What’s better than a festival on a spring bank holiday weekend? A festival devoted entirely to food, of course. Throw in a bit of sunshine, top-tier chefs, live music, and a cold drink in hand, and you’ve got yourself the perfect long weekend.
Foodies Festival 2025, the UK’s biggest food and drink celebration, is rolling into London from Saturday 24 to Monday 26 May, bringing a smorgasbord of flavour, flair and fun.
Marking its 20th anniversary, this year’s event promises more to taste, sip, and discover than ever before. Whether you’re the type to book restaurants months in advance, or just follow the scent of a good taco, there’s something here for you.
What is Foodies Festival?
Billed as a “gastro-Glastonbury”, Foodies Festival is a nationwide tour of culinary entertainment, featuring celebrity chef demos, live music performances, expert masterclasses, and a huge line-up of independent producers and street food traders.
Running across 14 UK cities and 42 dates, Foodies Festival has become a staple of the British food calendar. London, with its global tastes and vibrant food scene, is always one of the standout stops.
Where and when to go
This year’s London edition takes place in Syon Park, West London. The gates open at 11am daily, and the programme runs through to 9pm on Saturday and Sunday, and 8pm on Bank Holiday Monday.
If you can’t make London, don’t worry. Whether you’re up north, down south, or somewhere in between, chances are there’s a Foodies Festival rolling into a park near you.
Each location brings the same blend of celebrity chef demos, live music, artisan markets, and tasting theatres — all tailored to the local scene but with the same signature flair. That means you can count on Michelin-starred chefs, Great British Bake Off stars, silent discos, and chilli-eating showdowns wherever you go.
Here are just a few of the 2025 dates to mark on your calendar:
- Brighton: 3-5 May (where the tour begins)
- Cardiff: 9-11 May
- Cambridge: 4-6 July
- Edinburgh: 1 – 3 August
- Bath: 29-31 August (the last stop of the tour)
(And yes, that’s just a taste — you’ll find the full line-up at foodiesfestival.com.)
Ticket prices
Tickets start at £21 for adults, with concessions for children and free entry for under-6s. For those after a little more luxury, VIP packages include fast-track entry, a private bar, exclusive tastings and a glass of fizz on arrival.
So, what’s on the menu at the Foodies Festival?
Live chef demonstrations
The Chefs Theatre is where the culinary fireworks happen. Expect big names from Michelin-starred restaurants and prime-time TV, all cooking live on stage. Among this year’s headliners are:
- Atul Kochhar, trailblazer of modern Indian cuisine and the first Indian chef to earn a Michelin star
- Dhruv Baker, MasterChef winner, known for his punchy flavour combinations
- Ben Palmer (Great British Menu) and Long Ng, head chef at Michelin-starred Taku
Cake & desserts theatre
Over in the Cake & Desserts Theatre, it’s all about sugar, spice and plenty of icing. Great British Bake Off favourites like Hazel Vaughan and artisan cake designer Eloise Durrant will be whipping up creations that toe the line between indulgent and edible art. Bread fans, don’t miss Jack Sturgess (aka Bake With Jack), who’s known for making sourdough feel far less intimidating.
Street food village
The sprawling open-air Street Food Village brings together more than 40 traders from every corner of the globe. You can start your day with Sri Lankan hoppers, move on to wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, squeeze in some Korean fried chicken, and still find room for dulce de leche churros. The festival is deliberately set up for grazing, and trust us — that’s the best way to do it.
And if you’re looking to take some of those flavours home, the Artisan Market and Great Taste Awards Village are packed with independent producers selling everything from small-batch hot sauces to craft chocolate and biodynamic wines.
Drinks theatre
The Drinks Theatre is where oenophiles, gin lovers and craft beer aficionados converge. Expect expert-led sessions that blend education with entertainment — from wine pairings and mixology workshops to deep dives into emerging trends like low-intervention wines and botanical spirits.
Over in the Tasting Theatre, food meets science meets art. Learn how to balance acidity and spice, how to pair whisky with cheese, or – if you dare – take on the famous chilli-eating competition.
New for 2025 is the International Cook School. These small-group workshops are hands-on and highly recommended — you’ll learn how to roll sushi, master dumplings, or whip up classic Mediterranean dishes, guided by experts from across the UK and beyond.
If you’re looking for a family day out, there is also a Kids Cookery School for the younger ones to get their first hands-on kitchen experiences.
Live music
What’s a food festival without some good tunes? The live music stage brings serious energy, with performances on all three days. On the London dates, Pixie Lott headlines alongside nostalgic crowd-pleasers Scouting for Girls, and members of The Wanted will also be performing solo sets.
There’s a silent disco too. Now a regular fixture on the Foodies Festival tour, it is complete with DJ-led dance-offs and a surprisingly dedicated fanbase.
Planning your Foodies Festival day
Beyond the headline acts and award-winning dishes, Foodies Festival is about community, bringing together chefs, artisans, families and friends to celebrate one thing we all love: food!
As spring melts into summer, there’s no better way to kick off the season than with a fork in one hand, a cocktail in the other, and the tunes of your favourite artists. Get tickets or read more about the festival here.
If you do decide to go, make sure to check the schedule online ahead of time so you know the running order for demos, tastings and music, and don’t miss out on your favourites.
See also the latest art exhibitions in London, including Cartier at the V&A and Tim Burton at the Design museum. If festivals aren’t your cup of tea but you do love trying out new foods as much as the rest of us, you can also visit a new luxury vegan and vegetarian restaurant on the bank holiday weekend.