Your Guide To The Cardiff International Food And Drink Festival

Cardiff Bay is set to play host to over 100 local, national and even international producers of different food and beverages in the Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival. For anyone with the slight inkling of being a foodie, this festival is sure to convert you fully.

There are even displays from chefs and influential figures in the food and drink industry to help whet your appetite. It’s no wonder that tens of thousands of visitors flock to the food festival every year.

The festival’s array of food on offer is incredibly tempting, and visitors can explore this wide range in both the Producers’ Fayre and Farmers’ Market. The Producers’ Fayre is key to the many independent and family-run businesses who come to the festival to tell stories about their fabulous produce and explain their mission as a food enterprise. If you’re tempted by their produce, the Farmers’ Market is the perfect opportunity to test and purchase some of the best cheeses from the abundance of cheese companies present – including Snowdonia Cheese Co Ltd. – artisan bread, liqueurs from Condessa Welsh Liqueurs, handmade chocolates and many other foodie delicacies. If you couldn’t resist beforehand, try doing so now!

For the exceptionally experienced foodie, you may find this to be the basics of any food festival. Previous highlight in the Street Food Piazza have included seafood dishes from Pembrokeshire, Greek falafel, kebabs and souvlaki from Meat and Greek, and even local ribeye steaks that are slow cooked over hot coals. Amongst these exotic tastings, you’re also more than likely to find Lavarbread, a Welsh speciality derived from seaweed. The Street Food Piazza is your one-stop-shop to introduce your taste buds to a quick lunch based on world cuisine. Tempt yourself with tapas from The Spanish Buffet or maybe a Gaelic version of a crêpe from The Welsh Creperie before having your dessert from Mountainview Icecream & Milkshakes.

When your stomach can take no more, meander your way to the many bars and seating areas to let your food digest. This year, a Champagne Bar will be seated on the edge of the water so you can sip your bubbly whilst enjoying views out onto the Bay. You’ll also be able to listen to various sets of live music throughout the day, brought to you by a myriad of different genres and artists such as Samba Oba, Chris Rees and The Class of 58. Just as the food transports you around the world, so too will the music as both your ears and taste buds go on a worldwide voyage.

Should the abundance of food quickly lose its novelty, the Food & Drink Festival also doubles as a craft festival, where over 30 craft stalls will be set up alongside the Wales Millennium Centre for you to peruse various handmade items including pottery, jewellery and other precious trinkets.

The Tradestands that also feature at the festival provide an insight into the local Welsh organisations and charities that serve the local community. They’ll be there on the day to tell you more about their mission in the area and how you can get involved. Come and learn more about the Guide Dogs’ ‘Sponsor a Puppy’ campaign, sign up for the largest confidential study in Wales for more targeted NHS research by Healthwise Wales or find out more about coastal safety from the RNLI. These are just a selection of the amazing organisations who support the Cardiff community and wider Welsh areas.

The Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival is the crowning jewel in the Cardiff Festival crown that attracts 60,000 people per year. The festival is a whole month of Cardiff and Welsh-themed celebrations of culture, also including events such as various parades, open-air theatre performances and sporting events.

With such a variety of local and international food on offer, any foodie worth their salt would be hard pressed to find something more exciting than this free food festival from culinary heaven!

Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff, UK