

The 8th Beccles Food and Drink Festival
Saturday, 27th May 2023
10am to 4pm
A great and affordable day out for both foodies and families is on offer with the return of Beccles Food and Drink Festival.
The free-to-attend event is scheduled for Saturday 27th May, and with 60 stalls invited it is set to offer an incredible range of the finest artisan food and drink produce from the local area and wider East Anglia.
Based in the centre of the vibrant market town around New Market, Sheepgate, and in and around St Michael’s Church, the Festival runs from 10 am till 4 pm and will also include world street food, music and children’s entertainment. A new feature this year will be the Local Flavours mobile cookery theatre, generously sponsored by the Visitor Economy Network Initiative project, offering budding chefs and bakers culinary inspiration from local chefs and students of East Coast College in Lowestoft.
A free Park & Ride shuttle service will run throughout the event from Beccles Quay, where additional parking will be available to supplement the ample town centre car parks. Two weeks of Fringe events leading up to the event are also planned, involving a wide range of food and drink themed activities, menu specials, tours and talks.
This year we asked our stallholders to tell us what they were doing to be more sustainable. Just over a quarter replied. Most of them were acting on recycling, using recycled materials and re-using materials. Also, many have reduced the miles travelled, and most have a preference for local suppliers.
If anyone is interested in helping with the running of this great local event please feel free to contact us.
A great and affordable day out for both foodies and families is on offer with the return of Beccles Food and Drink Festival. The free-to-attend event features over 60 stalls, which are set to offer an incredible range of the finest East Anglian artisan produce. Based in the centre of the vibrant market town around New Market, Sheepgate, and in and around St Michael’s Church, the Festival will also include world street food, music and children’s entertainment. A new feature this year will be the Local Flavours mobile cookery theatre, generously sponsored by the Visitor Economy Network Initiative Partnership. A free Park & Ride shuttle service will run throughout the event from Beccles Quay to supplement the ample town centre car parks. Two weeks of Fringe events leading up to the event, involving a wide range of food and drink themed activities, menu specials, tours and talks, are planned.
We are very grateful to our sponsors and supporters, who help to make the Festival an established and successful event in the local calendar.
Event Sponsors





Video from Beccles Food & Drink Festival 2022
Schedule of Events
TIME: 10.00am
DESCRIPTION: Music Starts (click here for schedule)
LOCATION: Outside Welcome Store / Next to Tower
TIME: 11.00am
DESCRIPTION: Mayor’s Award Presentation
LOCATION: At winning stall: Listen out for announcement
TIME: 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm
DESCRIPTION: Chef Demonstrations
LOCATION: Cookery Theatre, New Market
TIME: 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm
DESCRIPTION: Hanton’s Punch & Judy Shows
LOCATION: Behind St. Michael’s Church
TIME: 11.15am
DESCRIPTION: Presentation of Stall Sustainability Award
LOCATION: At winning stall: Listen out for announcement
TIME: 3:00pm
DESCRIPTION: Last Chef Demonstration
LOCATION: Cookery Theatre, New Market
TIME: 3:15pm
DESCRIPTION: Last Music Act sets
LOCATION: Outside Welcome Store / Next to Tower



Schedule of Events
Time: 10am – 2:30pm
Description: Music Starts (click here for schedule)
Location: Welcome Store / Tower
Time: 11am,12pm,1pm,2pm
Description: Chef Demos
Location: Cookery Theatre
Time: 11:00/12:30/1:30/2:30
Description: Hanton’s Punch & Judy
Location: Behind St. Michael’s Church
Time: 11:00 am
Description: Mayor’s Award
Location: To Be Announced
Time: 11:15 am
Description: Sustainability Award
Location: To Be Announced
Time: 3:00 pm
Description: Last Chef Demo
Location: Cookery Theatre

Grazing Trail
On Festival Day we have The Grazing Trail. With over 60 stalls plus musical entertainment, we have created the Grazing Trail map to show locations.
Cookery Theatre
This year the Cookery Theatre will be located in New Market. Here you will be able to observe Chefs create culinary delights.
Fringe Events
Fringe events are events that local cafes and restaurants are holding alongside the main Food and Drink Festival event day.
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Mission Statement
To showcase, celebrate and promote local artisan food and drink and be an event of choice for producers and visitors. We will do this by running a safe, well organised event, offering a diverse range of produce and entertainment, to support both local producers and businesses in Beccles.
Event Sponsors




