| Brecon Beacons Food Festival | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | October |
| Location(s) | Brecon |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founders | Not for profit organisation |
| Attendance | 10,000 |
| Website | http://www.breconbeaconsfoodfestival.co.uk/ |
The Brecon Beacons Food Festival is an annual food festival that was established in 1998. The festival is held during October in Brecon, a town which is located in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The Brecon Beacons Food Festival attracts around 70 stalls selling food and drink and is considered to be a key local event. The festival is timed to coincide with the local harvest season and aims to promote the town of Brecon, promote local food and drink producers and raise awareness of the local farming industry and the type of produce available in the Brecon Beacons and surrounding area. [1] [2] [3]
The festival focus is mainly on food and drink with live cookery demonstrations by chefs, as well as cookery presentations and culinary crafts.
There is also music and other forms of entertainment, including talks, demonstrations, educational activities, and activities for children.
Celebrity guests have included the S4C television chef Nerys Howel, the weather presenters Derek Brockway, Sue Charles, and Ruth Wignall, the Welsh television presenter and naturalist Iolo Williams and Colin Grey, Captain of the Welsh Olympic Chefs Team. [4]
The festival is a nonprofit organisation and surplus revenue is reinvested into the festival. The festival has a number of sponsors, including Castell Howell and Brecon Chamber of Trade and Commerce and has been supported by Welsh Government through the Food Festival Grant Scheme. The festival has also sought to raise funds through GoFundMe. [5] [6]
The festival is held indoors in the Market Hall in Brecon and has around 10,000 visitors. There is no entry fee.
The Brecon Beacons are a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of Old Red Sandstone peaks which lie to the south of Brecon. Sometimes referred to as 'the central Beacons' they include South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan. The range forms the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park, a designation which also encompasses ranges both to the east and the west of 'the central Beacons'. This much wider area is also commonly referred to as 'the Brecon Beacons', and it includes the Black Mountains to the east as well as the similarly named but quite distinct Black Mountain to the west. The highest peaks include Fan Brycheiniog to the west and Pen y Fan in the central part. They share the same basic geology as the central range, and so exhibit many similar features, such as the north-facing escarpment and glacial features such as lakes and cwms (cirques).
Brecon, archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Brecknockshire (Breconshire); although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of the County of Powys, it remains an important local centre. Brecon is the third-largest town in Powys, after Newtown and Ystradgynlais. It lies north of the Brecon Beacons mountain range, but is just within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Brecknockshire, also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county. Named after its county town of Brecon, the county is mountainous and primarily rural.
Crickhowell is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire.
Myddfai is a small village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is situated south of Llandovery in the Brecon Beacons, and has a population of 415, decreasing to 398 at the 2011 census.
The Green Man Festival is an independent music, science and arts festival held annually in mid-August in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Green Man has evolved into a 25,000 capacity week long event, showcasing predominantly live music. The festival site is divided into 10 areas, hosting literature, film, comedy, science, theatre, wellness and family acts. It is also possible to stay for a week at the festival site, known as the Settlement, and explore the surrounding area.
The Abergavenny Food Festival is an annual food festival which takes place in the town of Abergavenny in Wales each September.
Pembrokeshire has been called "the cottage garden of Wales", due to its good soil and the beneficial effects of the Gulf Stream, which provide a mild climate and a longer growing season than other parts of the country. The good climate and soil meant that the south of the peninsula was coveted by the Norsemen and Normans because it had "great plentie" of corn and cattle The county has prime agricultural land, much of which is located at about 70m above sea level, while to the north, the Preseli Hills rise to 500m above sea level and form uplands that are made up of heather and bracken, which are used for grazing sheep. Consequently, Pembrokeshire is classed as one of the most fertile counties in Wales, with its 392,300 agricultural acres having 14% of its land classed as of good quality, 67% being classed as medium quality and 19% being classed as poor quality. However, agricultural production is subject to market forces and in the 1890s, as a result of the Panic of 1893, a deep agricultural depression led to the area under cultivation falling by a third. Many labourers and farmers had no option but to emigrate to the New World and many of the large farming estates were sold. World War I brought prosperity again, but by the 1930s, as a result of the Great Depression, there was another agricultural depression which lasted until World War II. During the Post-war period agriculture has benefited from marketing schemes and marketing boards, which have helped in the regulation, marketing and distribution of the county's agricultural production.
Narberth Food Festival is an annual food festival held at Town Moor, Narberth, Pembrokeshire.
Cardigan River and Food Festival is an annual food festival held at Cardigan, Ceredigion.
Gŵyl Fwyd Llanbed - Lampeter Food Fest is an annual food festival held at Lampeter in Ceredigion.
Neath Food and Drink Festival is an annual food festival held in Neath, South Wales.
Aberystwyth Sea2shore Food Festival is an annual food festival held at Aberystwyth, Ceredigion over three days during October.
Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival is an annual food festival held in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
Monmouthshire Food Festival was an annual food festival held in Caldicot Castle in Monmouthshire
Newport Food Festival is an annual food festival for held at Newport, Wales.
The Anglesey Oyster and Welsh Produce Festival is an annual food festival that was established in 2006 and is held during October in Anglesey, Wales.
The Big Cheese Festival is an annual food festival held in July that was established in 2000 and is held in Caerphilly.
The Big Welsh Bite Food Festival is an annual food festival that is held in Pontypridd.
Beaumaris Food Festival is an annual food festival held over a weekend usually during September in Beaumaris.