Manchester Food and Drink Festival reveals huge lineup for 25th anniversary

The 25th edition of Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) kicks off on Thu 22 Sep, and the festival have now unveiled a stacked lineup to mark the big milestone.

Cathedral Gardens which will be the centre of the action and home to The Festival Hub – a free-to-enter, pop-up food and drink village. Visitors can swing by the Manchester beer bar, chow down on an incredible host of street food, peruse an artisan food market, all to the soundtrack of live music.

The Manchester Beer Bar, sponsored by local brewers Joseph Holt, will be serving a special 25th anniversary beer, alongside a handpicked selection of beers from 25 of the city’s best breweries.

The Festival Masterclass Kitchen will be playing host to some of Manchester’s best talent as well as chefs and foodies from further afield, who will be coming together to share their tips, ideas and knowledge on various panels. The lineup includes renowned food journalist and author Felicity Cloake, who will chair a number of panels on the day with guests including Kate Humble, Lia Leendertz and Edd Kimber.

The Hub will also be bringing together a host of incredible and eclectic street food fit for an anniversary Festival including Bab K, Herbivorous and Hip Hop Chip Shop.

Other highlights include the return of the smash-hit Curry Club happening at the Hub. Dishoom, The Little Sri Lankan, Aunty Jis, Nila’s Burmese Kitchen and Lily’s are just a few of the traders that will bring cuisines of India, Burma and Sri Lanka to the table.

The Festival Firepit will see some of the region’s best-loved chefs cooking over fire for a first-time festival feast on Cathedral Gardens. Chefs hosting the BBQ include Caroline Martins, founder of the Sao Paolo project,  Robert Owen Brown and Francisco Martinez from Fazenda.

There’ll also be a big focus on budget cooking and how to spruce up any leftover food to get the most of your ingredients with Recycle for Greater Manchester.

Spread out over two massive weekends, the free-to-enter Festival Hub is open from Thu 22 Sep – Sun 25 Sep, and then again from Thu 29 Sep – Sun 2 Oct.

Outside of the Hub the feast continues with activities programmed in restaurants and bars across the city including the £25 for 25 years menu extravaganza, with District, Embankment Kitchen, Mi&Pho, 20 Stories and Harvey Nichols all creating a one-off £25 offering.

On Fri 16 Sep and Sat 17 Sep, New Century plays host to Wine Fest, showcasing some of the finest grape specialists Manchester has to offer, while Eat Well MCR will host a fundraising banquet over at Hello Oriental on Tue 20 Sep.

Head over to the MFDC website for more details on what to expect.