Bolton Food and Drink Festival: Popular event returns to the town centre

The 16th annual Bolton Food and Drink Festival will be held on Friday August 27 to Monday August 30 with many old favourites returning alongside some exciting new additions.

Over 400,000 visitors enjoyed the last live festival in 2019, and the annual event has received numerous awards from the National Association of British Market Authorities.

This year, visitors will enjoy dozens of speciality stalls offering food, drink and crafts from around the world alongside outdoor bars and live music.

Some of the best cooks from across the North West will share their secrets during free cookery demonstrations.

Families can take part in a wide range of activities and relax in a new picnic zone in Queens Park, while street performers keep the crowds entertained.

This year’s event will be COVID-secure with a thorough risk assessment in place and some changes to the usual programme in order to keep everyone safe.

Stalls and performance areas will be spaced out to help social distancing and the ticketed celebrity chef events in the main marquee will not return until 2022.

Centre Manager, Paula Wood said "We are looking forward to welcoming visitors near and far to the Crompton Place. With food, music and lots of entertainment the atmospheric Bolton Food and Drink Festival is most welcome after such a tough year, and it will bring a much needed boost for local businesses."

Ruth Doyle, Regional Managing Director at Aldi added:

“This will be our 6th year supporting the Bolton Food and Drink Festival and we are really proud to be the headline sponsor once again.

“Our local team will be at the festival giving people the chance to try a selection of our award-winning products, so we’d encourage everyone to come over, say hello and see what tasty treats we’ve got to offer.

“We also look forward to celebrating lots of local businesses throughout the weekend.”

This year’s Bolton Food and Drink Festival is also supported by Premier Sponsor Warburtons alongside event partners Market Place Shopping Centre, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Bolton at Home, Carrs Pasties, CityFibre, University of Bolton and Impression Ltd.

For all the latest updates visit the festival Facebook page, and follow @BoltonFoodFest on Twitter and Instagram.