Huddersfield Hub is the media partner for this year’s Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival. In the first of a series of features in the run-up to the festival in Greenhead Park from Thursday, August 3 to Sunday, August 6, ANDY HIRST gives an overview of what to expect and reveals some exciting new attractions.

Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival has some great new attractions this year.

The 2023 festival will run over four days and will be held in Greenhead Park from Thursday, August 3 to Sunday, August 6.

It’s moved from its usual base in St George’s Square due to massive renovation work being done on the George Hotel and around the square but the park also means the festival will have far more space … and they’re certainly going to use it with several zones spread around the park.

The festival is organised by Huddersfield Live, a not-for-profit company that organises, develops and supports events throughout the Huddersfield area.

Organisers have grabbed the opportunity to expand this year’s festival beyond food and drink by introducing two new zones called Community Corner and Welcoming Wellbeing.

This will give community groups and wellbeing businesses the chance to showcase what they do to the tens of thousands of visitors expected to attend the festival.

Spaces are limited in both zones so it’s best to book now to be sure of securing a spot with prices starting from £50 plus VAT.

Community Corner will capture Huddersfield’s brilliant community spirit and organisers are  keen to involve as many organisations as possible from charities, community and youth groups such as scouts to environmentally friendly projects that care for the town’s rivers and green spaces.

Already booked in are the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, Holme Valley Mountain Rescue, Shared Goods charity, Asian radio station Sangam, TSL Kirklees, RSPCA and Environmental Projects in Kirklees (EPIKS).

Organiser Sam Watt said: “This is your opportunity to be part of the festival, engage with visitors, maybe gain new members, promote your group and perhaps raise a few pounds for your cause too.”

The Welcoming Wellbeing zone is a relaxing area nestled in the trees that welcomes anything and everything which helps with people’s sense of wellbeing. Groups that have already booked include creative arts organisation Hoot, mental health group S2R, the Samaritans and Guts UK, a charity set up to fight all kinds of digestive diseases. This is an ideal spot for groups that promote health and wellbeing such as yoga, relaxation techniques and men’s mental health.

To apply for either Community Corner or Welcoming Wellbeing click here https://bit.ly/3NxDihy.

There will also be a Chill Zone at the bandstand by the lake where festivalgoers can relax and enjoy some local entertainment from storytelling to acoustic music, dance lessons and choirs. Anyone wanting to perform here should contact the organisers by emailing info@huddersfieldlive.co.uk or use this form https://bit.ly/3NxDihy and scroll down to the Bandstand Stage section.

The festival will feature food and drink businesses that have been at the festival before and there will be some new ones this year which will be revealed in the coming weeks.

There are only a few places left for main traders – all the alcohol-related ones have been booked up – so to book go to https://bit.ly/3xwhdXZ

Details of the entertainment scheduled for the main stage and a VIP area will be announced later.

An Artisan Zone will showcase small, local artisan businesses from sweets and preserves to dog treats and clothing – all part of Huddersfield Live’s passion to support small local businesses and raise their profile. To book a spot use this application form https://bit.ly/41zjorA

The festival’s opening hours are Thursday, August 3, 11am-8.30pm; Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5, 10am to 8.30pm; Sunday, August 6, 10am-6pm.

Sam said: “This year’s festival is closing a little earlier because we want to encourage people to move back into Huddersfield town centre to visit the restaurants, pubs, clubs and other entertainment there.”

Photos by Dave Calverley from PhotoLens. 

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Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.