The Nottingham Food Festival 2026: A Summertime Feast

See you in July, Nottingham 📢

BIG news! Brand-New for 2026 is the Nottingham Food Festival, taking place on July 11th & 12th on Victoria Embankment.

Stamp the dates in, invite your favourite people, and join us for a weekend of strolling, sampling, and kicking back beside the River Trent.

We're bringing together an eclectic mix of global flavours, international performances, local treasures, and a healthy dash of the weird and wonderful. We don't want to spoil too much, but you can always rely on something unexpected to pop around the corner...

Here's what's in store:

🎶 Live Music All Weekend
From talented local musicians and crowd-pleasing bands to ABBA and Fleetwood Mac tribute performances that will have the whole park singing along.

👨‍🍳 The Live Cookery Theatre
Watch some of the region's most exciting chefs share tips, tricks and inspiration as they demonstrate dishes you can recreate at home.

🍔 Street Food Arena
An eclectic mix of independent traders serving everything from stacked burgers and loaded tacos to global flavours, sweet treats and festival favourites.

🍸 Festival Bars & Ale House
Fresh cocktails, craft beer, small-batch spirits, premium wines and a full Ale House pouring throughout the weekend.

☕ Barista Coffee & Sweet Treats
Expertly brewed coffee, artisan cakes, fresh pastries and plenty of excuses for a mid-afternoon pit stop.

🛍️ Artisan Markets
Discover local makers, handmade gifts, fresh bakes, luxury treats, artwork, homewares and small-batch products you won't find on the high street.

🐶 The Nottingham Food Festival Dog Show
Hosted by TV presenter Neil Frost, celebrating everything from waggiest tails and fancy dress to best tricks and family favourites.

🌶️ The Legendary Chilli Challenge
Think you've got what it takes? Watch brave contestants tackle increasingly fiery chillies in one of the festival's most entertaining spectacles.

🥁 Nottingham Samba Collective
Expect infectious rhythms, carnival atmosphere and performances guaranteed to get the crowd moving.

🎪 Roaming Entertainment & Interactive Performers
Giant bikes, bubble performers, comedy acts, walkabout characters and plenty of unexpected moments around every corner.

🐑 Mobile Petting Farm
A chance for younger visitors to meet and interact with a variety of friendly animals throughout the weekend.

👩‍🍳 Kids' Cookery Classes
Hands-on sessions designed to inspire the next generation of foodies, with plenty of tasting, learning and creating along the way.

🎭 Family Entertainment Throughout the Weekend
A packed programme of performances, activities and interactive experiences designed for all ages.

🏆 Free Activities, Challenges & Competitions
From festival games and foodie challenges to unique experiences you probably won't find anywhere else.

✨ Eccentric Production & Unexpected Moments
We like to do things a little differently. Expect colourful installations, curious characters, strange surprises and aesthetic touches that make the weekend feel truly unique.

🌳 A Weekend in the Park
Set against the backdrop of Victoria Embankment, Nottingham Food Festival is about more than food. It's about spending quality time with your favourite people, discovering something new and making a few memories along the way.

Spend your afternoon perched on a deckchair soaking in live music, or get stuck in with our activities and challenges spread throughout site.

However you want to spend it, it's a weekend for kicking back and enjoying shared moments with your favourite people. Settle in, explore, and discover something new.

* Join thousands on the riverside for the very first Nottingham Food Festival - it’s looking like one to remember! *

🎟️ Early Bird Tickets are on sale now. Grab yours while you still can - don't say we didn't warn ya!

What's included with your ticket? 👇

🎵 FREE Live Music (Minimum of 12 acts over 2 days)
👨‍🍳 FREE Live Chef Demos from Nottingham's Top Chefs (8 demos over 2 days)
🎤 FREE Live Entertainment / Performing Arts – 6 shows per day
😂 FREE Roaming Comedy Acts
📖 FREE Festival Programmes
🎨 FREE Kids Activities & Foodie Colouring Books
🎡 FREE Family Competitions, Activities and Challenges
🥇 FREE Foodie Olympics – Sports Day-Inspired Family Mini-Games
🕵️‍♀️ FREE Foodie Clue Quest Scavenger Hunt

🛍️ Explore the Artisan Markets
🍔 Delicious Street Food from Leading Vendors
🪑 Ample Furniture & Deckchairs to Kick Back and Relax
🎭 Eccentric Production & Family Entertainment
🍻 Independent Bars (Including an Ale House, Speciality Cider, Gin & Wine Bars)
🎠 Fun Fair
🖼️ Art Displays
⚡ Fast Track Entry

💚 Over £164,300 raised for local mental health charities so far (and counting!)

💬 "Variety of stalls, something for everyone, great atmosphere and entertainment.” — 2025 Attendee Feedback Forms 

⭐ Stunning riverside location in central Nottingham⭐

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⭐ FURTHER DETAILS ⭐

🌍 International Street Food

Follow the gentle drift of spices, charcoal and fresh herbs as you wander through the green fields of Victoria Embankment. Our street food village brings together flavours from across the world - dishes made by cooks who take great care in what they do. You’ll find tastes from Greece, Italy, Spain, Jamaica, Malaysia, Venezuela, Gambia, Hungary, Mexico and plenty more along the way.

If you’re craving something savoury, you might settle in with slow-cooked beef and rich onion gravy, soft bao filled with braised pork belly or pan-fried tofu, or a tray of street-style Birria tacos from Western Mexico.

Prefer something sweet? Look out for Japanese bubble waffles, Dutch mini-pancakes with syrup and blueberries, or hand-baked brownies glazed in Belgian chocolate.

With over 30 cuisines to explore - and vegan options at nearly every stall - it’s a weekend for tasting your way through non-stop new flavours.

👨‍🍳 Live Cookery Theatre

Pick up insider tips, tricks, and inspiration for your next kitchen masterpiece from our Live Cookery Theatre! Running all weekend, watch as the region’s finest chefs expertly whip up incredible dishes on stage, sharing all the tips and tricks needed culinary excellency - you’ll leave inspired (and hungry!). 

🍹 Independent Drink

Whether you’re after something crisp, fruity, spicy or sparkling, our eclectic mix of independent bars offer a little of everything. Think chilled cider, small-batch cocktails, specialty rums and gins, or a glass of fizz to enjoy in the sunshine.

You’ll also find The Soldiers' Ale House, in partnership with Vocation Brewery, serving a selection of IPAs, lagers and cask favourites on draught.

If you prefer something alcohol free, there’s freshly brewed coffee, teas, juices and smoothies made to order. Once you've chosen your tipple, head over to our colourful deckchairs, perched right in front of the Live Music Stage, and unwind for the afternoon.

🛍️ Fine Artisan Markets

Stroll through our Artisan Markets and browse a mix of local produce, handmade goods and small-batch treats. You’ll stumble across Yorkshire cheeses, cured meats, fudge, marshmallows, pies, hot sauces and freshly roasted coffee - alongside jewellery, crafts, artwork, accessories and home-made gifts from some of the region's leading and most exciting artisans. Whatever your fancy, there's a little something for everyone to take home.

🎵 Live Music

Across the day, the Live Music Stage hosts a vibrant mix of jazz, pop, rock and soul from local breakthrough musicians. You might catch red-hot blues and electric energy of the Danny Charles Band or the softer harmonies of emerging acoustic duos. Saxophonist Will Forrester opens and closes each day with his intricate covers and Ibiza classics.

🎭 Live Entertainment

Our Entertainment Arena brings together magic, comedy and a touch of circus. Drop in when it suits you and watch Matthew J Magic & friends weaving together quick hands, light humour and a few surprises. Six daily shows run throughout the day!

🎪 Children’s Entertainment

Little ones can dive into a weekend filled with imagination and barrels of fun - from Magic Matt’s daily shows to foodie-quiz trails, drawing competitions, colouring books, and a traditional fun fair. Keep an eye out for roaming performers, such as stilt-walking chefs and Mr and Mrs Sweet, who are always up for a photo or two!

🤝 Supporting Mental Health

Through optional ticket donations and fun activities, we’ve raised over £164,300 so far for mental health initiatives across the north - let’s take it even further in 2026!

Join us this year for an unforgettable foodie celebration!

Over 30 Cuisines | 180+ Exhibitors & Performers | 10 Independent Bars | 3 Giant Artisan Markets | Street Food | Dessert Stations | Live Entertainment | 26+ Performers | FREE Kids Activities & Challenges | FREE Deckchairs & Seating | FREE Festival Programmes | Traditional Fun Fair| Exclusive Displays

📅When: July 11th & 12th, 2026
📍Where: Victoria Embankment, Nottingham
Opening Times: 10am - 8pm (Saturday) | 10am - 7pm (Sunday)

🎶 Full Live Music & Cookery Theatre line-up coming soon!
🎟️ Limited Early Bird Tickets – from just £6.95 per adult

www.nottinghamfoodfestival.com