Packed programme unveiled for Wales’ ‘best’ food festival

Nation.Cymru Staff

One of Wales’ biggest celebrations of food and drink is set to take over an entire town next month, bringing together more than 120 producers and over 15,000 visitors.

Abergavenny Food Festival will return for its 28th year on 19 and 20 September 2026, with a programme of chef demonstrations, tastings, food debates, author talks, workshops, guided walks, family events and live music.

This year, the festival has announced four curated areas for stalls and events, with a more “focused format” intended to encourage sales while allowing visitors to connect with producers and enjoy a richer experience.

Abergavenny’s Market Hall will be filled with stalls offering produce from Wales, the UK and around the world, while the Chef’s Kitchen Tent in Upper Brewery Yard will host producers, traders and chefs sharing the stories behind their food, alongside wine, cheese and street food stalls.

The Lower Brewery Yard will be home to the Music Tent, with a wider selection of street food and drinks to sample, and the iconic Abergavenny Castle will bring together a new cookbook shop, equipment and kitchenware stalls, the Kids Cookery School, debate venues, and an improved Cooking over Fire stage.

Events

Abergavenny Food Festival is a not-for-profit event, with all ticket revenue put towards setting up and running the following year’s festival.

For 2026, festival weekend and day tickets include access to more than 80% of events, while some require an additional ticket.

Among the events and activities are chef’s demonstrations, including local favourites Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn from Hangfire BBQ, who will share their recipes and techniques, as well as the Rotary Young Chefs Competition, where competitors will create their best dishes in front of a live audience.

Vegetarian chef Joe Woodhouse will demonstrate recipes from his new cookbook, Weeknight Vegetarian, with an opportunity for those in attendance to sample the finished dish, while food writer Jenny Linford will guide visitors through British artisan cheese, and beer writer Pete Brown will host an interactive show pairing the drink with music.

Panel discussions will tackle some of the bigger issues facing food and farming, including BBC Radio 4’s Sheila Dillon and industry experts who will examine why food prices are rising, and a more ‘playful’ session exploring what local schoolchildren think the future of food should look like.

For kids, activities include illustration workshops with graphic designer and illustrator Anita Mangan, who will take visitors through creating a comic character at the Castle, as well as Welsh cake cookery classes, and magical storytelling sessions with local author Claire Fayers.

Other highlights include a guided walk and cookout on the Blorenge with award-winning outdoor cook Harrison Ward, and an event with Richard Hammond discussing his move from motoring to gin distilling.

As always, the festival will host the Party in the Castle on the Saturday evening, where RSVP Drummers will show off bhangra dancing, Jambarolo will bring the best of Brazilian sounds, the Redswing trio will play old-time fiddle tunes and western swing, and Taff Rapids will offer a taste of Welsh-language bluegrass.

Tickets to Abergavenny Food Festival are sold in advance, with separate ‘Saturday Day’ tickets, ‘Sunday Day’ tickets, and combined ‘Festival Weekend’ tickets.

To view the full programme and book tickets, visit the festival’s site here.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.