Festivals in Staffordshire

Staffordshire is packed with festivals celebrating everything from food and drink, to world famous and up-and-coming musicians, our proud ceramic heritage and more!

Food and Drink Festivals in Staffordshire

Our major food and drink festivals attract thousands of festival-goers every year, drawn by the chance to see celebrity chefs in action, sample the best local and national produce, and walk it off in a splendid stately home or stunning parkland.

Every year, many of our town and city centres come alive with the sights, smells and sounds of culinary excellence.

Stone Food and Drink Festival is one of the most popular foodie events in the West Midlands, enticing over 10000 people into the lovely canal town every October. Set in Westbridge Park, the programme of tastings, live demonstrations and kids’ cookery masterclasses rounds off a busy week of quizzes, themed meals and special offers in pubs and restaurants throughout the Stone town and surrounding area.

The programme at the free-to-attend Lichfield Food Festival, which takes place in August, is regularly packed with well-known TV chefs and stars from Great British Bake Off, as well as 300 market stalls to browse around the city centre.

Also free is the Stafford Autumn Festival, ‘Experience the flavours of Staffordshire' which brings the show into the heart of the town every September, with more than 40 stalls, demonstrations and cook-offs in the cookery theatre, and an al fresco bar in Market Square.

The first of the year’s food festivals is the Leek Food Festival, which takes over the town in March with makers, a bustling market, beer tent, demonstrations and more, against the beautiful backdrop of the Staffordshire Peak District.

And there are other stunning surroundings for the Tamworth Food Gusto Festival in September, which offers great local produce in the shadow of Tamworth Castle, and at Café International, in Lichfield’s picturesque Beacon Park in May.

Some of our top attractions host food festivals every year too.

The Great British Food Festival stops at the Trentham Estate on its national tour of the country’s most impressive castles and stately homes. Alongside the Cake Off open to all, with free admission for everyone who enters, there are eating challenges and celebrity appearances, as well as the chance to explore the magnificent stately home and Capability Brown parkland.

At the nearby Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford, The Cosford Food Festival (July) features top artisan producers, live music, top chefs, and even a Spitfire flypast!

As the UK’s Home of Brewing, Staffordshire can be expected to throw some excellent beer festivals, and we definitely don’t disappoint on that front!

The National Brewery Centre in Burton-upon-Trent hosts a full calendar of beer festivals, including the International Beer Festival every February, which has more than 800 beers and ciders, from over 40 countries, alongside beer talks, live music and great food.

Staffordshire’s other beer festivals include the Marston’s Beer Festival Race Day at Uttoxeter Racecourse in November, which includes seven thrilling jump races alongside a great selection of real ales and live music in the beer marquee.

Also well worth a look are the three day Tamworth Beer Festival in September, organised by the Lichfield, Sutton and Tamworth branch of CAMRA, and November’s Stoke Beer & Cider Festival in the historic China Hall at Spode.

Music festivals in Staffordshire

With so many breath-taking green spaces and outdoor attractions, Staffordshire is perfect for music festivals and other live events.

Every summer, the Forestry Commission’s ForestLive concerts, in June, attract some of the biggest names in music to Cannock Chase, in the wonderful surroundings of a natural amphitheatre. In 2020, the bill includes James Morrison and Will Young, while since they began in 2001, some of the country’s most well-known bands, like Elbow, The Kaiser Chiefs and Status Quo, have performed here.

Uttoxeter Racecourse has become one of our best live music venues in recent years, thanks to their Live Music Racedays every May and Ladies Night in June. What could be better than a thrilling day of racing, followed by a great band like Texas or The Human League, or seeing a famous name like Sara Cox or Melanie C behind the decks?

Away from racing, it’s also the home of the Acoustic Festival of Britain in June, which has featured unplugged performances from The Proclaimers, The Hollies and Fairport Convention, since moving to Uttoxeter in 2010. As well as great music, it’s packed with plenty to keep the whole family entertained including live comedy, circus workshops and street food.

From June to September, The Trentham Estate hosts their Hot Summer Saturday concerts, lining up some of the UK’s best tribute acts to combine evening singalongs and the beautiful backdrop of Capability Brown’s lake. There’s always something for everyone in the Hot Summer Saturday programme, from the pop classics of Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Take That, to rocking out with The Foo Fighters, Queen and Bon Jovi.

And at Lower Drayton Farm, Staffs Fest (May) brings together rock, blues, reggae and soul for one of the friendliest festivals in the county, featuring the best local talent.

Away from our rural music venues, our historic town centres become hives of musical activity during the warmer months too.

The long-running Leek Arts Festival (April-May), which dates back to 1977, has featured the likes of Barbara Dickson, Ralph McTell and other top folk singers, while the Blues & Americana Festival, in October, transforms more than 20 of the town’s pubs and restaurants into buzzing mini concert venues.

And in Newcastle-under-Lyme, up-and-coming artists get their first taste of performing before large crowds at the Lymelight Festival at the beginning of May, while the Jazz & Blues Festival takes over a host of hostelries at the end of the month.

Staffordshire Arts Festivals

There are scores of events across the county celebrating The Arts, with extravaganzas dedicated to literature, dance, theatre and our fine ceramic heritage.

The Festival in a Factory, in June, turns the Emma Bridgewater Factory into one of the more unusual literary festival venues, with authors of all shapes and sizes descending on Stoke-on-Trent to discuss their works and careers. The programme features writers such as Prue Leith, Sophie Kinsella and Jonathan Dimbleby, while previous years have seen Nick Hornby, Cressida Cowell and Andy McNab appearing in The Potteries.

In the south of the county, Staffordshire’s cathedral city has hosted the Lichfield Festival every July for almost 40 years. It’s one of the longest-running arts festivals in the country, and the varied line-up includes everything from world-class choreography from Strictly dancers, to stand-up from the country’s top comedians, and the Lichfield Festival Market in front of the majestic Lichfield Cathedral.

Live theatre finds a home in the county town every summer, thanks to Stafford Festival Shakespeare, which performs The Bard’s iconic works in the dramatic surroundings of Stafford Castle. Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest have all drawn sell-out crowds in the past.

Every two years, Stoke-on-Trent hosts the British Ceramics Biennial, a six week celebration of the past, present and future of the ceramics industry, with some of the brightest young designers showcasing their work in the FRESH exhibition, and 10 artists going head-to-head for the AWARD prize. There are also talks and loads of clay-based activities at venues across the city, including Spode’s China Hall. Watch this space for news on the 2019 event.

One of the most popular family festivals in the country, the Just So Festival in August bundles story-telling, children’s theatre, and plenty more mischief and mayhem in the intimate surroundings of the Rode Hall Estate.

And the team behind the Just So Festival, Wild Rumpus, also put together the exciting new Timber Festival.

In July, a host of family activities will transform The National Forest into a woodland playground, helping to define what trees and forests mean to us, and telling the story of the Forest’s mining past.

Appetite Stoke’s summer programme features unforgettable outdoor spectaculars, such as the awesome acrobatic performances of the Homecoming in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and The Big Feast in August, bringing ballet, opera, circus and comedy to the streets to Stoke-on-Trent City Centre.

Sporting Events in Staffordshire

Held at Uttoxeter Racecourse, the Midlands Grand National in March is one of the biggest days on the horse-racing calendar, drawing top steeplechasers from Britain and Ireland and thousands of punters from all over the country.

Get on your bike for July’s Stafford Cycling Festival, which features grand prix races and sportives in and around the town centre, plus live big screen coverage of the Tour de France and plenty more to get you into the spirit.

In the Staffordshire Peak District, Eroica Britannia, in June, is a quirky cycle festival renowned for the eclectic vintage bikes and costumes on show.

The Ironman 70.3 triathlon, back for the sixth time on July 18th 2021, combines a swim at Chasewater Reservoir, with cycle around Cannock Chase and villages across Staffordshire, and the run in Stafford town centre.

Take on a running challenge at one of Staffordshire’s long-distance races, such as the Stafford Half Marathon (April), the 10 mile Castle to Cathedral Run from Tamworth to Lichfield (April), and the Potters 'Arf in Stoke-on-Trent (June).

Or for something more sedate, the National Forest Walking Festival in May is a week-long chance to explore the beauty and history of The National Forest, with almost 100 walks taking in some of the county’s top attractions and captivating countryside.