It’s time to kick off the winter blues and jump right into Spring. If you’re anything like us you’ll love a good food festival and can’t wait for the summer to arrive so we can get out there and enjoy the very best food and drink Wales has to offer. The first of our big foodie delights is FOREST FEASTIVAL at Merthyr Mawr. It’s on this month and boy are they serving up some treats for us this year.
Not only the food but you can enjoy a secluded woodland, leaving our everyday lives at the door and really get away from it all and go back to nature. All you need is you family and friends and on certain days you can even take the dog along for an afternoon out.
They’re pitching up throughout Spring in a beautiful woodland near the sea to create an alfresco dining experience like no other. Enjoy the flora and fauna of the Glamorgan heritage coastline, the changing of the seasons and walk the “Big Dipper”- Wales’ biggest sand dune all the while working up a good appetite to come and feast with us around the fire and under canvas.
As usual, the team have gathered together a line up of culinary talent who are passionate about produce and perfecting what they do, expect the best of the best.
Set on the South Wales coast, Merthyr Mawr Warren National Nature Reserve is a magical place and home to the highest dune in Wales, known as the “Big Dipper”.
The dune system here is like no other in Wales, partly due to the huge area it covers – it extends to 840 acres (the size of 340 international rugby pitches!).
Merthyr Mawr is a haven for wildlife – sand has settled on top of the ancient limestone cliffs creating a special habitat for insects, fungi and plants.
There are also grasslands, saltmarsh, beach and woods within the reserve.
Flints from the Stone Age, burial mounds and pottery from the Bronze Age, hearths from the Iron Age, and Roman tiles have all been discovered here.
Seriously, what better setting for a forest food festival featuring the best street food trucks and chefs from Wales and beyond spanning over four weekends, pitched under canvas amongst the woodlands of the Merthyr Mawr Estate.
Experience the wonderful world of Street Food Circus and travel the globe through food made using local ingredients and cooked with passion by our nomadic caravan of traders.
Established in 2014 Street Food Circus is an ever growing collective, a rag-tag bunch of nomadic cooks, misfits, mixologists, rebels and revolutionaries who create immersive dining experiences and events like no other.
Headed up by Ringmaster and impresario Matt The Hat the SFC troop of traders serve up the whole world on a plate. They’re ready to pitch up in towns, villages and cities across the country at the drop of a hat. They produce award winning events with creative flair and have all the right ingredients to help new traders realise their dreams.
Matt said……
“I’ve always been passionate about eating good food, who isn’t ?
The first pit stop while travelling is finding a late-night street market – the excitement, people, sights and sounds, smells and atmosphere. It always feels like that is where real life lives.
The joy of discovering a whole new world of flavour through tasty local delights, totally authentic and absolutely delicious. Cooks perfecting that one dish, some passed down through generations.
We launched our food warehouse dining concept creating the first event at The Depot in October 2014 to great acclaim. The event felt revolutionary for the City our little punk DIY food collective rocking up in a large scale warehouse, filling them with diners instead of ravers. We were sticking two fingers up to conventional dining: there is a 100% a place for white table cloths but that wasn’t us.”
We reckon you’ll have plenty of room to sample lots of the vendors as the organisers have encourage our traders to have a taster dish on their menu.
Some of the returning delights include…….
- FIRE & FLANK – Argentinian Steak & Frites – British St Food Award Winner
- BAO SELECTA – Japanese and Asian Steamed Buns
- MR NOODLE – Michelin trained chefs who cook ramen for fun
- KERALAN KARAVAN – South Indian flavour bombs
- BARE BONES PIZZA – Wood fired Pizza
- SMOKIN’ GRIDDLE – King of the burgers, back by popular demand
MEXICAN CABANA & TERRACE
- CHURCH OF CHURROS – Buckets of Churros to Share
- SIN NOMBRE TACOS – Fresh ingredients, fresh flavours
- EL CABRON TACOS – Mexican Street Kitchen Vibes
DESSERT ISLAND DISCO
- HARLEQUIN COCKTAIL BAR – Premium Cocktails from the SFC Mixologists
- COALTOWN COFFEE – Barrista for your coffee finale
- PWDIN – Sweets, Puddings and Ice Cream
At Forest Feastival expect more than food, surprise circus performance, guest DJs and band sessions. marshmallow fire pits and loads of space to hang out.
Grab your friends, family and extended tribes and make a day or night of it. You can even bring the dog to the Sat/Sun Sessions 11am-3pm. It’s adults only on Friday’s for fun Friday night vibes.
FOREST FEASTIVAL is at Candleston Woods in Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend (CF32 0LS). The Street Food Circus is around 30 minutes from Cardiff or Swansea by car and we reckon the best way is to carshare or take a taxi. They do operate an event carpark, places are limited so please only use the carpark during your session
APRIL
- Friday 19th – Sunday 21st
- Friday 26th – Sunday 28th
MAY
- Friday 3rd – Monday 6th
- Friday 10th – Sunday 12th
- Friday 17th – Sunday 19th
TIMES
- Friday 18:00 – 22:00
- Saturday 11:00 – 22:00
- Sunday 11:00 – 20:00
* These are the event opening times and not session times.
To find out more and book tickets, go HERE.
