The 20th annual Bolton Food and Drink Festival will go down as the best yet, as the event celebrated its milestone anniversary in style.
Bolton once again proved it is “Born to Perform” by delivering a spectacular Bank Holiday weekend of entertainment, live music and incredible food.
The flagship event is delivered every year by Bolton Council, which has invested across two decades to grow the festival into the biggest of its kind in the UK.
As well as offering a memorable day out for hundreds of thousands of visitors, the festival also boosts the local economy, promotes businesses, attracts tourists and cements Bolton’s reputation as a host of world-class events.
Festival favourite James Martin headlined the final day, performing three cooking demonstrations, signing autographs and venturing out into the crowds to meet with traders.
Reflecting on more than a dozen appearances at the festival, he said:
“When I first came here it was a little festival in the square with a small demo area, but look at it now! I think it must be the biggest food festival in Europe.
“It’s as good a festival as you will get anywhere, I’ve done them all and nothing beats this. I don’t think there are any festivals that have got the longevity that this one has.
“You can put that down to the people of Bolton supporting it, and to the people who work so hard behind the scenes.
“There is tremendous amount of work that goes into this festival and the people really care.”
The warm weather attracted food-lovers from across the country with traders reporting massive sales across all four days.
Daniel O’Grady of festival regulars Churtopia Churros said:
“The whole weekend has been incredible, Bolton Food and Drink Festival has just gone up an impossible notch.
“I don't know how they did it, but the event is better than ever.
“This year just brought a whole new dimension of incredible for our business.”
First-timers Texas BBQ also enjoyed a busy weekend.
Owner David said: “It’s been amazing, a really good experience for our first time at Bolton Food and Drink Festival, the people are fantastic and it has been great for business.
“We will definitely be wanting to come back next year.”
Sofia of Bolton’s own FIFI’s Cheesecakes said:
“The festival has definitely helped our business, we’re local too so it’s great for us.
“It’s the only festival we do because it has just been the best one for us.”
The four-day spectacular also saw masterclasses from Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White, advice from wine expert Helen McGinn and the hilarious Faulty Towers Dining Experience.
Some of the region’s best chefs performed free cooking demos in Victoria Square, joined by special guests from Bolton’s twin towns of Le Mans and Paderborn.
Meanwhile free activities in the Festival Garden, the Octagon Theatre and Elizabeth Park ensured the festival was the ideal budget-friendly day out for families during the summer holidays.
A full weekend of free live music across two stages saw acts thrill audiences into the late evenings with 90s icons East 17 proving to be a firm fan favourite.
Bolton Council Leader, Cllr Nick Peel, said:
“There is so much to celebrate about this festival, but what I am most proud of is the wide variety of free events available for visitors of all ages.
“We continue to grow this event each year, to bring more people into Bolton, to support the ongoing regeneration of the town centre, and to showcase the very best of our borough to a huge audience.
“For many festivalgoers, this weekend will have been their first taste of Bolton and I would urge them to pay us another visit soon to see everything else we have to offer.”
This year, the festival’s official tourism partner was visitbolton.com, which details the attractions, businesses and stunning scenery that visitors can enjoy all year round.