Neath Food and Drink Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Neath Food and Drink Festival |
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| Dates | October |
| Location(s) | Neath |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founders | Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council |
| Attendance | 60,000 (2018) |
| Website | http://www.npt.gov.uk/neathfoodfestival |
The Neath Food and Drink Festival is a super fun event held every year in Neath, South Wales. It's a big celebration of delicious food and drinks, especially those made right here in Wales! Imagine a huge market filled with tasty treats and exciting cooking shows.
About the Festival
The festival is all about showing off and selling amazing local food. It's a chance for people to try fresh produce from nearby farms. This exciting event happens over three days in October.
The festival started in 2009. It was so popular that it grew from two days to three days in 2015. Now, it runs from Friday to Sunday. You can find over 80 stalls where local cafes, restaurants, and companies share their yummy products.
The festival takes place right in the middle of Neath, a historic market town. It helps local food and drink businesses grow. It also encourages people to shop locally and learn about "food miles." Food miles are how far food travels from where it's made to your plate. Buying local food helps reduce these miles. This event brings lots of visitors to Neath, which is great for the town's businesses. In 2018, about 60,000 people visited the festival!
What Happens at the Festival?
There are so many cool things to do at the festival! You can watch talented local chefs give live cooking demonstrations. They show you how to make amazing dishes.
You can also join guided "foraging walks." This is where you learn to find wild foods that are safe to eat. For older visitors, there are even special tastings of "cask ale," which is a type of beer.
In past years, the festival has had a "street food zone" in Angel Square. Here, you could grab delicious food and sit on hay bales. There was also a special Champagne Tent and a Real Ale Hall in the Old Town Hall. Local businesses in the town centre often have live music and special themed menus during the festival.
How the Festival Helps Neath
The festival is put together by the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. They work with local businesses and community groups to make it happen.
In 2018, 62 special food and drink sellers, called "artisan traders," came to the festival. A big number of them (77%) were from Wales. Also, 18% of these businesses were brand new, having started less than two years before. This shows how the festival supports new and local businesses.
