It’s that time again – when the sun starts shining, shorts and skirts come out of the wardrobe and the blistering heat means an excuse for holidays, food, booze and most importantly – the annual Foodies Festival, which seems to be growing in size and popularity every year. This year the event is playing host to lots of new and exciting additions, along with top food and wine writers, famous chefs and some of the best restaurants and street food London has to offer. So put the dates in you diary and get planning your gastronomic, sun soaked (hopefully) weekend – right now!
What’s on and where
Alexandra Palace – 3rd, 4th & 5th July 2015 &
Clapham Common South – 24th, 25th & 26th July 2015
This year the imposing Alexandra Palace and Clapham Common South is once again playing host to the Foodies Festival and will have an incredible amount of events and attractions on this year. Including top chefs cooking in the Chef’s Theatre, a Drink’s Theatre and for the little ones, a Children’s Cookery Theatre run by Kiddy Cook – where they can put together a Tex Mex Salad, Stuffed Tomatoes or even Pinwheel Wraps.
This year you can expect a new Tasting Theatre addition which will feature masterclasses designed by bloggers and experts, introducing budding foodies to the latest foods and flavours including Raw Food, Japanese Soul and Vegan. Local on-site experts will also demonstrate Oyster Shucking, Mushroom Foraging and Bee Keeping – exciting right?!
The Cake & Bake Theatre will be a sweet-tooth haven for passionate bakers with 3D cake modelling, Chocolate Making, Sugar-Crafting and a Cake and bake Village selling bakes, jams, gadgets and ingredients.
Visitors to the festival can look forward to toasting Foodies’ big year in the Wine and Champagne Theatre where experts Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe will talk through the current trends from around the world, while beer expert Melissa Cole joins the festival to host masterclasses in the Beer Theatre beer tasting & tutoring as well as a food & beer matching.
A Feasting Tent at the heart of the festival becomes the social hub, where visitors will enjoy eating with chefs, friends and family at huge long banqueting tables to meet new friends and chat with old ones.
For 2015 a Chilli Food Market will present a range of chilli growers and artisan producers of sauces, sweets and jams. For those who can handle it, a Chilli Eating Challenge takes place at 5pm daily. They’ll also be a new Vintage Tea Tent which will be base to daily tea dances.
Tickets
One day adult tickets for Foodies Festivals at Alexandra Palace (July 3,4,5) and Clapham Common South (July 24,25,26) are priced at £15 (or £12 Friday ticket and concession). A three-day adult ticket costs £25 (£18 concession) and a one day VIP ticket – including a glass of bubbly on arrival, access to the VIP tent with its own private bar and views of the entertainment stage; a goody bag and priority entry in theatre and masterclass sessions – costs £48 (£45 on Friday). You can buy tickets HERE. Children aged 12 and under go free to all Foodies Festivals when accompanied by an adult.
Where to stay
Whether you’re visiting the Foodies Festival this year or simply looking for a bed while checking our the sites of London – you’ll need more than just one night to squeeze everything in. Holiday Inn have some great conveniently located hotels (not to mention good value) across London, with the below selection all conveniently located to the festival and cultural hotspots of London.
Holiday Inn London Regent’s Park – Best suited for those heading to Foodies Festival Clapham Common South and the tourist centre of London, close by to all the main attractions and lush green views.
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum – The best situated hotel for visiting both all London Foodies Festival events and those wishing to explore Notting Hill and the famous Portobello Road Market.
This article was brought to you in collaboration with IHG – The Intercontinental Hotels Group
FYI the Children’s Cookery Theatre at the Foodies Festivals are run by Kiddy Cook. This year the children can make Tex Mex Salad, Stuffed Tomatoes or Pinwheel Wraps. Any more information needed, email me! It would be great if you could update your information and include Kiddy Cook. Thank you!
Thanks for the info! I’ve updated the details 🙂
Gary
Note to Potential Traders:
If you are a new company or offer a Boutique product DO NOT USE Foodies festival as your promotional platform. You will be disappointed and wasting your money.
Foodies festival is not value for money for the following reasons;
1) The partnering of large companies that compete aggressively with artisan producers and boutique product suppliers. This year The Co-Operative partnered with Foodies to sell Pizza, this removes purchasing potential from smaller sellers. After all, how much pizza can you eat at one event?
2) Larger companies are given better placement position. As a small company every penny needs to work hard for you, Foodies organisers doesn’t realise this imperative.
3) Who pays to go into a park that is usually free to buy food with no other added attraction? Rather silly. As a trader you pay Foodies for the opportunity to sell your product. They in turn charge attendees to enter and yet still they have to pay for your food. As a trader what you then find happening is people looking for samples and freebies. If you are a small company, again you have to manage between tasting samples and revenue generation, at least to cover cost.
4) The organisers of Foodies are blatant lies. On the booking form they will confirm that you are the sole party or there are only two or three of you selling that product but when you actually turn up it’s a host of people selling identical products. And don’t worry to complaint, they don’t acknowledge emails!
5) Small companies do not get social media expose across the Foodies machine. Check for yourself and review how many small Ales or Beer companies get reposted or hastagged across a weekend. Juxtaposed that with some of the bigger companies…. I think you will come to your own conclusion here.
6) And my final reason for discourage would be traders is because of Foodies Clapham Common 2015. Whilst Foodies can’t control the weather, our company along with about nine other traders were placed along a service road to the public toilets that was completed flooded. Customers were unable to visit four of the stands as that meant they had to stand in water. We sold fresh coconut water at Foodies and over the entire weekend took only £163.00 this represents a loss of approximately £885.00 (stand booking, staffing, transportation, perishable product). We have done events affected by poor weather but has always managed to cover cost. The worst case scenario risk analysis is something we work hard at, but when you are placed at a location where customers will not visit your risk analysis is unable to factor in those as it is built on the proposition that each trader has an equal chance and success or failure is down to the quality of the product together a some creative marketing.