The Great British Food Festival returns to Swindon for a second year, setting up across the 260-acre grounds of Lydiard Park on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd August 2026. The weekend brings artisan producers, chef demonstrations, live music and family competitions to the historic estate.
Gates open at 10am both days, closing at 5:30pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. Chef Ian Taverner and Sam Kaeokon lead Saturday’s demonstrations, while Suki Pantal takes the stage on Sunday. All demos are included with admission. A festival ticket also covers park entry and car parking, removing the usual £6 charge.
The event first visited Lydiard Park in 2025 and returns with a programme built around local food and drink. Children aged five to seventeen need a paid ticket, under-fives enter free, and a family ticket covers two adults and two children. A Rainy Day Guarantee lets anyone who attends in poor weather reschedule to another day or any other Great British Food Festival in the same year at no extra cost.
Competitions run across both days. The Cheese Off, Brownie Off, and Beat the Chef are among the competitions scheduled. Wessex Mead Works is among the confirmed artisan traders, part of a market that fills the parkland.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
