Follow The Herds to the Castle Market
Saturday 1st October 2011 sees the East Midlands Food and Drink Festival returning to its Melton Mowbray roots this year, attracting thousands of visitors to the town as well as boosting footfall in the town centre.
The two-day festival - now in its eighth year - is moving from Brooksby Hall to the exhibition halls at Melton Mowbray Cattle Market.
We’ve been very pleased with the co-operation and assistance received from Brooksby Melton College however the Festival was originally founded to support local producers, the town and the local economy. Moving the event to the town will bring visitors into Melton and generate long-term tourism links.
Matthew O’Callaghan, chairman of the Melton Mowbray Food Partnership responsible for hosting the festival
The last time the Festival was held at the cattle market was in 2006 - when attendance was thought to have exceeded a record-breaking 
22,000 visitors. The Festival normally attracts about 200 stallholders offering a diverse range of produce.
In its first year alone it was the UK’s largest regional food Festival and in 2006 it won the East Midlands Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award.
Town centre manager Shelagh Core said:
"Bringing the Festival back to Melton is going to be fantastic for the town. It was still well attended at Brooksby but having it back at the cattle market is certainly going to make it more accessible for local people as well as increasing footfall and visitor flow in the town.
It’s a fantastic opportunity for businesses to promote themselves and for us to promote the town. We're hoping to run a voucher scheme involving local cafes and as many other businesses as possible to encourage people to visit the rest of the town."
www.eastmidlandsfoodfestival.co.uk
Fantastic value at £6 per person or just £5 for pre-booked tickets and children under 16 go FREE!