York Food Festival program 2025

York Food & Drink Festival is returning in Autumn 2025, running from the 19th to the 28th of September, to put on ten days of food & drink with a community focus and lots of tasty events to get stuck into. Tickets will be available soon for all events, and the highlights will include:

Around 70 Streetfood and Produce stands will take over Parliament Street with a broad range of treats to enjoy.

Our Entertainment Marquee on Parliament Street will have a diverse range of drinks to enjoy, as well as hosting Live for St Leonard’s Hospice to give a great soundtrack to the event.

St Sampson’s Square will feature more live music as well as opportunities to eat and drink.

St Crux Hall at the bottom of The Shambles will be another festival destination as it has in previous years. You’ll find demonstrations, events, tastings, and sampling here.

Demonstrators this year will include Minal from the renowned Prashad near Bradford, Neil Bentinck from the much-awarded Skosh. Great British Menu participant Ahmed Abdalla, who is head chef for Legacy at The Grand, will be joined by his Executive-Chef colleague Kevin Bonella, and Head Pastry Chef Devin Jones will make an appearance later in the event.

We’ll have two Taste Trails to get tickets for this year that will each feature around 20 destinations to pick up samples around the centre of York. These remain priced at £10.

Weekends will feature the opportunity to get hands-on in St Crux and Museum Gardens with our Food Factory, which also provides around a thousand places for Key Stage 2 school children as well as Girlguiding and Scout groups.

Events to snap up tickets for will include a refugee pop-up restaurant night from Yahala Mataam, who will also be hosting a one-day cookery school, as well as Tang who are making their debut at the festival. With a strong connection to Food Circle, this is bound to be a sell-out. Returning too is also our annual Pork Pie competition hosted in the stunning Bedern Hall. Curry & Comedy will be served in the National Centre for Early Music and keep an eye out for events with a historic twist from Jorvik Viking Centre

Tickets for our “Meet the Makers” drinks fair on Saturday, 27th September, will be one to pick up tickets for with a range of Yorkshire drinks producers all present, complete with sampling, chat, and the opportunity to make purchases.

We’re proud to showcase a range of Yorkshire products on our Yorkshire Stand on Parliament Street. Call by to pick up some delicious treats and keep an eye out for sampling sessions with producers.

We’re passionate about making sure people know Hospitality is a diverse and rewarding industry with a broad range of career paths. Pop by St Crux Hall on Friday, 26th September, from 4pm-7pm to chat to industry professionals and hear about the opportunities they’ve had.

We have plenty more to come, so keep an eye on the website for a full programme reveal in the coming weeks!

Did you know that the York Food Festival is a not-for-profit organisation?
Any money generated (from trader fees to ticket sales) goes back into the festival to improve it year after year.
Please consider making a donation to support the festival and keep it running.