Twenty street food vendors and fifty stalls will take over the town
There can’t be many more picturesque, idyllic towns to spend a summer weekend in than Ilkley. But in case you didn’t have enough of an excuse to get over there, the town will be hosting a new weekend-long festival this June, with two days of food, drink and entertainment.
The Ilkley Food & Drink Festival will completely take over the town on the 29 and 30th June, with the main festival hub in East Holmes Field, just next to Ilkley RUFC and conveniently opposite the lido if the weather’s seriously summery.
The festival has already lined up over twenty of the top street food vendors in the area, providing a diverse range of cuisines to suit all tastes and diets. To wash it all down, there will be several wine, cocktail and champagne pop-ups, as well as some one-offs from Ilkley Brewery, who celebrate their 10th birthday this year. There will also be a market area with over fifty stalls, offering fresh produce, deli items, cheeses, jams, pies and crafts.
As well as the food focus, a line up of twenty bands and performers has been booked to play across the weekend. For the kids, there’s a sprinkling of magic in the air thanks to Magic Matt There’ll also be a funfair, face painting, arts and crafts and a kids mini quiz.
“Our ethos is simple,” says festival organiser Michael Johnston. “We want to provide quality family days out, while supporting the best of local food and drink producers.”
The festival has also paired up with Bradford Mind to put on several fundraising events over the weekend, with various activities and raffles planned to help the local mental health charity further its work in the community.
“Over the past three years at our event in Leeds, we’ve raised £10,000 for Leeds Mind through our fundraising activities. We plan to do the same at Ilkley Food & Drink Festival with our partnership with Bradford Mind,” added Michael.
Thousands of people are expected at the festival which runs from 10am to 8pm on June 29-30.
For tickets, visit www.ilkleyfoodfestival.com
Adults: £4.98 Under-16s: £1.50 Under-5s: free
For more news and updates, follow the event on Instagram and Facebook
