Whitchurch Food & Drink Festival returns to Jubilee Park on Saturday, May 16th from 10am until 6pm, and it is free entry.

Whitchurch Town Council have asked Shropshire Festivals to deliver their community event, which will include live music on the bandstand, stands from local businesses, street food, bars, chef demonstrations, and a garden area with hands-on activities from local organisations.

A kids’ area will be filled with free activities, including inflatables, an obstacle course, circus skills, alpacas, sports activities, and more.

The Barti Rum Bandstand Stage will host the Whitchurch Brass Band, Whitchurch Singers, Exotic Zoo, Ultraviolet Harmony (from Sir John Talbot’s School), Twisted Halo, Groove Dynamite, and Dirty Rockin Scoundrels.

Shropshire Festivals is sponsoring a school or community garden project. Children aged 11 and under are invited to pick up a colouring sheet from Whitchurch Library and draw a picture of their favourite food or picnic experience. Entries need to be handed in to the library by May 14th to be displayed. The Mayor of Whitchurch, Cllr Rose Hall, will announce the winner at the festival, who will receive up to £250 towards a school or local organisation garden.

A mini ale trail will take visitors around the town centre. The Black Bear, The Bulls Head, Wheatsheaf Hotel, and The Crafty Dragon have all signed up to take part.

The lineup on the Monks Chef Demo Stage includes local top chefs Stuart Collins from Docket Restaurant and James Sherwin from Wild Shropshire, who recently appeared on Great British Menu. Powells Pies, which is based in the town, will be demonstration ‘Pastry to Pie’.

The Mayor of Whitchurch, Cllr Rose Hall, said, “Join us for a day out for all the family, celebrating Whitchurch’s fantastic food and drink sector, with the region’s best chefs, producers, performers, and businesses.

“It promises to be a brilliant day where we hope to welcome visitors from further afield who can discover our fantastic local businesses and venues. I look forward to seeing you all there!”

Beth Heath, Shropshire Festivals’ Director of Fun, said, “It’s a privilege to be asked to deliver this event for such a warm, welcoming town. After the success of last year’s festival, we hope to see lots of people enjoying an epic event in the park, which is free to attend.

“Thank you to our sponsors, Barti Rum, Monks Estate Agents, County Loos, Dulson Training, Cartwrights Waste Disposal, and Paycare for supporting the event and helping us to provide the best event we can.”

Whitchurch Food & Drink Festival is taking place on Saturday, May 16th from 10am until 6pm.

To find out more or apply for a stand, visit www.whitchurchfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk.