A new food festival in Birmingham is hoping to attract 28,000 people this summer.
The three-day Foodies Festival will bring pop-up restaurants, a street food market and demonstrations from some of the city’s top chefs to Cannon Hill Park in May.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Foodies Festival but will be the first time the event has come to Birmingham.
Started by an Edinburgh hotelier who wanted to see a major food event in the city, the festival has since spread to Brighton, Bristol and Oxford and Birmingham will be one of ten destinations for this year’s event.
Festival spokesman Gary Anderson said: “Once we’ve been to an area we normally find it has been such a success we go back again.
“One of the reasons we’ve identified Birmingham is because it’s an up-and-coming place for food with a huge foodie audience.”
A perimeter fence will be erected in the park with adult tickets from £8 giving admission to the marquees and open space inside (children aged 12 and under will have free admission).
Glynn Purnell, Aktar Islam of Lasan and Matt Cheal of Simpsons will be sharing top tips.
Last year’s Masterchef winner Ping Coombes will also be cooking her signature dishes from the series.
Masterclasses will run in theatres devoted to wine, Champagne and craft beer.
There are plans for a “chocolate safari” masterclass with others focusing on raw food, Japanese cuisine, oysters, vegan dishes and beekeeping.
Visitors will find a Cake and Bake Theatre and a Street Food Avenue with Japanese , Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Indian, Mexican, French and African food, showcasing traders from the city and further afield.
There will also be an artisan producers’ market, a feasting tent, a chilli-eating challenge and a children’s cookery theatre.
* The festival will run on May 15, 16 and 17 from 11am to 7pm. Tickets are available by going to www.foodiesfestival.com
