Keep the Food & Drink Festival alive and Well

The first Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival took place at Snape Maltings in 2006 to celebrate and publicise the abundance, variety and quality of food and drink in Suffolk. The team organising the not-for-profit event also sought to reconnect people with local food, the people who made it and the countryside from where it came. The Festival has grown in size, success and importance but its philosophy remains the same.

Our Aim...

• Support Suffolk's local food and drink producers
• Support the region’s economy and reduce food miles by encouraging sales of local produce
• Work with all local communities, inspiring everyone to cook
• Publicise Suffolk as a food and drink destination throughout the year
• Promote the Suffolk seaside and countryside, wildlife reserves, market towns and villages
• Encourage and support new and fledgling food and drink businesses
• Host conference discussions to explore broader food and nutrition issues
• Celebrate and promote the variety, quality and abundance of food and drink in Suffolk
• Emphasise the connection between local food producers and the countryside

Your pledge will:

• Help us put on a food and drink event this year
• Help cover non-refundable costs already incurred
• Help maintain the Festivals position as one of the leading food and drink events in the country
• Provide our small food and drink businesses with the opportunity for continued involvement in the Festival 
• Enable the Festival to develop and evolve further
  
  
  

2020 Event...

This year won’t be quite the same as usual but we are delighted to announce that, after much debate and consultation and subject to no new advice or regulation that prevents us,  we will be putting on a free event at Snape Maltings over the weekend 26/27 Sept.

At least 45 producers have committed to coming to what we see as a special retail opportunity. We will do our very best to retain some of the normal Festival spirit by providing some musical entertainment and a selection of street food. Importantly, we will still be able to enjoy the wonderful location of Snape Maltings and its facilities. Following the weekend, there will, as usual, be several independently hosted fringe events taking place across Suffolk.

Our food and drink producers, retailers and chefs have all been working hard to keep their businesses alive and well over the last 6 months. The main purpose of the Festival has always been to support them by providing a show case for all our wonderful Suffolk produce and to offer a great day out with an opportunity to buy delicious local food. So many events have had to be cancelled due to the pandemic but we are confident that, given the outdoor space available and clear guidance, we can deliver a safe and enjoyable day out. 

In order to make this work we, as a Community Interest Company have to call on those who have enjoyed the festival over the years and ask for your support to help make it happen. 

Our Future...

Our aim is to continue to focus on supporting the amazing food and drink producers in Suffolk and keep us on the map as one of "The best Food and Drink Festivals in Europe" (Independent 2019)

Now more than ever we need your help to ensure the future of the Festival. As a not for profit community interest company we organise an event with the sole purpose of promoting Suffolk as a food and drink destination with the added benefit that our last survey (2018) reported a £2.45m impact to the local economy. 

Up until this year, the Festival has been reliant on support from local corporate sponsors as well as an entrance charge from the 10,000 visitors. This funding has enabled the Festival to be accessible to the diverse range of food and drink businesses in the area. This year all businesses have had to tighten their budgets and for the 2000 visitors we hope will attend the market weekend, there will be no entrance charge. We therefore need to extend our reach and ask all who admire, appreciate and support the event to help secure its future.