A Wiltshire town will host its first major food and drink festival with a wide range of traders expected to flood the High Street.
eat:Malmesbury will take place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, October 19, and will see more than 60 stalls fill the town centre throughout the day.
The event will take place across the town, with stalls set to appear in the High Street, Market Cross, in front of the Abbey, Birdcage Walk, and the Old School Room in the town hall.
This will be organised by eat:Festivals, an award-winning, not-for-profit social enterprise based in the West Country that aims to connect communities with producers.
Following several successful events in the south west, the group will now host its first Wiltshire festival.
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Spokesperson Bev Milner Simonds said: “It has been a real pleasure getting to know Malmesbury better over the past few months.
“There are so many great producers in Wiltshire it is great to be able to showcase many at this new festival.
“On the day, visitors can expect to find farmers’ markets favourites like bread, ales and cheese alongside charcuterie, cakes and street food.”
Traders taking part will be from across the region, but there will also be multiple local traders present.
Malmesbury Town Council says it is looking forward to the event, which it believes will be an opportunity to showcase what the area has to offer.
“The team at eat:Festivals felt Malmesbury would be a good first venue for them in Wiltshire, after many successful events across the West Country,” said Malmesbury Mayor Cllr Phil Exton.
He added: “We are looking forward to welcoming them and pleased that local providers will be included, as well as many other West Country food and drink producers.
“It’s a great opportunity for local residents and visitors to taste different produce and discover what Malmesbury has available with great hotels, pubs, restaurants, cafes and takeaways, as well as enjoy all the festival has to offer.”
The theme of the event is ‘Taste Cook Grow’, and visitors will be encouraged to try something new, cook, and extend their palate.
There will also be free entertainment across the festival.
The town’s usual retailers will remain open, and it is hoped visitors will explore the whole town centre, as well as the festival.
During the event, the upper High Street will be closed to traffic.
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