into dishes from Get The Greek, Sticks N Sushi and Prairie Fire.

A new four-day country fair in Oxfordshire will launch in August. Taking place at Great Tew Estate, Park Fair has released its line-up of established and emerging brands in fashion, interiors, family, lifestyle and wellness. Foodies can enjoy Thyme Happenings, a schedule of complimentary classes from Thyme chef director Charlie Hibbert. There will also be a locally-sourced feasting menu and homemade ice cream served by Quince and Clover and cocktails mixed up at the Double Dutch Cocktail Bar. Laurent-Perrier is serving bubbles in the VIP Lounge. 

The Great British Food Festival has a spectacular line-up for 2022, with 11 events held at some of the UK’s most beautiful venues. Previous editions were held this year at Burton Constable in Hull, Harewood House in Leeds, Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire, Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, and Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. In August the tour heads to Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire then in September to Margam Park in South Wales, Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian, Borde Hill in West Sussex, and Arley Hall in Cheshire.

• 20-21 August: Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire 
• 3-4 September: Margam Park, South Wales 
• 10-11 September: Dalkeith Country Park, Midlothian
• 17-18 September: Borde Hill, West Sussex 
• 24-25 September: Arley Hall, Cheshire 

This new “two-day extravaganza” in Manchester is brought to you by the team behind the award-winning North Leeds Food Festival, said Rachel Dixon in The Guardian. They promise international street food, no fewer than eight independent bars, a live cookery theatre and a market where you can pick up local products. It’s not just about food, however: there are “lots of kids’ activities”, and an “eclectic music line-up” featuring local acts. 

Set on Blur bassist Alex James’s farm, and well attended by the fashionable Cotswolds set, this is the “ultimate feel-good festival”, says Ellie Smith in Country & Town House magazine. It’s no surprise that the music is high quality – The Human League and Stereophonics headline this year – but there are also ample feasting opportunities, plus demos from the likes of Michelin three-starred chef Clare Smyth. 

Leeds’ biggest African and Caribbean food festival is returning to Kirkgate Market where visitors are invited to explore Caribbean cuisines, showcased by some of the finest independent culinary chefs and emerging food vendors. This free event offers food tastings and a range of activities for all of the family, including live performances, face painting, and a children’s craft corner.

In the heart of Hereford city, Indie Food is an indulgent weekend to close summer. The event brings street food, creative cocktails and local ciders with chilled music by day and world-class DJs by night. Add in stalls with local crafts people (such as knife makers, ceramicists) and producers (cheese, bread, coffee) in this cool corner of the city and you have all the ingredients for a great weekend. Tickets cost £18.

Set across the streets of Yorkshire’s foodie capital, Malton Food Lovers Festival is a three-day celebration of the county’s finest produce and cooking. More than 150 artisan stalls and street food vendors take over the village while celebrity chefs show off their skills in demo tents with live music – from buskers to brass bands – providing the soundtrack.

Fork to Fork brings together a range of local producers, artisans, and craftspeople to engage attendees in the whole lifecycle of food and drink production. The festival at Goodnestone Park in Kent will have local food and drink producers plus interactive workshops in the walled garden and live music in the evening.

Raby is without doubt one of the most impressive intact castles in the north of England. Built in the 14th century by the Nevill family, it has a long history and makes for a wonderful day out in the Durham Dales. Over the August bank holiday, the castle is hosting its popular Harvest Seasonal Market. This is a free event with a range of local suppliers including food, drinks, jewellery, ceramics and homeware.

If you have a taste for Spanish food and drink then you’re in luck… because throughout the whole of September it is Estrella Galicia’s Gastronomy Month. The beer brand’s month-long celebration of Spanish cuisine will be celebrated at more than 90 pubs, bars and restaurants across the UK and Ireland. There will be 25 events on the schedule, including tapas tours, cookery masterclasses and tasting menus. 

Nine locations feature on the Pub in the Park tour in 2022. Launched by chef Tom Kerridge, each festival celebrates “everything about the glorious British pub” – delicious food, award-winning chefs, chart-topping music, great drinks, “but above all else a fantastic time with friends and family”. After events in Marlow, Wimbledon, Warwick, Bath, Dulwich and Tunbridge Wells the tour will head to Chiswick, St. Albans and Brighton in September.

• 2-4 September: Chiswick 
• 9-11 September: St. Albans 
• 16-18 September: Brighton

“If the sight of great hunks of meat being licked by flames gets you going”, then Meatopia is for you, said Natalie Paris in The Telegraph. At this annual festival on London’s Tobacco Dock, firecooking is “elevated to an art form”. More than 70 chefs will be in attendance this year, serving up dishes tested in advance. But the organisers stress that “Meatopia is not about gluttony”: there’s a focus on imparting knowledge, and on ethical, sustainable ingredients. 

Following the success of last year’s inaugural festival, Taste East Devon returns in September with a 16-day celebration. Award-winning venues, producers, chefs and restaurants across East Devon have joined forces again to celebrate the incredible food and drink on offer across the region. Founder members include The Pig at Combe, Darts Farm, Otter Brewery, Deer Park Country House, River Cottage, East Devon AONB, Donkey Sanctuary, Mazzard Farm, Jack in the Green and Lympstone Manor. Events include the Ottery St Mary Food and Families Festival, a celebration of Exmouth, Sidmouth Eats Boutique, Street Food and Sounds at The Forge, and Scone Sundae.

Seafeast, the award-winning Dorset Seafood Festival, will take place in Weymouth in September. Festival visitors can taste fresh seafood dishes from a great selection of stalls while enjoying entertainment from talented chefs and live music acts. 

Founded by two farmers in 1999, this festival has become “one of Britain’s leading food events”, said Natasha Goodfellow in Countryfile magazine. Some 30,000 people flock to the Welsh town each year for a programme of talks, workshops and tutored tastings. And there’s a “legendary” party held on the Saturday night, in the grounds of Abergavenny Castle. 

Each year the Lincoln Sausage Festival celebrates the county’s most iconic export – with visitors tucking into more than 30,000 individual sausages on the day. Set against the backdrop of Lincoln Castle, a host of stalls and vendors from all over the region will fill the castle grounds, selling their tastiest treats for visitors to enjoy. A range of local ales and award-winning beers will also be available as well as street performers, games, music and live cooking demonstrations by renowned Lincolnshire chefs.