Your Ultimate Guide to Bury St Edmunds’ Food & Drink Festival 2024

Taking place on Sunday 25th and Bank Holiday Monday 26th August 2024, 10am—5 pm, in Suffolk’s Foodie Capital, the Bury St Edmunds town centre. 

It will be jam-packed with live food and drink demonstrations in the cookery theatre, street entertainment, delicious food stalls along Cornhill and the Buttermarket, a farmers market on Angel Hill, and so much more.

Throughout the weekend (Sunday 25th and Monday 26th), your favourite local chefs, eateries and wine and cocktail specialists will appear at the cookery theatre, offering tips and tricks and showing you how to re-create certain dishes and drinks. 

On Sunday the 25th, renowned chefs from local restaurants like Old Cannon Brewery, Rustico, 1921, Maison Bleue, The Bay Tree Cafe, The Angel Hotel, and Giggling Squid will showcase their culinary skills. They will represent a range of venues and demonstrate techniques and dishes inspired by fine dining, French and Thai cuisine, Italian flavours, and more.

On Monday the 26th, Forage Kitchen, The Wine Cellar, and Three Kings Pub will do a live cooking demo. And let’s not forget about the special appearance from celebrity chef Galton Blackiston, who will do three live demonstrations throughout the day. Galton Blackiston is a multi-award-winning chef and food writer who combines his time as chef patron and co-owner of Morston Hall Hotel and Restaurant in North Norfolk, writing hugely successful cookbooks and regular appearances on high-profile TV cookery programmes.

For the cookery theatre schedule, please visit: Food & Drink Festival | Our Bury St Edmunds

If watching the professionals cook a tasty treat makes you hungry, the Cornhill and the Buttermarket will also be home to various food and drink stalls. For the first time at the Bury St Edmunds Food and Drink Festival, you can wash down some delicious Hungarian Street food or Caribbean flavours with craft beer and select wines from Bury St Edmunds’ town centre businesses, Beautiful Beers and The Wine Cellar. 

And if the food stalls don’t grab your attention, why not visit one of the local cafes or restaurants and grab a bite to eat or a refreshing drink? Discover our Food and Drink businesses here.

Between the Buttermarket and Cornhill, little ones can marvel at a range of FREE street entertainment. Here, you can also find the event information point and First Aid Stand in case of an emergency.

If you’re looking for something more kid-friendly, Charter Square at the arc shopping centre is the place to go. From pay-per-go fairground rides to the free-to-test drive Stealth Racer and the virtual reality, and let’s not forget about the free face painting too – whatever you’re after, you will find it in arc’s Charter Square.

For thrill-seekers, the Food and Drink Festival offers several fairground rides. These include a helter-skelter, a merry-go-round, and more. The whole family can enjoy these pay-per-go rides.

If you do not live within walking distance of the Bury St Edmunds town centre, there are plenty of car parks and access to public transport.

Car Parks

Long-stay car parks such as Parkway multi-storey and surface car park, Ram Meadow and St. Andrews Long Stay offer convenient options for those planning to spend the entire day at the festival with family and friends.

If you’re visiting, several short-stay, flexible, and on-street parking spaces exist in the town centre, including Arc-Cattlemarket, Bury Leisure Centre, Chequer Square, and St Andrews.

For a complete list of car parks, along with their opening times and pricing, visit the West Suffolk website.