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 right now 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.  

Forest Feastival Returns

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. We’re ready to pitch up in towns, villages and cities across the country at the drop of a hat. We produce award winning events with creative flair and have all the right ingredients to help new traders realise their dreams. Want to run away with us?

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.”

Street Food Circus Team

We reckon you’ll have plenty of room to sample lots of the vendors as the organisers have encourage our traders to have a £5 taster dish on their menu.

THE SPRING LINE UP…….

  • 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
  • NOMAD KITCHEN Pan Asian fusion
  • KERALAN KARAVAN South Indian flavour bombs
  • KINDLEThe fried chicken wing chronicles
  • POT HEADSBaked, Stacked and loaded fire roasted potatoes  
  • BARE BONES PIZZA – Wood fired Pizza 
  • SMOKIN’ GRIDDLE King of the burgers, back by popular demand
  • YCHAFI STREET FOOD – Next level Fried Chicken from two Welsh brothers
  • ROGUE WELSH CAKES – The Welsh Willy Wonka of Welsh Cakes
  • JACKSON’S – Pop-Up Oyster Joint from Lee Skeet and Family
  • BOBO BAR – Tiny Rebel Craft Beers

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
  • LOCO TEQUILAS –  New wave flavoured tequilas to shot
  • ROCK & SCALLOPSustainable fish from the Coast of Wales

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 7th – Monday 10th (Good Friday, Bank Holiday)
  • Friday 14th – Sunday 16th 
  • Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd 
  • Friday 28th – Monday 1st May (Bank Holiday Monday)

MAY

  • Friday 5th – Monday 8th (Bank Holiday)
  • Friday 12th – Sunday 14th 

TIMES

  • Good Friday – 11am – 3pm; 3pm – 7pm; 7pm – 10:30pm
  • Fridays – 6pm – 10:30pm (Adult Only Session)
  • Saturdays – 11am – 3pm (Dogs Allowed); 3pm – 7pm; 7pm – 10:30pm
  • Sundays – 11pm – 4pm (Dogs Allowed), 4pm – 8:30pm
  • Sundays (Bank Holiday Weekends) 11am – 3pm (Dogs Allowed); 3pm – 7pm; 7pm – 10:30pm
  • Bank Holiday Mondays – 11pm – 4pm, 4pm – 8:30pm

To find out more and book tickets, go HERE.