Tickets for this year’s Bolton Food and Drink Festival are expected to sell like hot cakes as they go on sale to the public.
The 13th annual event will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday, August 24 to Monday, August 27.
Bolton Food and Drink Festival is organised by Bolton Council in association with Aldi, and holds the reputation of being the biggest and best food festival in the north, with more than 267,000 visitors last year.
Celebrity chefs Nadiya Hussain, Ainsley Harriot and James Martin will host a series of live demos and events, and tickets for their shows will go on sale first.
BBC Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya will showcase recipes on Saturday (August 25) at a cookery demo with brunch, starting at 10.30am. Popular with families, tickets for this event are £20 and £10 for concessions.
This will be followed by her cookery demo at 12.30pm, with tickets priced £10 and £5.
Finally, Nadiya will host a Slattery afternoon tea from 2.30pm to 4pm where she’ll be joined by some familiar faces. Tickets for this event, which includes a delicious selection of sandwiches, snacks and Slattery cakes, are £25 and £10 for concessions.
On Sunday, last year’s smash hit Ainsley Harriott will conduct two lively cookery demos, priced £10 or £5 at 10.30am and again at 3pm.
In addition, he will host the festival’s popular beer and pasty event from 12.30pm to 2pm. An adults only event, tickets are £25.
Festival favourite James Martin will be celebrating his 10th annual appearance at Bolton Food and Drink Festival on Monday with three special demos.
At 11am, 1pm and 3pm guests can enjoy premium seats for £16, which includes a commemorative martini glass and a slice of James’ gateaux to celebrate his 10th anniversary with us. Regular tickets are priced £10 and £5 for concessions.
Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Linda Thomas, said: “Our celebrity chef demos usually sell out quickly, so I would advise people to get their tickets early to avoid disappointment.
“Nadiya is great with families, Ainsley is an energetic performer and James has a solid following, so there will be something for all tastes at this year’s event.
“Bolton Food and Drink Festival is such a popular event and we are now in our 13th year. We are constantly building and improving the attractions on offer to keep it fresh for our thousands of visitors, and this year is no exception. It’s going to be a bumper weekend once again.”
Chef Michael Caines will launch the foodie event on Friday (August 24) before hosting a gala dinner the same night.
The festival will also feature cookery demos from top regional chefs, a speciality food, drink and crafts market with more than 200 traders, live music, street performers, and children’s activities.
Other special events are still to be announced and are sure to prove popular when tickets are released next week. They include a special Gin Festival as well as a night with two of the North West’s leading regional chefs.
Additionally, a fantastic new children’s show is currently being developed by local touring theatre company Little Diamond Theatre. More details and tickets for these events will be released in early June.
Sponsors are: Aldi; Stateside Foods, and Willmott Dixon. Partners include: Arts Council; Bolton Market; Bolton Library and Museum Services; Carrs Pasties; Greater Manchester Combined Authority; Octagon Theatre, Market Place Shopping Centre and RRG Group Ltd.
For updates, visit www.boltonfoodanddrinkfestival.com and follow the Bolton Food and Drink Festival page on Facebook or @boltonfoodfest on Twitter.
Tickets are available from www.quaytickets.com.