Massive food festival to take over Welsh city with more than 85 stalls and celeb guest

Nation.Cymru staff

A massive food festival will bring together food, drink, live music and activities for all ages when it’s staged next month.

Newport Food Festival will return to the city centre on Saturday, October 3 with more than 85 stalls lining High Street and the surrounding areas, offering visitors a wide variety of food and drink throughout the day.

The chef demonstrations in the festival kitchen at Newport Market will bring together some of the best local culinary talent.

This year’s line-up includes celebrity chef Clodagh McKenna, resident chef on ITV’s This Morning, alongside festival regular Carl Cleghorn, owner of Tyme private dining. Joining them will be Daniel Llewellyn-Williams, MasterChef 2026 semi-finalist, Pedro Alves of Yema, Caerleon, and Gareth Jenkins, Head Chef at Newbridge on Usk.

The demonstration programme starts at 10am with the Teenchef final, which will include Clodagh McKenna and Carl Cleghorn on the judging panel.

For the second year running there will be a dedicated street food and music area in John Frost Square. Visitors to the festival can sit back, sample some delicious street food and enjoy live music from 10am to 6pm.

To support Newport’s age friendly community status, the Mercure Hotel will be holding an age friendly community zone from 10am to 2pm.

Hosted by Newport council’s age friendly communities team, there will be free talks and activities taking place – including a talk on food through the ages, presented by Past Port Tours, as well as a global recipe swap. There will be free tea, coffee, biscuits and cake provided throughout the day.

A food festival isn’t complete without activities and entertainment. Visitors can enjoy interactive experiences at participating venues, while roaming street performers create a lively atmosphere as crowds browse the festival stalls.

Newport council’s youth and play team will be holding free arts and craft sessions in Newport Market from 10am, and the Riverfront will have free craft sessions running between 11am and 4pm.

Newport Food Partnership will be taking over a number of city centre venues for a packed programme of food-focused talks, workshops and interactive activities designed to inspire a better food future.

The Place on Bridge Street will host talks, workshops and hands-on activities, while Newport Central Library will offer children’s food stories and food poetry sessions to inspire creativity and imagination.

At The Circle, Urban Circle’s Movie, Munch and Make event will feature a Breakfast Around the World experience, family film screenings, food-themed crafts and a food justice display. Meanwhile, The Hive will host a community lunch and a healthy cooking on a budget session, providing practical advice on preparing affordable, nutritious meals.

With activities and events for all ages, Newport Food Festival promises a great day out for everyone.

For more information and the full programme, visit the new festival website at www.newportfoodfestival.co.uk

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