A Big New Exciting Project, and Saving an Institution!

Yep, clearly, we didn’t have enough on this year, so we thought, why not throw another challenge into the mix?

But honestly, I’m so excited about this one. We’re going all in and diving into it headfirst.

After 25 years, The Chester Food and Drink Festival was about to end. Proper end. And the minute we heard that, it just felt wrong. Chester at Easter without the food and drink festival isn’t Chester. It’s one of those traditions that’s quietly become part of the city’s identity, you don’t notice how much it matters until someone tries to switch it off.

So this month I’ve stepped in, took it on, and we’ve made the call: we’re keeping the Chester Food and Drink weekend festival alive, with a few new twists.

And yes, I’m buzzing… but I’m also not going to pretend this is calm and cosy behind the scenes, because it isn’t. We’ve got roughly ten weeks to pull this together. Ten weeks to take over something people already love, rebrand it, elevate it, sell it, programme it, and actually deliver it. So if you’re wondering why I sound equal parts excited and slightly stressed… that’s why.

Here’s the thing, like many things, I’ve been going to the Chester Food and Drink Festival for about ten years and we always in our own minds, say oh they should do this and they should do that, but all in all it doesn’t matter, what we want to do is elevate the great things and add some personal touches, and most importantly focus on the items that increase dwell time for the visitors.

So, that’s what we’re changing.

We want you to arrive and feel like you’re stepping into something new: Music. Energy. Reasons to stay. The kind of place you can spend hours without clock-watching, because every time you think about leaving you go, “Wait… what’s that?” and you’re off again. A little bit Deva Fest like!

So we’re taking it forward as the Cheshire and North Wales Food and Drink Festival. Same Easter tradition, but with a refreshed vision, and local pride running through it.

From the minute you arrive, there will be changes, a new entrance. We’re adding fair rides because Easter weekend is all about families, so kids will have more to do, making everyone stay longer. We’re adding more music with a central stage which will hopefully encourage even more people to come and stay.

We’re going hard on local, so Cheshire and North Wales traders and producers, this festival should feel like a showcase of our patch, the people who make and bake and grow and brew here, not just whoever can travel in.

And yes, camping is a thing. You can camp at Chester Racecourse during the festival, which is such a mad and brilliant part of it because it turns the weekend into a proper mini break right in the city. And something I didn’t realise, did you know it’s the only time you can ever camp in Chester city centre? This is definitely a massive part of what makes this weekend feel so special and we really need to market this because that is massive.

The plan is to open to campers on Thursday 2nd, and then open the festival to the public from Friday to Sunday. Timings are still being finalised, but it’s likely to stick close to the familiar 10am–6pm.

And because we’ve literally only just announced this today, I’m saying it straight: if you’re a local trader, street food vendor, producer, musician, entertainer, or you’ve got something that belongs in our Cheshire and North Wales Food and Drink Festival, get in touch.

Adult cooking classes and kid’s classes are staying because we know they’re a huge pull. And the whole thing is going to feel refreshed, we have planned some massive faces for our Chef demos, including some local faces too.

So yeah… we’ve taken on the Chester food and drink festival. Wild sentence. Even wilder ten weeks ahead. But we’re doing it and we’re going to make it the perfect easter weekend for all of your family with hospitality and customers at the heart!

Check out our website www.cnwfoodanddrinkfestival.com 

If you’re a trader use this link to get in touch:  https://www.cnwfoodanddrinkfestival.com/tradersform