Celebrity chef demonstrations, artisan markets, and street food will arrive at the Kent-based shopping and leisure destination
Bluewater is set to host its first ever food and drink festival over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, in partnership with Scrumptious Food Festivals. The unmissable event – which at around 12,000 sq ft is set to be one of the biggest in the region – will take place around the Marquee, outside the centre’s Village.
Launching on Saturday 25th and running until Monday 27th May, guests will be spoiled for choice with street food vendors bringing tastes from across the globe to Bluewater for the festival’s debut event.
The bank holiday bonanza will include artisan stalls, a street food market, and a cookery stage with a host of celebrity chefs and TV stars which will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The festival’s artisan market will be filled with specially selected wares and delicacies to take away. Traders have already confirmed their spots for the weekend, including Kent’s very own Whitstable Oyster Trading Company, but spaces are still available for a limited time.
Bluewater’s Marquee will be transformed into a shopping haven, with the Humble Country team curating a line-up of boutique independent businesses, offering unique homewares, gifts and accessories.
The centre piece of the festival will be the ‘Big Cookery Stage’, with a stellar lineup of celebrity chefs and bakers demonstrating their culinary skills. As well as food demonstrations, the stars will be signing their recipe books after their respective slots on the stage. Phase One of the line-up will be announced soon, with stars from The Great British Bake Off already confirmed for the not-to-be-missed event.
Scrumptious Food Festivals is owned and run by Jon Hackett and Lotte Duncan. Over the past 5 years they have organised the successful Bradford on Avon Food & Drink Festival and the Thame Food Festival. Lotte has worked across many areas of the food industry for forty years and is an experienced chef, broadcaster, food judge and food writer. Meanwhile, Jon has an extensive background in TV and film production and editing and is a specialist in shooting food.
James Waugh, Centre Director at Bluewater, said: “Here at Bluewater, we are constantly looking for new ways to engage with our guests and enhance their experience, so we’re pleased to be hosting the inaugural Scrumptious Bluewater Food Festival this summer.
“We know that people are choosing to visit locations that offer them a wide range of experiences, from unique leisure concepts through to great food and drink. Scrumptious Food Festivals are experienced operators and, having seen their other food and drink events, we know we’re in for a fantastic food festival here this May .”
Lotte Duncan, food presenter, author, chef, and co-founder of Scrumptious Food Festivals, added: “We are really excited to co-host the first ever Scrumptious Bluewater Food Festival across three days of deliciousness. We can’t wait for guests to try all the delicious dishes that will be on offer, as well as watching the celebrity cooking demonstrations and browsing the stalls.
“We’re still taking applications for all types of stall holders, so please get in touch if you’d like to be involved in this slice of Kent’s history. We are looking for artisan food traders, street food stalls, and beverage vendors, whilst the team at Humble Country are taking applications for independent businesses selling homewares or gifts.”
Further details about the festival, including the celebrity chef line-up, ticket booking link, and event timings will be announced in the coming weeks. Stall holder applications for food vendors can be made at https://scrumptiousfoodfestivals.co.uk/stall-holder-application-2024/, whilst small businesses interested in exhibiting in the Humble Country shopping marquee can apply at https://www.humblecountry.co.uk/exhibit-with-us/.