The best of the South West’s food and drink festivals

Bristol is famous for a lot of reasons; offering art trails, outdoor music events, incredible restaurants and Banksy! And if there is one thing us Bristolians like to do in particular, it’s to eat and drink. The city plays host to supper clubs, dine-in events, food markets, night markets – the list is long. We are very lucky to have a city that is so well known and well-loved for its diverse food and drink and our festivals are no different.

Bristol is full of people who have a range of different tastes and attitudes so it’s only right that our festivals are as diverse as our opinions. Whether it’s whisky or gin or vegan or barbeque, some of the best local eating and drinking festivals return this year to cater to everyone’s needs.

Fusing beer and music, Hopyard weekend is back showcasing twelve Bristol breweries as well as a number of local eateries including Pizzarova and Loki Poke. If you don’t get your fill of beer at Hopyard’s weekend in April then make sure to attend Bristol Craft Beer Festival two months later. With a larger, outdoor space, the festival boasts an impressive line-up of over forty breweries in attendance plus live music and guests chefs.

For a walk down memory lane, nab a ticket for Bristol Foodies Festival at the Downs which holds cooking demos, a range of food stalls and live music from members of Blue and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Or divulge yourself in more chicken wings then you can imagine at Wingfest held at Lloyds Amphitheatre. Promising 100,000 chicken wings to be sold, let’s see how many you can eat in one weekend!

Wingfest aims to sell over 100,000 chicken wings in one weekend, photo: Jake Davis

You also don’t need to go far to visit other impressive food and drink festivals if none take your fancy in Bristol (which is impossible!). Bath plays host to Pub in the Park from chef Tom Kerridge; the event features cooking demos, cookbook signings and special performances from Mel C and Faithless. Head in the opposite direction and you come across Nailsea & Backwell Beer & Cider Festival which provides some of the tastiest beer and well-known ciders and all proceeds go to charity! For more of your cider needs, head to OutCider festival in Compton Martin which is fuelled by cider only.

If beer and cider isn’t your thing, the Gin and Rum Festival is touring across the UK and is making an appearance in Bath and Cheltenham. Offering over 120 gin and rums and a newly installed tequila themed bar, this festival is the perfect place to tickle your gin, rum, and tequila taste buds.

We haven’t even scratched the surface with festivals that showcase music alongside food and drink on equal ground. One example of this is Valley Fest, a half hour’s drive from Bristol, the festival host local farmers and artisans as well as former Bake Off stars and Michelin star chefs – enjoy freshly cooked street food while grooving along to Craig Charles’ DJ set. With so much going on in and around Bristol, food and drink lovers are truly spoilt for choice on what to attend.

Valley Festival is one of the few festival that fuses music, activities and food and drink, photo: Annia Shrimpton

Main photo: Plaster PR

Read more: Bristol’s festival highlights of 2022

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