Taste Cumbria Food Fests
Taste Cumbria Food Festival takes place in Cockermouth on Saturday &Sunday in late September. And Christmas Taste Fair.December 9 and 10 in 2023.

Food events, music stage and much more will be between Station Street and the Cocker bridge (with walkthrough tunnel!) Hot food, another music stage and more stalls will be over the bridge in the Market Place.
The road through the Market Place will be closed for the duration (From 5 am Saturday till 9 pm on Sunday)

All day and into the evening of Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29, with launch events on the Friday night, the town will be filled with food and music as the event organised by Allerdale Council will this year merge with the Northbound festival which features performances from some of the best local bands.

The main Taste Cumbria festival always includes a big producers’ market on Main Street with 80 stalls. The Taste Cumbria Demonstration Stage will also be based here with some fabulous food and drink experts showing off their skills.

 

In the Memorial Gardens alongside the River Derwent where live bands will entertain the visitors on the Northbound stage all day and into in the evening on the Friday and Saturday. Workington’s Tractor Shed Brewery will serve a host of local beers and ales. There will also be plenty of children’s activities and rides.

Previous Taste Events

Simon Rogan, the Cumbrian chef, was the top attraction at Taste Cumbria 2014, the county’s biggest food festival. He hosted the festival’s pop-up restaurant.

An official website with information is now online.

Organised by CN Events, the 2014 Taste Cumbria festival included a beer festival and comedy night. Then, on Saturday and Sunday , there was a packed weekend of masterclasses, demonstrations and Grub Club family activities, as well as a Produce Market with around 100 stalls offering tastings, shopping and foodie activities. Many of the independent businesses in Cockermouth also join in the event, offering special offers, samples and competitions with a food and drink theme.

The 2014 festival was funded by generous financial assistance from Allerdale Borough Council, Cockermouth Town Council, Cumbria Tourism, the Trout Hotel, Jenning’s Brewery, Caterite and The Coffee Kitchen in Cockermouth, the new Lakes Distillery and innovation and technology giant Westinghouse.

An official new website with information is now online.
(The 2013 Taste Cumbria saw some 25,000 visitors enjoying the Celeb chef shows, street markets and demonstrations)



Chefs galore after one of the Celeb shows in 2012....



In 2012 Cockermouth, overlooked by the Lake District mountains, was the Food Fest venue in 2012. The town with its Georgian streets and ancient castle attracted thousands to its cookery demonstrations and food experiences. For accommodation options ....
The Taste Cumbria events will all be free, apart from performances by Celebrity Chefs at Mitchell's furniture auction hall. Part of the festival 2012 was a French market in the Market Place with traders visiting from Cockermouth's twin town of Marvejols. Jennings Brewery also provided a CAMRA beer festival within the overall Festival. There was a £5 park and ride from Mitchells auction (by the A66 roundabout).Saturday proved a huge success as the weather stayed dry but Sunday in 2012 was somewhat of a washout .

In 2011, the Festival was headlined by TV chef duo The Hairy Bikers. More than 20,000 people were in the town on Saturday and Sunday (September 24-25 2011) for the food festival, named as one of the best in the country by The Guardian.