Neath’s Food & Drink Festival secures funding for another year

The town of Neath is preparing to serve up another helping of its popular Food and Drink Festival, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government.

The Welsh Government has awarded funding of £5,000 for the event, which will take place over three days on Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October 2015.

Now in its seventh year, the festival has proven extremely popular with food enthusiasts across South Wales and has quickly become a major event in the town’s calendar.

In an evaluation report of Food Festivals in Wales, exhibitors rated Neath Food and Drink Festival as one of the top five they attended.  In the research carried out on behalf of the Welsh Government, exhibitors cited visitor profile and numbers and high levels of sales as reasons for rating Neath so highly.

The 2015 festival will be the biggest yet and will host around over 80 exhibitors during the newly extended three-day event. Exhibitors will include award-winning suppliers from Neath’s iconic Indoor Victorian Market, local businesses such as Neath Ales, Hot Roasted Nuts, La Crème Patisserie and many, many more.

In addition to the 80 plus exhibitors lining the streets, there will be plenty of events, activities and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy throughout the whole town including a Champagne Marquee and Hot Food Zone, which proved hugely successful when they were launched last year.

Restaurants in the town are again joining in the spirit of the festival and are offering themed menus, special offers and live entertainment during the weekend.

Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Ali Thomas OBE said:

“The Food & Drink Festival is a big success story for Neath as it showcases the very best that Neath and the surrounding area has to offer. In addition, the volume of footfall from repeat and new visitors significantly benefits local business, both during the Festival and in the longer term.

“With regeneration of the town centre underway, the festival plays an important role in demonstrating what a vibrant and progressive town Neath is. I would urge local businesses to get in touch and find out more about the exciting sponsorship opportunities that are available. With exposure to a wide audience, Neath Food and Drink Festival is a great investment for your business.”

Jointly organised by Neath Port Talbot Council, local businesses and community organisations, the event has been praised for the benefits that it brings to the town as a whole. The organisers are now offering exciting sponsorship opportunities for the 2015 Festival. By sponsoring Neath Food and Drink Festival you can reach new audiences, promote your brand or produce to a large and diverse audience and be associated with a prestigious, popular and growing festival offering a high quality, exciting and wide ranging programmed of events. The festival programme also offers opportunities for sponsors keen to develop their social responsibility programmes, improve public image and invest in the future of communities and business.