Food Connections, Bristol’s revolutionary food event, is back from May 1st to May 9th and it’s kicking off with a bumper weekend of Bank Holiday events in the city centre (Friday, May 1st to Monday, May 4th).
Thousands of visitors will descend on the city centre for an incredible line-up of free and ticketed events, taking place from College Green to Queen Square.
Supported by First Great Western, Food Connections is the flagship food event for Bristol 2015, European Green Capital. Now in its second year, having attracted around 185,000 people in 2014, Food Connections aims to change how we think about food and how we eat by, ‘Bringing people and good food together’.
The Orangery, Food Connections’ pop-up event hub on College Green, will host a number of ‘Feasting & Festivities’ events: from a Slow Food banquet cooked by celebrity chefs Tom Hunt, Giorgio Locatelli and Thomasina Miers to a huge ‘Eat-In’ where people from all walks of life will bring a dish to share around a communal table whilst exchanging ideas and opinions about Bristol’s local food system.
As part of Food Connections’ partnership with the BBC, a series of food-themed talks and live recordings will take place in the IMAX theatre. These free events, curated by the BBC, will feature Rick Stein and Simon Hopkinson discussing their lives in food, a tribute to Jane Grigson, and many more.
On College Green and in Millennium Square, markets will offer a cornucopia of the very best produce the West has to offer. The Food Connections producers’ market on College Green will feature over 40 stalls with everything from charcuterie to cheese, cider to chocolate.
On Sunday, May 3rd in the Orangery, some of the West and Wales’ best producers will compete to win an incredible £100,000 prize, funded by The Seed Fund and supported by First Great Western. The event is open to the public, who will taste test the shortlisted produce and help the judging panel to pick a winner.
Over in Millennium Square, visitors will take a taste trip across the globe at the Food Connections street food market, with award-winning street food from all over the world. Visitors can grab a dish, pull up a pew and listen to some laid-back music throughout the weekend.
The Grow Festival, taking place on College Green from May 2nd to May 4th, is one of Food Connections’ biggest events. Supported by Riverford Organic, Grow will feature an inspiring programme of talks, activities and workshops designed to reconnect people and planet. Local experts and organisations will give talks on a whole host of topics including aquaponics, bee keeping and composting. Children of all ages will be treated to hands on cookery and craft classes hosted by At-Bristol, Riverford and the Children’s University, as well as live performances across the festival.
For those keen to turn their passion for food into a career, there will be a series of talks and seminars in At-Bristol. ‘The Business of Pleasure’ will cover everything from blogging to entrepreneurship, with advice from some of the best in the business.
Over at the Lab – the hub for Bristol 2015, European Green Capital – live cookery demonstrations will take place throughout the weekend with chefs from across Bristol and the South West covering a whole host of topics from filleting fish to cooking for health.
“Food Connections will kick off with a bang over the May Bank Holiday weekend,” said Lorna Knapman, Festival Director. “The whole city centre will become one massive celebration of food; from street food to banquets, live cookery demos to BBC recordings, markets to workshops, and so much more. It’ll be a great weekend for all ages.”
For more information about what’s on this weekend and beyond, visit www.bristolfoodconnections.com.