Mold Food and Drink Festival returns this weekend after a two-year break

With Flintshire’s top food festival just days away, organisers have lifted the lid on what visitors can expect over the two-day extravaganza.

The festival is set to attract thousands of people from across North Wales and the North West.

Mold Food & Drink Festival co-chairs Gwenan Roberts and Richard Howells said the festival would be focussed on supporting local businesses and chefs.

“The festival is packed with great produce, activities, and entertainment. We are concentrating on supporting local – whether that’s food and drink producers or the chefs in the demonstration tent. The last two years have been tough for hospitality, and we hope to lighten the load this weekend by showcasing the very best North Wales has to offer,” said Gwenan.

The festival will be held on September 17 and 18 in Mold’s New Street Car Park, CH7 1NY. The festival runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The outdoor food court is open until around 7.45 on Saturday, with live entertainment on the stage. In light of the death of HM The Queen, a minute’s silence will be held on both days, prior to the festival gates being opened. A book of condolence will also be available on site for anyone who wishes to sign it.
Free transport

A free park and ride bus will run from Theatr Clwyd, Mold, over the weekend. The postcode for the park and ride is CH7 1YA. It will also be free to park there. Due to works at the theatre, the bus will pick up slightly lower down in the car park.

Chefs
The festival has a packed line-up of local chefs including

Yuliia Voronkova, sister-in-law Katerina Voronkova and friend Olga Donetska who fled the Ukraine to set up home in North Wales. The trio plan to open their own restaurant and will be cooking traditional dishes in the cookery theatre (Saturday, 2.30). Conwy’s Nick Rudge from Jackdaw was trained by maverick chef Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck) and will be headlining Sunday’s cookery demos (11.20 onwards).

Music
Our legendary music stage makes a welcome return and will keep you dancing through to Saturday evening (7.45pm finish). Bands include Dee Sign Choir (Sunday 11am), one of the few signing choirs in the country. Its members include deaf or hard of hearing people. Fresh from the BBC Introducing platform comes folk singer Dominique Atkins (Sat 3pm). There will be musical surprises throughout the day! Full timetable: www.moldfoodfestival.co.uk

Leading exhibitors
More than 100 food and drink exhibitors will be taking part, offering the best in food and drink. Main festival sponsor Penderyn Distillery will also be on hand, enabling visitors to sample their range of whiskies.

Top tips
Take time out to enjoy local bands (from Saturday at 10am) and let little ones burn off some energy with games and activities, including a slide, swing boats, and trampolines.

Getting in
Admission is £6 for adults (16+), £1 for children (aged 4-15, under 4s free).  Tickets are cheaper online up to September 15. There are free wristbands for children, and a team of dedicated volunteers will be on hand to help. Guide or assistance dogs are welcome.

“The festival will have a different feel to it this year, we’re keeping the focus on local and there will be extra touches such as hand sanitizer stations across site,” said Richard. “With covid, we have all been through extraordinary times. The festival is an opportunity for leading lights in the hospitality industry to join us, the people of Flintshire and the surrounding areas to get together for a good time.”

Volunteers and sponsors

The festival wouldn’t be possible without an army of volunteers from across Flintshire including Mold Rugby Club, Theatr Clwyd, and more.
Festival sponsors include Penderyn Distillery, Castell Howell food wholesalers, MPH Construction Ltd, Wrexham Lager, and KMA Tool Hire & Sales.And finally…
All the funds raised at this year’s festival will go into running next year’s event. If you have some loose change, please consider spending a penny and dropping it in the totalisers at the festival toilets. Every little will help – thank you!