News

Heritage railway serves up special journeys for major Welsh food festival

06 Oct 2026 7 minute read

The Railway’s ramp will be full of stalls.

Nation.Cymru Staff

More than 10,000 people are expected at a major food festival in north Wales this weekend, with more than 100 stalls, live music and food and drink events planned across two days.

Llangollen Food Festival is back on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026, celebrating local produce, cuisine and crafts, with 22 music acts performing in Riverside Park and Centenary Square, cooking demonstrations at Blas Culinary School, and a huge choice of food and drink.

With so many visitors expected and parking at a premium in Llangollen town centre, Llangollen Railway is encouraging people to leave the car outside the town and travel to the Food Festival by train.

Visitors can join services at Corwen, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog and Berwyn, enjoy a journey through the Dee Valley and arrive by train at Llangollen Station, which will itself be part of the food festival.

Alex Elborne from Llangollen Railway said the Food Festival was “one of the great weekends in Llangollen”, adding: “With well over 10,000 people expected, Llangollen is going to be incredibly busy and parking will inevitably be at a premium.

“That’s where the Railway can really help. Rather than worrying about driving into the town centre and finding somewhere to park, people can join us at Corwen, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog or Berwyn and make the train journey part of their Food Festival day.

“You can sit back, enjoy the spectacular Dee Valley scenery and arrive at Llangollen Station right in the heart of the action. Then, when you’re ready to head home, simply catch the train back.

“It’s a practical way to get to the Food Festival, but it’s also a much more enjoyable way to arrive. With steam and heritage diesel trains running throughout both days, the journey becomes part of the experience.”

From 9am on Saturday, Llangollen Station will welcome some familiar Food Festival favourites, including Bourne’s Cheese, Pen Y Llan Pork, Sunrise Patisserie and Lucelas Chocolate Rum.

Newcomers include Greek on a Grill, serving souvlaki and gyros; Joules Gourmet, with fancy sausage rolls and pies; The Korean Corndog Station, bringing Korean street food to the station; and Tuktuk Llangollen, serving chilli paneer wraps and chaats.

The Railway Café will be open on both Saturday and Sunday, serving produce and refreshments throughout the Food Festival weekend.

Additionally, for two days only, the Railway’s historic Waiting Room will be transformed into a Real Ale Bar, showcasing beers from three Welsh breweries: Purple Moose from Porthmadog, Hafod from Mold and Magic Dragon from Wrexham. Wine lovers will be catered for too, with Blas Wines joining the celebrations.

Extra events

Other events, such as the railway’s Afternoon Tea on the Dee services, featuring a traditional afternoon tea on board a heritage carriage, will run throughout the weekend.

The return journey travels from Llangollen to Corwen and departs at 12.20pm on Saturday 10 October and at 12.20pm and 3.15pm on Sunday 11 October.

It includes a selection of sandwiches, fruit scones with jam and clotted cream, sweet treats and cakes, and a choice of tea or coffee. Passengers can also upgrade their experience with a glass of sparkling wine.

On Saturday night, the railway will run a special Ales from Wales train. Departing Llangollen at 5pm, the steam-hauled service will be pulled by 3802 “The Carthorse”, with Welsh beer, wine and live music accompanying the journey through the Dee Valley.

Passengers will be able to enjoy real ales from three Welsh breweries: Purple Moose in Porthmadog, Hafod in Mold and Magic Dragon in Wrexham, or three wines handpicked by Pip Gale from Blas Wines for those who would prefer wine.

Providing the live soundtrack will be The Sidekicks from Wrexham, a four-piece band playing rock, blues, rhythm and blues, 60s and indie music and promising “Great Entertainment”.

The Railway is encouraging everyone enjoying the Food Festival weekend to come along, whether they have spent Saturday visiting the stalls, are staying in the area for the weekend, or simply fancy a Saturday night out in Llangollen.

There is also a special invitation to the traders who have travelled to Llangollen for the weekend to join the Railway for the celebration.

The special starts at 5pm and returns at 10pm, with tickets priced at just £20 per person.

James Veal, Events Coordinator at Llangollen Railway, said: “We wanted Ales from Wales to be the ultimate Saturday night out during Food Festival weekend, and we’ve deliberately kept the ticket price down to just £20 so as many people as possible can come and enjoy it.

“We’d love to see people who have spent the day enjoying the Food Festival come down to the station and carry on their evening with us. But this isn’t only for festival visitors. Everyone is welcome.

“We particularly want to invite the traders who have travelled to Llangollen and worked incredibly hard all day. Once the stalls close on Saturday, come down to the Railway, relax and enjoy the evening yourselves.

“You’ve got steam haulage behind 3802 ‘The Carthorse’, three fantastic Welsh breweries, wines handpicked by Pip Gale from Blas Wines, quality food and live music from The Sidekicks. For £20, we think it’s going to be the best-value night of the weekend.”

A special Ales from Wales will run on the Saturday evening

On Sunday, passengers can also take The Glyndŵr Steam Roast, travelling on the 12.20pm steam service to Corwen before enjoying a traditional Sunday roast at the community-run Owain Glyndŵr Hotel.

After lunch, passengers can enjoy some time in Corwen before returning on the 4.20pm steam service, arriving back in Llangollen at around 5pm.

Jordan Edge, Catering Manager at Llangollen Railway, said: “Food is going to be a huge part of the Railway’s celebrations, which is exactly how it should be for Llangollen Food Festival.

“Our Café will be serving quality produce throughout the weekend, we’ve got fantastic food producers joining us at the station, and then there are experiences like Afternoon Tea on the Dee and The Glyndŵr Steam Roast for people who want to make food part of their railway journey too.

“Afternoon Tea on the Dee is a particularly lovely experience. You have your own reserved table, a traditional Afternoon Tea and the wonderful scenery of the Dee Valley passing your window. Tickets are already getting low, so I’d encourage people to book soon if they want to join us.”

Timetable

Services across the festival weekend will alternate between steam and heritage diesel, giving visitors the chance to travel behind GWR Heavy Freight locomotive 3802 “The Carthorse” and Class 47 diesel “The Dutchess”.

Trains from Llangollen to Corwen will depart at:

10am Steam | 11.05am Diesel | 12.20pm Steam | 1.45pm Diesel | 3.15pm Steam

Trains from Corwen to Llangollen will depart at:

11.05am Steam | 12.20pm Diesel | 1.45pm Steam | 3.15pm Diesel | 4.20pm Steam

Services call at intermediate stations, giving visitors from along the line the opportunity to make their journey to and from the Food Festival by rail.

For those travelling from the western end of the line, Corwen provides the perfect starting point for a Food Festival day out, with passengers able to board the train, travel through the Dee Valley and arrive at Llangollen Station in the heart of the festivities.

For more information, visit the Llangollen and Corwen Railway’s site here.

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