Foodies Festival returns to Brighton with a star line-up of celebrity chefs and music headliners

Star names appearing in the live cooking theatres include: MasterChef 2021 champion Tom Rhodes, Brighton-based 2018 MasterChef champion, Kenny Tutt, from Pitch restaurant in Worthing and MasterChef: The Professionals champion Steven Edwards, from 3AA Rosette awarded Etch, in Hove.

Also on the menu, Great British Menu winner Michael Bremner, from Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded 64 Degrees restaurant and Hove-based Great British Bake Off favourite, Juergen Krauss.

Kenny Tutt said: “Its great to be invited back to Foodies Festival again this year and to be cooking some exciting new dishes. Foodies put’s a spotlight on some of our regions best local restaurants and producers, and really celebrates good food and drink. But not only that, it’s always such a brilliant weekend of entertainment!"

The musical feast is just as sumptuous with chart-topping disco diva, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, platinum-selling local festival favourites Scouting For Girls, and Spandau Ballet and Eastenders icon Martin Kemp, delivering the ultimate 80’s DJ party.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor said: “It’s wonderful to be joining the Foodies Festival tour again. Warm summer weekends full of lovely food and music, and families having fun together – I can’t wait!”

Scouting For Girls said: "We always look forward to Foodies and it just wouldn’t be summer without it! The festivals have a great vibe and we often bring our family and friends along to enjoy the fun. We’ve all taken a liking to the Japanese Bao Buns and the Jamaican Jerk Chicken, so we’ll also be looking forward to scoffing that!” “See you soon Brighton.”

Showcasing the best of Brighton and the south coast, many of the most-highly acclaimed Michelin and multi-award-winning chefs will also appear, including: Jean Delport, head chef from Michelin starred restaurant Interlude, Duncan Ray, chef-patron from 3 AA Rosette awarded The Little Fish Market, Alistair Munro, head chef from Michelin recommended Wild Flor, Caspian Armani, head chef from Michelin recommended Isaac At and award-winning chef, Jamie Halsall, from Cin Cin.

Throughout the 3 day weekend, visitors will enjoy a jam-packed schedule of TV cooking show champions and award-winning chefs in the interactive live theatres. In the Chefs Theatre, celebrities will create their signature dishes and share new tips and tricks, whilst in the Cake & Bake Theatre, star bakers whip up showstoppers and offer tempting sweet treats.

In The Kids Cookery School, Foodies SuperChefs make cooking fun, helping younger guests to prepare delicious food which they can take away and enjoy. Masterclasses in the Drinks Theatre include tutored Champagne, Beer, Cider, Cocktail and Wine-tasting.

Visitors can browse the latest food trends in the Shopping Village, meet local producers in the Artisan Market and taste exotic and unusual new dishes in the Feasting Tent – which features a mouth-watering range of street food and delicacies from all four corners of the globe. Other attractions include a fairground, children’s activities, and family-friendly areas.

New features for 2023

*Top TV Chef Challenge: This battle of the best will see winners and finalists of MasterChef competing with the winners of Bake Off and Great British Menu as they take to the live stage, in a highly competitive cook-off to create the most impressive dish.

*Theatre Takeovers: Expect comedy, hit songs, audience participation, Drag Queens, and a lot of fun!

*Green Fingers: meet the experts hosting sessions on grow your own fruit and veg, discover new varieties, recipe ideas and health benefits.

*Doughnut Dash!: A messy race to eat the most doughnuts against the clock…while our host distracts competitors with other silly tasks!

*Cake-aoke: Audience sing ’n’ bake-along with Foodies multi-talented hosts.

Foodies Favourites

*Meet the authors and discover new recipes in the Cookbook Shop – with celebrity signings, photo opportunities and top chefs’ showcasing their latest cookbooks.

*World Chilli eating Champion Shahina Waseem will challenge those brave enough to compete. Competitions will be broadcast to ‘League of Fire’ audiences around the world.

*Kids Can Cook!: Budding junior MasterChefs get creative in the Kids Cookery School, hosted by Foodies SuperChefs.

*The Musicians Against Homelessness main stage will feature over 25 superb artists. Including top headliners, the best of local bands and an introduction to exciting new acts from across the UK.

Director Sue Hitchen said: “Foodies Festivals are a celebration of amazing food, drink and entertainment and we are proud to support local artisan producers and restaurants.

“We’ve all had a difficult few years, so to help keep things affordable festival prices have been frozen for the third year running – even though our stars and features get bigger and better every year. We offer a great value day out for families and friends.”

For the fifth year running, the festival is supporting Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH) with tickets raising money for UK-wide homelessness charity Crisis.MAH founder Emma Rule said: “We are thrilled to be back at Foodies with our music stage and fantastic line-up of artists, raising much needed funds during these challenging times.”

Dates and tickets

Preston Park, Preston Road, Brighton, BN1 6SD

29th April - 1st May 2023 Bank Holiday Weekend

Tickets from £3 (child) and £19 (adult) are on sale now at foodiesfestival.com