Nelson Food Festival set to be bigger and better than ever

Published: 14 August 2018

Discover worldwide flavours at Nelson Food and Drink Festival, which is set to be the biggest and best to date!

Gold Sponsorship from Pendle Rise Shopping Centre, Silver Sponsorship from Oddie’s, plus support from Pendle Borough Council and Nelson Town Council, has enabled the event to take place over the course of two dates, for the first time in its history.

New for 2018 is the Continental Market, set to take over the town on Friday 7th September. Nelson Town Centre will also play host on Saturday 8th September to over 30 stallholders each with their own style of delightful delicacy inspired from across the globe – a delectable recipe for roaring success.  

There'll be Spanish tapas and paella, Italian doughball pizza and Greek olives - to name just a few. Spice things up a little more with Asian curries, and indulge in peppery German sausages and burgers, or sample traditional Lancashire food with a twist. For those with a sweet tooth, there will be Asian sweets on offer, plus French style crepes, and traditional fudge.

Live cookery demonstrations in the demo kitchen will keep audiences entertained in the heart of the town. Celebrity chef Richard Fox will be returning once again and taking centre stage to prepare two meals to inspire the crowds to get cooking at home.

Elsewhere at the event, there's so much for families to enjoy, including rides, beautiful bhangra dancing from the Punjabi Roots Academy and music from SambAfriq Band, as well as a children's cupcake decorating competition sponsored by Oddie's bakery. Volunteers will be on hand to help out with the little ones' cake creations.

Other attractions at Nelson Food & Drink Festival include free face painting and henna art, plus a children’s craft stall indoors at Pendle Rise Shopping Centre.

Craig Brandwood, Managing Director at Pendle Rise Shopping Centre, commented:

“We are thrilled to see the Food and Drink Festival back in Nelson this year and extremely proud to be sponsoring the event as Gold Sponsor for the second time. The community is incredibly important to Pendle Rise and we have witnessed thousands of people flock to the town every year for this event – we understand the opportunities it provides for local people and businesses, which is why we opted to sponsor this year.”

Lara Oddie, Managing Director at Oddie’s, commented:

“We had no hesitation to get involved with sponsoring the event as soon as we learned there was a space available. We are a long-standing family business and we know how important such events are to the local community. Oddie’s are welcoming children to come and take part in our cupcake decorating competition which we held last year with great success.”

Nelson Town Council are working in collaboration with event organisers, Scott Dawson Advertising.  Zafar Ali, Chairman at Nelson Town Council, commented:

““Last year boasted 30 stalls and exceeded 9000 visitors but this year is set to be even bigger and even better. This is the Town Council's 10th anniversary year and we want residents to celebrate our achievements with us at the festival on 8th September. We are incredibly proud to organise this event every year, to see the town booming with people enjoying the day’s entertainment and sampling succulent foods.”

Pendle Borough Council’s Tourism Team Leader, Mike Williams, added:

“Nelson is a town that celebrates multiculturalism and the Food Festival is the epitome of that with food from countries all over the world being shared on the day. We are really looking forward to it and hope people from near and far come to support the effort.”

Event Director, Zahida, said:

“There are still a number of stall pitches available to hire but they are filling up fast and in demand, so we do recommend people get in touch with event organisers, Scott Dawson Advertising, as soon as possible to secure a spot.”

For full details of the event, including the itinerary for the live shows, look out for the Nelson Food & Drink Festival flyer. It will be delivered to 23,000 local households in advance of the event on Saturday 8th September between 10am and 4pm. The leaflet can also be downloaded from www.nelsonfoodfestival.co.uk.

Keep up to date with news about food stalls and attractions on the Nelson Food Festival Facebook page and follow @nelsonfoodfest on Twitter.