Top UK Food Festivals in July 2026
If you have ever searched "food festival this weekend near me" and landed on a page of out-of-date listings, this guide is for you. July is the busiest month of the UK food calendar, and there are 50 verified July events live on our UK food events calendar right now, from major ticketed festivals such as Foodies Festival at Tatton Park and the Edinburgh Food Festival to free weekly farmers markets and street food evenings you can walk into with nothing but an appetite.
Every event below links to its own page with dates, times, venue, and travel details, so you can plan the whole month from one place. And because entry prices are the most common complaint food lovers raise about festivals, we have clearly flagged which events are free to enter.
Here is your July, week by week.
How to Use This Guide
Food Marketplace tracks food festivals, street food markets, and food markets across the UK all year round. For July:
- Browse every event on the full UK events calendar
- Find your nearest market with the interactive food market map
- Discover vendors and menus before you go via the Discover page, the vendor directory, and the menus directory
One tip before you dive in: the traders you meet at a July festival usually have a regular pitch at a market near you. A festival is a taster; the market is where the relationship starts.
The Big July Festivals: Six Events Worth Planning Around
These are the headline, put-it-in-the-diary events of the month.
Foodies Festival 2026 at Tatton Park (from 10 July, Cheshire)
The UK's biggest touring food festival lands at Tatton Park in Cheshire. Expect chef demonstrations, producer stalls, street food, live music, and one of the most beautiful parkland settings in the North West. This is the classic big-day-out format, so book tickets ahead and arrive hungry. View Foodies Festival at Tatton Park dates and details, or check the official Foodies Festival website for ticket options.
Edinburgh Food Festival (15–19 July, Edinburgh)
Five days of Scotland's best producers, street food, and drinks in the heart of Edinburgh, and a brilliant warm-up act before the Fringe takes over the city in August. If you are anywhere in central Scotland in mid-July, this is the one, and you can extend the trip with the food markets in Edinburgh. View Edinburgh Food Festival dates and details.
Feast On Bristol 2026 (from 23 July, Bristol)
Feast On returns to The Downs for its third year, bringing together Bristol's top independent restaurants and street food traders in one place. Bristol has one of the strongest independent food scenes in the country, and the food markets in Bristol prove it the other 51 weeks of the year. View Feast On Bristol dates and details, or visit the official Feast On website for line-up news.
2026 Manchester International Food and Artisan Market (24–26 July, Manchester)
A full weekend of international food and artisan producers in Manchester. If you want maximum variety in one visit, with global street food, craft produce, and artisan makers side by side, this is July's best value weekend in the North, and the food markets in Manchester can fill the rest of the weekend. View the Manchester International Food and Artisan Market details.
Newport Big Food Festival (from 24 July, Newport)
Wales gets its big July moment with the Newport Big Food Festival, a celebration of Welsh producers and street food that has grown into one of the country's most popular food days out. Explore more food markets in Newport while you are there, and view Newport Big Food Festival dates and details.
Valley Fest (from 30 July, Chew Magna, near Bristol)
July closes with Valley Fest, the organic farm festival on the shores of Chew Valley Lake. Part music festival, part food festival, entirely family friendly, with food sourced from the farm it stands on. View Valley Fest dates and details, or see the official Valley Fest website for camping and tickets.
Week One (4–5 July): Community Festivals and Summer Socials
Saturday 4 July
- Romstock Festival 2026 (Romsley, Worcestershire): a village festival with a serious food line-up.
- Solihull Dining Club (Solihull): street food and social dining in the West Midlands.
- MNB Proud All Year Round Craft Market (Edinburgh): craft makers and food traders in the Scottish capital.
Sunday 5 July
- Generations Festival (Windsor): a family day out with food at its centre.
- South Norwood Community Festival (Croydon, London): a grassroots community festival with local food traders. Free-spirited, family friendly, and exactly the kind of event that keeps local food culture alive.
- Shirley Social (Shirley, West Midlands): street food, drinks, and live entertainment on a relaxed Sunday.
Week Two (10–12 July): The Busiest Weekend of the Month
Leeds Summer Market and Festival (10–12 July, Leeds)
Three full days of market stalls, street food, and summer festival atmosphere in the centre of Leeds. If you are in Yorkshire, this is your anchor event for the weekend, with plenty of food markets in Leeds to fill the rest of it. View the Leeds Summer Market and Festival details.
Beer and Cider Summer Festival (11 July, Birmingham)
Craft beer, proper cider, and food traders to match. A great pairing with a daytime wander around the food markets in Birmingham. View the Beer and Cider Summer Festival details.
Taste of Thailand Music and Food Festival (11 July, Runcorn)
Thai street food done properly: pad thai, satay, som tam, and live music. The same festival also lands in Wolverhampton on 18 July, so you get two chances this month. See the Runcorn date or the Wolverhampton date.
Cinema in the Park (10 July, Bromsgrove)
Outdoor film screenings with street food on site: a family film in the afternoon and an evening feature after dark. Take a blanket. See the family screening details or the evening screening details.
Week Three (15–19 July): Edinburgh, Bath and Scotland's Street Food
Edinburgh Food Festival (15–19 July)
The month's biggest Scottish event runs all week; see the full write-up in the headline section above. View Edinburgh Food Festival dates and details.
Bath Summer Fayre (from 17 July, Bath)
Artisan makers, local producers, and street food in one of England's most beautiful cities. Pair it with a wander through the food markets in Bath for a full weekend. View the Bath Summer Fayre details.
Silverburn Street Food Festival (18 July, Leven, Fife)
Scotland's street food scene keeps growing, and this Fife festival is a great example: local traders, family friendly, and by the sea. View the Silverburn Street Food Festival details.
Wigan St Cuthberts Music Festival (18 July, Wigan)
Music first, but with a strong food village attached. A good option for anyone in Greater Manchester who wants festival atmosphere without festival prices. View the Wigan St Cuthberts Music Festival details.
Week Four (23–26 July): Bristol, Manchester and the Midlands
Feast On Bristol 2026 (from 23 July)
Bristol's big one opens on the Thursday; full write-up in the headline section above. View Feast On Bristol dates and details.
Dine 'N' Devour Food and Artisan Festival (25 July, Droitwich Spa)
A curated food and artisan festival in Worcestershire: independent producers, street food, and crafts in a spa-town setting. View the Dine 'N' Devour festival details.
Tunsfest 2026 (25 July, Sutton Coldfield)
A community festival with a growing reputation and a solid street food line-up in the north of Birmingham. View the Tunsfest 2026 details.
The Headliners Return (24–26 July)
Both the Manchester International Food and Artisan Market and the Newport Big Food Festival run this weekend; see the write-ups in the headline section above.
Free Every Week: Street Food Nights and Markets With No Entry Fee
This is the section to bookmark. The most common complaint about UK food festivals, raised in food forums and community threads every summer, is paying £20 or more just to walk through a gate before buying a single bite. So here are the July events where entry is free and your money goes straight to the traders.
Weekly street food events
- New Street Eats (Fridays, 10:00–18:00, Birmingham city centre): the easiest street food lunch in the West Midlands.
- July Street Food Evening (Fridays, 17:00–21:00, London): after-work street food done right.
- Word of Mouth: Street Food and Vibes (Thursdays and Fridays, Dudley): a free-entry, family friendly street food session in the Black Country, with extra dates on Thursday 23 July and Friday 24 July.
- London Vegan Beer Fest (Saturday, London): craft beer and plant-based street food in one session.
Farmers and produce markets, every weekend
- Walthamstow Farmers Market (Sundays, 11:00–15:00, London): one of the capital's best.
- Farmers Market at Hall Place (Sundays, 10:00–14:00, Bexley): riverside setting, proper producers.
- Amersham Farmers Market (Saturdays, 09:00–13:00): get there early for the bread.
- Pudsey Produce and Craft Market (Sundays, 09:00–13:00, West Yorkshire): local produce between Leeds and Bradford.
- Tudor Square Farmers and Produce Market (monthly Sundays, Ware, Hertfordshire): a classic monthly produce market.
Artisan and community markets
- Duck Pond Market, Ruislip (Sundays, 10:00–15:00): artisan craft and food in North West London.
- The MUD Market (Sundays, 10:00–15:00, Manchester): makers and food traders.
- Wandsworth New Acres Artisan Market (Sundays, 10:00–16:00, London): a newer South West London fixture.
- Afrikan Market Leeds (Saturdays, 11:00–17:00, Leeds West Indian Centre): African and Caribbean food, produce, and culture.
- African and Caribbean Market, Lewisham (Saturdays, 11:00–18:00, London): every Saturday at Lewisham Shopping Centre.
- So Last Century's Vintage Market at Abbey Mills (Saturdays, 10:30–16:00, London): vintage plus street food at Merton Abbey Mills.
You can find hundreds more regular markets, including street food markets and food markets in London, on the main UK markets directory.
Are Ticketed Food Festivals Worth It? An Honest Answer
When someone pays £20 to £48 for entry and then queues forty minutes for a £9 burger, they are right to be disappointed, and stories like that circulate in food communities every summer.
Here is a practical framework for deciding:
- Check what entry actually buys. The best ticketed festivals (Foodies Festival and Valley Fest are good examples) include chef demonstrations, tastings, children's entertainment, and music in the price. If entry is just a gate fee with nothing behind it, spend your money at a free market instead.
- Count the traders before you book. A festival with 80 independent traders is a different proposition from one with 12. Event pages on our platform list what is confirmed.
- Go to eat, not to graze. Skipping lunch beforehand and treating the festival as your meal changes the value calculation completely.
- Remember who you are supporting. Independent traders pay real pitch fees to be there. Turning up, buying well, and posting about your favourites is genuine support for small food businesses. If the trader scene is what you love, the free weekly markets above put more of your money directly into the pockets of independent food vendors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Planning a July food day out raises the same practical questions every year. Here are the ones we are asked most, answered directly.
What food festivals are on in the UK in July 2026?
The biggest July 2026 food festivals include Foodies Festival at Tatton Park (from 10 July), the Edinburgh Food Festival (15–19 July), Feast On Bristol (from 23 July), the Manchester International Food and Artisan Market (24–26 July), the Newport Big Food Festival (from 24 July), and Valley Fest near Bristol (from 30 July). Alongside these, dozens of free weekly street food markets and farmers markets run across the UK all month. The full list is on the Food Marketplace events calendar.
How do I find a food festival near me this weekend?
Use the Food Marketplace events calendar at foodmarketplace.co.uk/events, which lists verified UK food festivals, street food events, and markets with dates, times, and venues. You can also browse the interactive map to see markets and events closest to you, or filter the markets directory by your city.
Which July 2026 food festivals are free to enter?
Many of the best July events are completely free, including New Street Eats in Birmingham (Fridays), Word of Mouth Street Food and Vibes in Dudley, Walthamstow Farmers Market and the Farmers Market at Hall Place in London (Sundays), Afrikan Market Leeds, the African and Caribbean Market in Lewisham (Saturdays), and community festivals like South Norwood Community Festival in Croydon. You pay only for what you eat and drink.
What is the biggest food festival in the UK?
By touring footprint, Foodies Festival is the UK's biggest food festival series, visiting parks and estates across the country through the summer, including Tatton Park in July 2026. Single-site events like the Edinburgh Food Festival and Valley Fest draw tens of thousands of visitors over their run.
Are food festivals good for families?
Yes, and July is the best month for it. Valley Fest, Generations Festival in Windsor, Cinema in the Park in Bromsgrove, and the family friendly Word of Mouth sessions in Dudley are all built with children in mind, with entertainment beyond the food stalls. Free-entry markets are also an easy family option because you are not committed to a ticket price if little ones flag early.
Do I need to book food festival tickets in advance?
For the big ticketed festivals, yes: Foodies Festival, Feast On Bristol, and Valley Fest all sell advance tickets, and popular sessions can sell out, especially Saturday afternoons. Advance tickets are usually cheaper than on the gate. Free-entry markets and street food evenings need no booking at all; just turn up.
What should I bring to a summer food festival?
Cash and card (some traders are card-only, a few are cash-only), a refillable water bottle, sunscreen, and something waterproof, because this is Britain in July. If the event is on grass, a picnic blanket earns its place. Arriving hungry is the only non-negotiable.
How can I support the vendors at these events?
Buy directly and generously, ask traders where else they pitch, follow them on social media, and leave reviews. Most festival traders have a regular home at a local market: you can find them again through the Food Marketplace vendors and markets pages, and keep supporting them long after the festival ends.
Key Takeaways for July 2026
- Six headline festivals anchor the month: Foodies Festival at Tatton Park, Edinburgh Food Festival, Feast On Bristol, the Manchester International Food and Artisan Market, Newport Big Food Festival, and Valley Fest.
- The second weekend (10–12 July) is the busiest of the month, with Leeds, Birmingham, Runcorn, and Bromsgrove all in action.
- You never need to pay to eat well in July. Free weekly street food nights and farmers markets run in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, and Dudley all month.
- Book the big ones early, and treat free markets as your weekly habit rather than a one-off.
Plan Your July with Food Marketplace
Fifty events in one month is a lot of eating. Here is how to keep on top of it:
- Full events calendar: foodmarketplace.co.uk/events
- Find markets near you: foodmarketplace.co.uk/markets
- See everything on the map: foodmarketplace.co.uk/map
- Discover vendors and menus: foodmarketplace.co.uk/discover
- Browse dishes from local traders: foodmarketplace.co.uk/menus
Been to one of these events? Tell us about it. Share your festival photos and favourite traders with us on social media, and leave a review on the market or vendor page so other food lovers know where to go next. If July fills up fast, keep an eye on the calendar: August's line-up is already being added.
