Bolton Food & Drink Festical

James Martin

Bolton Food and Drink Festival will take over the town from Friday 23-Monday 26 August with a bank holiday weekend extravaganza featuring live cooking shows from top TV chef James Martin and global cuisine from over 180 vendors, fused with live music, street entertainment and activities for the whole family to feast on.

Last year, Bolton Food and Drink Festival attracted over 500,000 visitors, positioning it as the UK’s biggest food and drink festival of its kind – and boasting over 300,000 more visitors than Glastonbury’s annual crowd.

Now in its 19th year, Bolton, recently named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2024, will transform the streets around the town hall into a vibrant festival with food vendors, artisans, pop-up bars, and local musicians on the main and acoustic stages for a fun-filled weekend.

TV chef James Martin has described the event as the ‘world’s best’ food and drink event and he will be taking to the stage at the iconic Bolton Albert Halls to cook up a storm on Monday, 26 August. Tickets for James’ event are on sale and can be booked via the event website.

The festival will also celebrate the talents of chefs from across the region through a series of free demonstrations with social media influencers also set to make appearances at the festival throughout the weekend.

Other special events include the immersive murder mystery night, Sheer Luck Holmes, with a three-course meal on Saturday, August 24th, and the fan-favourite Faulty Towers Original Dining Experience, bringing non-stop laughter to the Albert Halls on Sunday, August 25th.

The festival will pay special tribute to the late Dave Myers, one-half of The Hairy Bikers, who had been a fixture at the festival since 2009.

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, Cllr Nadeem Ayub, said:

“Nobody throws a party like Bolton, and our annual Food and Drink Festival is the biggest party of the summer.

“As Greater Manchester Town of Culture 2024, the festival is also an ideal opportunity to celebrate everything Bolton has to offer - from our famous theatres and spectacular Egyptology exhibition to our stunning architecture and beautiful countryside.

“Half a million visitors can’t be wrong, so if you have never joined us for the Food and Drink Festival before then this is the perfect time to visit Bolton.”

Bolton Food and Drink Festival is a free event with tickets available to purchase for the special events.