Colchester Food and Drink Festival โ€“ 26th & 27th June 2027

When: Saturday 26th โ€“ Sunday 27th June 2027 11am-6pm both days

Where: Lower Castle Park, St Peters Street entrance (Ryegate) Colchester, CO1 1HL.

FREE parking: ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐˜€ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐˜„, ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ, ๐—–๐—ข๐Ÿญ ๐Ÿญ๐—ซ๐—ก

Walk along Pavilion View and cross at the

Lower Castle Park footbridge

๐Ÿฑ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ธ from the festival.

The route will be sign posted and staff on hand to help with directions.

๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด is available at the leisure center.

Tickets: Adults ยฃ10 advance ยท ยฃ12 on the gate, under 16s FREE

Street food, bars, live music, family fun and dogs welcome

๐Ÿด Colchester Food & Drink Festival 2027

๐Ÿ“… Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th June 2027

โฐ 11:00am โ€“ 6:00pm Both Days

๐Ÿ“ Lower Castle Park
St Peterโ€™s Street Entrance (Ryegate)
Colchester, Essex, CO1 1HL


Welcome to the Colchester Food & Drink Festival

Join us for a fantastic weekend of food, drink, music and family entertainment in the beautiful surroundings of Lower Castle Park.

Now in its 28th year, the Colchester Food & Drink Festival is one of Essexโ€™s best-loved summer events, bringing together incredible food, refreshing drinks, live music, family entertainment and a wonderful festival atmosphere.

Explore a huge selection of international street food, artisan producers, craft drinks, shopping stalls, live entertainment and childrenโ€™s attractions throughout the weekend.

Whether youโ€™re looking for a family day out, a chance to meet friends, discover new flavours or simply relax in one of Colchesterโ€™s most beautiful parks, thereโ€™s something for everyone.


๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Festival Admission

Adults: ยฃ10 advance ยท ยฃ12 on the gate

Under 16s: FREE

All under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult aged 18 or over.


Festival Highlights

๐ŸŒ International Street Food

๐Ÿ” Gourmet Food Traders

๐Ÿบ Craft Beer, Cider, Wine, Spirits & Cocktails

๐ŸŽถ Live Music Throughout The Weekend

๐ŸŽˆ Childrenโ€™s Entertainment & Inflatables

๐Ÿ›๏ธ Artisan Food & Drink Producers

๐Ÿฐ Cakes, Desserts & Sweet Treats

โ˜• Coffee & Speciality Drinks

๐ŸŒถ๏ธ Chilli & Hot Sauce Specialists

๐Ÿถ Dog Friendly Event โ€“ Well-behaved dogs (and owners!) welcome

๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ Free Parking


๐ŸŒถ๏ธ Chilli Eating Competition

Think youโ€™re tough enough?

Sponsored by Chilli Addicts, our legendary Chilli Eating Competition returns for another year of fiery fun.

Competition Times

๐Ÿ•‘ Saturday โ€“ 2:00pm

๐Ÿ•’ Sunday โ€“ 3:00pm

Take On The Challenge

๐Ÿ”ฅ Progress through increasingly hot chillies

๐Ÿ”ฅ Win prizes and festival bragging rights

๐Ÿ”ฅ Be crowned Colchester Food & Drink Festival Chilli Champion

๐Ÿ”ฅ Free to enter with festival admission

Competitors may register in advance or enter on the day (subject to availability).

Enter if you dare!


๐Ÿถ Dogs Welcome

Well-behaved dogs are very welcome at the festival.

We simply ask that all dogs are kept under control and accompanied by equally well-trained owners! ๐Ÿ˜„

Please keep dogs on a lead and clean up after them so everyone can enjoy the event.


๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ Free Parking

Free visitor parking is available at:

Kings Meadow
End of Catchpool Road
Colchester
CO1 1XN

From the car park, visitors can walk along Pavilion View and cross via the Lower Castle Park footbridge.

๐Ÿšถ Approximately 5 minutesโ€™ walk from the festival entrance.

The route will be clearly signposted and staff will be available to assist with directions.


โ™ฟ Disabled Parking

Disabled parking is available at the Leisure World Sports Centre.


๐Ÿบ Alcohol Policy

To help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors, alcohol purchased outside the festival may not be brought onto the event site.

Bag searches may be conducted upon entry and any alcohol found will be confiscated.

By purchasing a ticket and attending the festival, visitors agree to comply with this policy.

Failure to comply may result in refusal of entry or removal from the event.


๐Ÿ“œ Ticket Sales Policy

All ticket sales are final.

Refunds or exchanges will only be offered if the event is cancelled or rescheduled.

Under 16s receive free admission but must be accompanied by at least one paying adult aged 18 or over whilst attending the festival.

This does not affect your statutory rights under UK consumer law.


We look forward to welcoming you to Lower Castle Park for another fantastic weekend of food, drink, entertainment and summer atmosphere at the Colchester Food & Drink Festival 2027.

Beer supplied by

Ticket Sales Policy
All ticket sales are final. We do not offer refunds or exchanges unless the event is cancelled or rescheduled. This does not affect your statutory rights under UK consumer law.

Additional information

Day:

Saturday 27th June 2026, Sunday 28th June 2026, Both Days

Ticket Type

Adult (over 16s), Under 16 FREE TICKET, DISABLED ( ADULT) and Carer, DISABLED ( UNDER 16 ) and Carer, VIP Marquee: Per Seat, VIP Marquee: Table of Six, VIP Marquee: Table of Eight, VIP Marquee: Per Seat, VIP Marquee: Table of Six, VIP Marquee: Table of Eight

Alcohol & Bag Search Policy

Alcohol & Bag Search Policy

To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests, we do not permit attendees to bring their own alcohol into our events.
Bag searches will be conducted at the entrance, and any alcohol found will be confiscated.

By purchasing a ticket and attending the event, guests agree to comply with this policy. Failure to do so may result in refusal of entry or removal from the event.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Event Details

Start date: 27 June 2026

End date: 28 June 2026

Start time: 11:00

End time: 18:00

Venue: Lower Castle Park, St Peters Street entrance (Ryegate) Colchester, C01 1HL.