Food Tourism and Culture
Small Grant Scheme – Food and Drink Festivals and Events Scheme 2025-26
Applications for the Small Grant Scheme - Food and Drink Festivals and Events 2025/2026 will open at 12pm on Thursday 27 March 2025 and close at 12pm on Thursday 1 May 2025.
The ambition is to bring together the areas of agriculture, food processing, tourism destinations, the food service sector, food festivals and food retail outlets to capitalise on the economic benefits of providing visitors with a unique, high quality and distinctive cultural experience. The objectives of the Small Grant Scheme – Food & Drink Festivals & Events are to:
• Improve Welsh people and Visitor Access to and awareness of Welsh Food and Drink
• Encourage Welsh hospitality businesses to source more local food and drink
• Demonstrate links with the wider community
• Collaboration and co-operation between Food and Drink and Tourism sector
• Recognition to Geographical Indication products, promote healthy eating
Only activities which clearly add value to the food and drink industry in Wales will be supported.
Further information:
Small Grant Scheme – Food & Drink Festivals & Events 2024
Details of the successful funding for Food Festivals and Events 2024/2025
Small Grant Scheme – Food & Drink Festivals & Events 2023
Details of the successful funding for Food Festivals and Events 2023/2024
Strategic Growth Grant Scheme for the year 2022/2023
Details of the successful funding for Food Festivals and Events 2022/2023
Strategic Growth Grant Scheme - 2nd Round Successful Festivals and Events 2019/2020
| Lampeter Food Festival | 27/07/2019 | £4,500.00 |
| Porthcawl Food Drink and Craft Festival | 17/08/2019 | £4,000.00 |
| Mumbles Oyster and Food Festival | 07/09 - 08/09/2019 | £3,250.00 |
| Llandovery Sheep Festival | 21/09 - 22/09/2019 | £2,000.00 |
| Llangollen Food Festival | 19/10 - 20/10/2019 | £3,299.00 |
| Abergavenny Food Festival - Christmas | 08/12/2019 | £2,550.00 |
| St David's Food Festival, Pembrey Country Park | 01/03/2020 | £3,500.00 |
Strategic Growth Grant Scheme - 1st Round Successful Festivals and Events 2019/20
| Caernarfon Food Festival | 11/05/2019 | £4,064.00 |
| Cardigan Bay Seafood Festival | 07/07/2019 | £3,000.00 |
| Denbigh and Flint Show | 15/08/2019 | £1,500.00 |
| Conwy Feast | 25/10 - 28/10/19 | £3,650.00 |
| Anglesey Food Festival | 30/5 - 01/06/19 | £3,800.00 |
| Llandudno Christmas Fayre | 14/11 - 17/11/19 | £3,500.00 |
| Abergavenny Food Festival | 20/9 - 22/09/2019 | £4,000.00 |
| Newcastle Emlyn Food Festival | 08/06/2019 | £2,785.00 |
| Light up Local Food and Drink | Nov/Dec 2019 | £3,950.00 |
| Brecon Food Festival | 05/10/2019 | £4,150.00 |
| Portmeirion Food Festival | 06/12 - 08/12/19 | £3,750.00 |
| Hay Winter Food Festival | 29/11 - 30/11/2019 | £3,523.00 |
| Neath Food and Drink Festival | 4/5/6/10/2019 | £3,900.00 |
| Taste of Carmarthenshire Food, Drink Festival | 01 - 02/06/2019 | £1,850.00 |
| Llanelli Food and Drink Festival | 19/10/2019 | £4,500.00 |
| Caerphilly Big Cheese Festival | 26 - 28 July 2019 | £5,000.00 |
| Beaumaris Food Festival | 31/08 - 01/09/2019 | £3,905.00 |
| Welcome Festival | 29/02/20 - 01/03/20 | £4,750.00 |
| Narberth Food Festival | 28 - 29/09/2019 | £4,082.00 |
| Vale of Clwyd Denbigh Plum Feast | 05/10/2019 | £4,380.00 |
| Big Welsh Bite | 03/ + 04/08/19 | £3,975.00 |
| Bridgend FEASTival 2019 | 18/05/2019 | £2,500.00 |
| St Ffagan's Food Festival | 07 - 08/09/2019 | £5,000.00 |
| Newtown Food Festival | 07 - 08/09/2019 | £4,800.00 |
| Menai Food Festival | 03/ - 04/08/19 | £3,550.00 |
| Corwen Food Festival | 22/06/2019 | £2,515.00 |
| Cardigan River and Food Festival | 17/08/2019 | £4,653.00 |
| Wrexham Food and Drink Festival | 07 - 08/09/2019 | £4,000.00 |
| Cowbridge Food Festival | 26 - 27/05/2019 | £3,500.00 |
Food Festivals 2018/2019
Details of the successful funding for Food Festivals and Events 2018/19
Strategic Growth Grant Scheme - Supported events 2018-19 grant amounts
Food and drink go hand in hand with hospitality and tourism in Wales. Combine quality seasonal food and local ingredients, interesting places to eat and stay, and some of the world's best chefs, and you define the hospitality sector in Wales with its deserved reputation for excellence.
Food is important to our visitors
More and more, food is an important influence on people’s decision to visit Wales. It's because they are more discerning, and take an interest in where their food comes from and what happens on its journey to their plate. The 2 sectors of food and tourism are therefore particularly important in Wales, and we've developed complimentary strategies to develop both sectors. We want to build relationships between the hospitality and catering industry and local food and drink producers, and in this way make sure there is a constant supply of fresh, seasonal produce to cater for the visitor's every taste.
Boosting the image of Welsh food and drink
Food tourism is about helping visitors uncover our local, culinary gems – by championing the regional distinctiveness of our produce so that first-time visitors feel a connection to the area and want to return for second helpings. We've set out how we aim to achieve this by 2020 in our Partnership for Growth Strategy for Tourism, which defines a product-led approach to marketing, with food seen as integral to the visitor experience. The Food Tourism Action Plan 2014 targets key actions to raise awareness and make information readily available to visitors and to assist food producers and tourism businesses to work together.
Farmers’ Markets and Food Events/ Success factors and lessons learnt
This research was commissioned to contribute to the development of a more in-depth understanding of the opportunities for food and drink businesses that choose to directly market their produce through farmers’ markets and/or other regular food events. The objective was also to identify factors that have been key to the success of established farmers’ markets and food events, as well as any lessons learnt.
Other useful information:
- Welcome to Wales: priorities for the visitor economy 2020 - 2025
- The National Events Strategy for Wales 2022 - 2030
- Towards Sustainable Growth: An Action Plan for the Welsh Food and Drink Industry 2014-2020
- Partnership for Growth Strategy for Tourism 2013-2020
- The Food Tourism Action Plan for Wales 2015 - 2020
- Visit Wales Action Plan