Spring is in the air and with that comes the prospect of a summer of food festivals - the highlight of every foodies' calender - at which a whole host of delicious street food vendors, new and seasoned, attend and showcase their delicious products. And while summer isn't quite on the horizon yet, we won't have to wait that long for our first foodie festival of the year as the dates for Forest Feastival at Merthyr Mawr have been revealed - and it's sooner than you think.
With new chef pop ups, street food favourites, new restaurant concepts and zones and a Tiny Rebel bar takeover, the Street Food Circus' bi-annual Forest Feastival (have a read of what we thought of last September's event here) is making a delicious return to Candleston Woods in Bridgend's Merthyr Mawr across six weekends in April and May starting on Friday, April 7 and ending on Sunday, May 14.
Street Food Circus founder and 'ringleader' Matt the Hat said: "We keep building the experience at this unique site. We’re back with new themed zones for food, drinks and music, lots of our award-winning regular traders and some of the best chefs around choosing Forest Feastival to launch creative new pop-ups.
Read more: New restaurant from 'hugely talented' chef behind two top Welsh eateries coming to Cardiff
"I’m excited to welcome Tiny Rebel to the Street Food Circus too - it means we can offer an all-Welsh line up of beers on the bar, alongside Welsh wines and spirits like Mydflower and Coaltown’s Coffee Liqueur."
He added: "In spring, it’s a great day out. You can spend the day walking the Glamorgan heritage coastline or explore the Merthyr Mawr dunes, then join the Circus in the woods for the best street food trucks and chefs from around Wales and beyond. Bring the kids to toast marshmallows over the fire and learn circus skills by day, or join us for chilled out DJ sessions and cocktails after dark."
Pitched up amongst the trees in the woods, British Street Food award-winners Fire & Flank and Keralan Karavan will be returning alongside Bao Selecta, Smokin’ Griddle, Nomad Kitchen, Rock & Scallop, Mr Noodle and Bare Bones Pizza.
The team behind Nook and Kindle - Phill and Debs Lewis - will be bringing street food lovers not one but two new street food concepts; Pot Heads, which will serve up baked, smoked and fried potatoes topped with all sorts of flavour combinations, as well as a new chicken wing pop-up, The Fried Chicken Chronicles - which is exclusive to the festival. It's only just opened in the city centre, but Lee Skeet's brand new seafood and dedicated oyster bar Jackson's is also making an appearance.
And it's not just new names customers can expect at this spring's Forest Feastival. Two new zones will be introduced as the woodland cabins and forest clearings are turned into The Mexican Cabana and Terrace and the Dessert Island Disco.
At The Mexican Cabana and Terrace, hungry punters can find Sin Nombre Tacos, El Cabron Tacos and Rock & Scallop seafood, drinks from Loco Tequilas and sweet treats from Church of Churros.
In the Dessert Island Disco, Street Food Circus staples Pwdin will be cooking up a sweet storm as well as Ammanford’s Coaltown coffee roasters. Adding to the deliciousness, Forest Feastival will be hosting Harlequin Cocktail Bar, which will offer premium mixed drinks and Welsh spirits - and will serve up special concoctions like the Coaltown Espresso Martini.
Speaking of tasty tipples, the festival's main bar - which last year was hosted by The Freedom Brewery craft beer bar and the BoBo cocktail bus - will be manned by Tiny Rebel, famed for its locally brewed beverages such as Clwb Tropicana, Cali Pale and Lager 313. Fans of Tiny Rebel, which will also be hosting the Tiny Rebel Fire Pit, can also pre-book their canned bevs as part of their ticket, so there's no chance of running low during your visit.
If beer isn't quite your thing, fear not as Brecon Beacons-made elderflower sparkling wine by Mydflower will also be served. Forest Feastival will be runnng from the weekend starting Friday, April 7 to Sunday, May 14 (including bank holiday Mondays running in between) and will be open from 11am until 10.30pm most evenings.
Tickets for the event, which must be bought in advance, cost £5 plus VAT and will go on sale on Monday, March 6. However, if you are subscribed to the SFC newsletter, the pre-sale tickets are available now.
The full list of vendors are as follows:
- Bare Bones Pizza
- Pwdin
- Bao Selecta
- Mr Noodle
- Rock & Scallop
- Jackson's Oyster Bar
- Rouge Welsh Cakes
- Church of Churros
- Ychafi
- Smokin' Griddle
- El Cabron Tacos
- Sin Nombre Tacos
- Nomad Kitchen
- Kindle: The Fried Chicken Chronicles
- Pot Heads
- Keralan Karavan
- Fire & Flank
For tickets, visit the website. To get the latest what's on news straight to your inbox, subscribe to our dedicated newsletter here.
READ NEXT:
- This is when Cadno Lounge is opening in Neath and what people can expect
- Three restaurants in Wales have been named in the UK’s top 100 most beloved brunches and Sunday lunches
- Pasture announces opening date for small plates restaurant and speakeasy bar
- A new ‘arts café’ offering crafts, poetry and live music is set to open in Neath's historic old Plaza venue
- The Cardiff restaurant Doctor Who Star Millie Gibson is in love with
