Festival Programme

27th to 31st March 2024

All day activities

27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Chocolate Festival Taste Trail

27 - 31 Mar 2024 Information Point, Parliament Street

A walking trail around the city of York and an opportunity to try samples from some of the best York’s food scene by visiting a range of deli’s, restaurants and suppliers.

A self-guided walking trail around the city of York and an opportunity to try samples from some of the best of York’s food scene.

The trail features 10+ sample stops and you will receive a map and guide of the various participating businesses, along with a schedule of when each business is open and offering samples.

You can find an example of a previous year’s trail HERE

The samples provided on the taste trail vary widely depending on the participating businesses, but may include small bites of chocolate, cakes, confectionary, and drinks.

Overall, the Taste Trail is a fun and engaging way for visitors to sample a variety of local food and drink offerings and experience the unique flavours and culture of York.

Tickets are limited to 100 per day.
You can either pre-book online or purchase your booklet at the information point (while stocks last)
Collection of the trail booklet is from the Information Point any day of the festival between 10am to 4pm, located next to Festival Activity Marquee (between Barclays and Halifax)

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.

More information
£7.50
Book Tickets
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Family Easter Egg Hunt

27 - 31 Mar 2024 Activity Area, Parliament Street

The Egg hunt is a fun and interactive activity designed for families with children. A self-guided walking tour while answering clues and picking up some mini eggs. Finish by decorating your own chocolate bar egg with York Cocoa Works.

Participants receive a map/guide leaflet that includes questions about participating businesses in the area, providing a unique and engaging way for families to explore the local food scene, while also having fun and learning new things along the way.

Along the tour there will be chances to pick up some mini eggs, and then ends with decorating an Easter Egg Chocolate Bar with York Cocoa Works.

You can either pre-book online or purchase your booklet at the information point (while stocks last)

Collection of the hunt guide is from the Information Point any day of the festival from 10am, located next to the Activity Marquee (between Halifax & Barclays), Parliament Street
Last entry for the Easter Egg decorating in the Activity Marquee will be 4pm

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.

More information
For 1 place to decorate an egg£5
Book Tickets
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Chocolate Building Site

27 - 31 Mar 2024

Chocolate House construction by Ashley McCarthy

Throughout the festival, Ashley McCarthy who is known for being on Channel 4’s Extreme Chocolate Makers, will be working on a Chocolate House to add to his Chocolate Festival Sculpture Gallery.

Swing by and see the construction of the house change over the festival, and if you’re lucky see Ashley working on it in real time!

Location – Activity Marquee, Parliament Street (between Halifax and Barclays)
Open: 10am to 5pm

More information
Free
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Giant Easter Bunny Painting

27 - 31 Mar 2024 St Crux, Pavement

Community communal painting of a 5ft bunny!

All levels of artistic talent (or lack of) welcome! Donate to our chosen charity and you can contribute to the patchwork of art being painted during the festival on a giant bunny.

All donations will go to The Trussell Trust

The Trussell Trust support a nationwide network of food banks and together provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

More information
Payment on door of£1for minimum Charitable Donation
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

York Cocoa Works Events

27 - 31 Mar 2024 York Cocoa Works, 10 Castlegate, YO1 9RG

Daily chocolate experiences, masterclasses, and workshops

Easter Egg & Spring Bunny Chocolate Bar Making Workshop
Easter Egg Masterclass
Chocolate Lollipop Making
Chocolate Manufactory Tasting Journey
Chocolate Indulgence Tastings
Introduction to Chocolate Making Masterclass

All available throughout the Chocolate Festival at York Cocoa Works. See their events calendar for details

More information
VariousSee YCW website for details
Book Tickets
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Easter Early-Bird Guided Tour at York Chocolate Story

27 - 31 Mar 2024 York Chocolate Story, King's Square 09:30 until 09:30

An offer for the early risers. 9.30 and 9.45 start times. Join a fascinating guided tour about the history of chocolate!

Get 20% off early bird guided tours at York chocolate Story during the Eater holiday at 9:30am and 9:45am (23rd Match – 7th April).

VariousSEE CHOC STORY WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
Book Tickets
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Chocolate Food Factory

27 - 31 Mar 2024 St Crux, Pavement

Get hands on with food at our free Food Factory activities.

The Food Factory takes you on a hands-on tour exploring the production of some chocolate treats! It’s a great opportunity to get your hands dirty making some of these foods yourselves and at each station you’ll get something to try or takeaway!

The activity is available on a first come first serve basis and will include the making of Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Fudge, and Chocolate Pasta.

Price: FREE. If you can, we kindly ask for donations to cover food costs.
Please consider making a donation to support the festival and keep it running.
For groups of 10 and more, please email admin@yorkfoodfestival.com

Location: St Crux,
Open: 10am to 4pm

More information
Free
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Fantastic Faces

27 - 31 Mar 2024 Parliament Street

Easter and Sweet Treat themed Facepainting with Fantastic Faces.

Location: Next to the activity area on Parliament Street (between Halifax and Barclays)
Open: 10am to 5pm

See pricing at traders standVarious
27 Mar - 31 Mar 2024

Easter Egg Chocolate Bar Making

27 - 31 Mar 2024 Activity Marquee, Parliament Street

Mould and decorate your own Easter Egg Chocolate Bar this York Chocolate Festival with the team from York Cocoa Works.

Discover how to mould your own Easter Egg Chocolate Bar before decorating with a range of decorations to craft your very own Easter treat.

Participants will work with their own chocolate, mould and a range of sweets and decorations to craft their own 30g Easter Egg Chocolate Bar.

Location: Activity Area, Parliament Street (between Halifax and Barclays)
Open: 10am to 4pm

 

More information
27 Mar - 30 Mar 2024

Georgian Cooking at York Mansion House

27 - 30 Mar 2024 Mansion House, St Helen’s Square, York, YO1 9QL 11:30 until 12:30

Discover an authentic Georgian cooking demonstration of ‘Chocolate Cream’ at York Mansion House and learn the fascinating links we have to York’s history with the sweet treat!

Included in the price of general admission to the York Mansion, a demonstration will run each day of the festival at 11.30am and you can take a recipe card away with you to try at home!

Tickets to be purchased at admission desk upon arrival
Discount admission prices are available and can be found HERE

More information
General admission to Mansion HouseVariousSee website for pricing
29 Mar 2024

Cocoa & Drams II : Whisky / Chocolate Eggstravaganza

York Medical Society, 23 Stonegate, York, YO1 8AW 19:30 until 21:30

York Whisky Club has paired up with York Cocoa House to offer 6x drams paired with delicious chocolate.

We’ll explore chocolate and chocolate making with cocoa from around the world finding its natural whisky partner (with a little help from us).

As well as 6x whiskies with paired chocolates, attendees get:

– A delicious handcrafted chocolate bar
– A chance to win a hand crafted chocolate egg
– A chance to win a giftpack with three whiskies including one that is featured in the tasting

And if that’s not enough, one of the whiskies is so beloved by hoarder collectors that we had to be given permission to buy it!

It’s going to be a great dram-filled whisky and chocolate Eggstravaganza!

More information
£49.65
Book Tickets
30 Mar 2024

An Audience with Grace Dent

York Grand Opera House 19:00 until 21:30

Finale event of the 2024 York Literature Festival. Food critic, columnist, author, and presenter, Grace Dent in conversation about all things food, her memoir Hungry and her other work.

As a columnist, Grace has written weekly columns for The Independent and The London Evening Standard until she took on the revered role of restaurant critic for The Guardian, for which she won the Guild of Food Writers’ Food Writing Award 2019.

In October 2020, HarperCollins published Grace’s memoir Hungry, a book for people who love to eat and love to laugh. On screen Grace is perhaps best known as a regular guest and critic on MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals. She also hosts the hugely successful podcast entitled Comfort
Eating, which inspired the recent book of the same name.

Tickets can be bought through the event venue, York Grand Opera House

More information
From£22
Book Tickets

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