Bolton Food & Drink Festival: four free-entry days

Bolton Food & Drink Festival returns to Bolton town centre from Friday 28 August to Monday 31 August. Entry is free, and the public programme is aimed at families and visitors looking for food stalls, live music, chef demonstrations and hands-on activities over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Bolton Council says this will be the award-winning festival’s 21st year. Peel Land is returning as headline sponsor and will run a free omelette-making activity for young people in partnership with Urban Outreach.

Dates, location and entry at a glance

Daily opening and closing times were not included in the council announcement. Readers can also consult GlobeBids’ Bolton festival planning guide for a concise overview of the four-day event.

Food, music and hands-on family activities

Artisan stalls, live music and chef demonstrations form the core of the programme. The source does not name the participating chefs or provide demonstration times, so visitors interested in a particular session should check the official festival information before travelling.

Carrs Pasties will return to its usual festival pitch with its regular range and a limited-edition chicken fajita festival pasty. Visitors will also be introduced to Patsy the Pasty, the newest addition to the Carrs team.

Market Place will provide free children’s craft activities alongside live music, artisan markets, food and family entertainment. Its festival space is intended to offer somewhere to pause while remaining close to the wider programme.

Stateside Foods will promote current recruitment vacancies, distribute goodie bags and bring back its pizza oven competition. Active Bolton is due to showcase its community activities through games, competitions, treats and goody bags.

A new Visit Bolton area joins the festival layout

A new Visit Bolton area will sit beside the regional chefs and host activities from local businesses. Visitors will be able to collect the next edition of the Insider’s Handbook there.

The area will also include CBRE, whose team will seek views on the Crompton Place development and possible temporary uses for Victoria Square, including pop-up events, markets and community activities.

Transport for Greater Manchester will be around the festival site with information about cycling and walking routes, bike libraries, cycle training, maintenance sessions, walking groups and active travel. This is an information service rather than a published festival transport plan.

Vehicle displays are also scheduled. Chorley Group will show the Nissan MICRA and LEAF, while Vertu Ford Bolton will present the Ford Kuga and Ford Transit.

Check the daily details before setting out

The announcement confirms the dates, town-centre location and free entry, but it does not provide daily opening times, specific accessibility arrangements or a detailed journey plan. It also gives no age range for the free omelette-making activity and no separate reservation instructions for individual sessions.

Bolton Council directs visitors to the official festival website and its Facebook, Instagram and X channels for further information. Those sources should be checked before setting out, particularly for daily programme times and activity arrangements.

Source: Bolton Council News