Bolton Food and Drink Festival has earned a prestigious national award, establishing it among the top food events in the UK. Launched in 2005, the festival now draws around 500,000 visitors annually—surpassing Glastonbury’s attendance—to Bolton borough each late August Bank Holiday weekend.
20th Edition Highlights
Last year’s four-day 20th anniversary event featured over 180 food stalls and independent vendors. Celebrity chefs including Marco Pierre White, Michael Caines, Kwoklyn Wan, and James Martin made appearances. Martin, marking his 15th year, called it one of his favorite annual events. Ahead of the festival, he stated: “I have been involved in this a long, long time and I’ve seen it morph and grow from what it was to what it is and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”
NABMA Great British Market Awards 2026 Win
The festival secured the Best Large Speciality Market award at the NABMA Great British Market Awards 2026, held in Birmingham on February 5. NABMA Chief Executive David Catterall commended it for setting a national benchmark for scale, quality and social value and recognized it as one of the leading food and drink festivals in the UK and internationally.
Festival organizers shared their excitement on social media: “We are delighted to announce that Bolton Food and Drink Festival (boltonfoodfest) has been named ‘Best Large Speciality Market’ at the NABMA Great British Market Awards 2026. We just want to say a massive thank you to all the traders and visitors that make our festival so special every single year and we can’t wait to do it all over again this August!”
Cllr Nadeem Ayub, Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “We are thrilled to receive this national recognition for Bolton Food and Drink Festival. The event continues to grow each year and is very much a highlight of the year for traders and visitors alike. The success is down to the markets and events team, sponsors, traders and of course visitors who make this event so special. Bolton is proud of its reputation as a vibrant and welcoming host for nationally acclaimed events and we look forward to coming back bigger and better than ever this August.”
Other Award Winners
Additional recipients included Barnsley Market for Best Large Indoor Market, Leek Butter and Trestle Market for Best Small Indoor Market, and Bradford Darley Street Market for Best Food Market.
Upcoming Event
The next Bolton Food and Drink Festival runs from August 28 to 31.
