2019 WAS THE SUMMER OF STREET FOOD!
2019 WAS THE SUMMER OF STREET FOOD FOR STREET FOOD WAREHOUSE!
The summer months hurtled by in a food-fuelled blur. Between May and late August, the Street Food Warehouse calendar was booked to the brim with our summer tour, and having had time to take stock, let us now say this: WOW!
From Aberystwyth to Devon, Swansea to Somerset and Pembrokeshire to Dorset, the Street Food Tour took us to some of the most picturesque places in the country, and gave us the opportunity to appreciate golden hours and golden moments aplenty with insanely talented street food vendors and thousands of wonderful festival attendees across the UK. Hopefully, you were lucky enough to join us at one or more of our events in 2019, in what was our biggest year yet; nine weekends of street food madness, and as we look to the future, we're only just getting started...
Back in May, things kicked off with an explosion of colour and fun as we brought Swansea Street Food Festival back to the Museum Park. Sharing the weekend with Swansea Pride, the biggest bank holiday party in South Wales ensued. A selection of some of our favourite vendors brought their A-game, and the Pop Up Bar Hire sales were through the roof. The Westival boys rocked up with three days worth of party pumpers and served up tasty tunes across the weekend, and with Pride parading through the site on a heaving Saturday, it really was one for the history books.
Then, we took a drive to the South East coast as Sussex Street Food Festival descended upon Hastings. Amongst the awesome line up was a serious selection of Southeast Asian cuisine, and boy did they go down well. Another bank holiday success, and May ticked off.
If we're talking excitement levels for the Street Food Warehouse gang, June felt like December. Why? Because between 14-16, we were looking at Pembrokeshire Street Food Festival - it's like our Christmas!
The fourth Pembrokeshire Street Food Festival was, as predicted, a massive success. Located upon the picturesque setting on South Beach, Tenby, thousands of hungry foodies arrived to chow down on a bang-tidy selection of street food. Bao Selecta were selling buns quicker than they could make 'em, and we were absolutely thrilled to see family-run cheesecake champs Dutty's embark on only their second ever event! Did they sell out? Silly question, really.
Local party-starters in the form of the Westival resident DJs returned to the fold, turning the marquee into a makeshift dancefloor on Saturday night, whilst we also welcomed young children and doggos aplenty for what several punters claimed was one of the best family-friendly events in the area across the summer period. You'll have to judge that for yourself, and come along in 2020.
July went by quicker than you could say 'Mac and Cheese', as we hit the road up and down the country to deliver big street food vibes to Dorset, Aberystwyth and Somerset. Beginning at the beautiful coastal town of Lyme Regis, Dorset Street Food Festival entailed three idyllic days of sitting on that hill with the sun beaming down, and a long ol' line of street food to get stuck into. Tucking into Little Marrakesh's Moroccan chicken whilst staring at the purple sunset was a summer highlight for us.
From the South West of England to the West of Wales, our tour then debuted in Aberystwyth. The sun shone in our blessed homeland, as we brought a highly-lauded army of street food vendors. The mayor popped in for a bite amongst heaps of others, and it was a weekend of celebration all round as graduating students joined us at the Marina.
Another debut saw us back down south, as Somerset Street Food Festival arrived for the first time in Weston-super-Mare. At Italian Gardens, a mere amble away from the famous pier, with water fountains and cocktails flowing in equal measure, it was a pleasure to see so many punters from Weston and beyond heading home each evening with full bellies and smiling faces.
On our old stomping ground of Ilfracombe, it was our fifth (yes, fifth!) year of Devon Street Food Festival, and it was by far the most successful year we've had there so far. The weather was incredible, the place was bustling, and the setting was spectacular. Similarly, we got super lucky in Milford Haven with glistening sunshine for our second stint of the summer in Pembrokeshire. You'll have to check out this video to see just how awesome that weekend was.
Then, to wrap things up it was a biggy - the Welsh Street Food Awards in partnership with Hellmann's. Back where it all began at Museum Park, Swansea, Welsh vendors battled it out for the two places at the British Street Food Awards later this year. Pink Peppercorn took the judges prize for their phenomenal, Welsh-history-inspired dishes, whilst Malaysian maestros Makasih won the public vote for their array of Asian delights. A huge congratulations to both, as well as all vendors at the event. You could never get the Street Food Warehouse staff to pick just two - we love you all!
And just like that, summer was gone. 2019, the summer of street food. So... What now? Well, with vendor applications opening again soon for our 2020 events, there's no rest for the wicked. We'll soon be putting the forms on each individual event page and social media profile as they are released, so for the vendors - keep a keen eye out.
As for you street food punters, Street Food Warehouse are available to you! Street food continues to explode in popularity, and as such, our events calendar next year is expanding even further. But how about some street food at your event? Whether it's a birthday party, wedding or private function, hit us up at Street Food Warehouse if you want to get street food-y!
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TOO GOOD TO GO x STREET FOOD WAREHOUSE
STREET FOOD WAREHOUSE PARTNER WITH TOO GOOD TO GO!
Street Food Warehouse are excited to announce their partnership with Too Good To Go for the 2019 Street Food Tour! The Too Good To Go team have been working tirelessly since their launch in 2016 to reduce the negative environmental impact of wasted food, and in that time have saved 507, 692 meals in the UK alone - the equivalent of 1,015,924 Kg of CO2!Our partnership with Too Good To Go will run across all nine of the Street Food Warehouse events across the summer, with the intention of facilitating a reduction in food waste at our festivals. We pride ourselves on the ethics of our vendors, and the steps that they are already taking to reduce their carbon footprint; working with Too Good To Go was the next logical step in our endeavour to go even greener. 
So, what exactly are Too Good To Go all about? They're an international team that are more than doing their bit to save the planet, and what's more, they're super accessible. Now available in nine countries since their launching in Copenhagen, their app (available for download on all smart phones) enables users to save surplus food from restaurants in their local area, at a highly discounted price. Now boasting 12,149,37 meals saved globally (although that's probably risen by the time you've finished reading this article), we couldn't be happier to be working with these waste warriors!
Over the channel in France, the Too Good To Go gang are now petitioning to alter the labels on foods from “Best before” to “Best before, not bad after” as another way of reducing food waste in the home, and they've racked up over 60,000 signatures already. Amazing!So whether you're making your way to any Street Food Warehouse festival along the tour, or are looking to save some cash and save the planet, be sure to download the Too Good To Go app and become a waste warrior! Hear more about our partnerships, competitions and new festival announcements on ourFacebookorTwitter.
ENCONA SAUCES SPONSOR STREET FOOD WAREHOUSE FOR 2019 TOUR!
ENCONA SAUCES SPONSOR STREET FOOD WAREHOUSE FOR 2019 TOUR!
Prepare yourselves for a hot summer! Summer 2019 will see the UK’s number 1 hot pepper sauce, Encona, travel the UK alongside Street Food Warehouse as they join us on this year’s Street Food Festival Tour.Starting in Swansea’s Museum Park, our Street Food Festival Tour in association with Encona kicks off on the 4th May 2019. Encona x Street Food Warehouse’s tasty summer tour stops at nine seaside destinations this summer, so keep your eyes peeled for more event announcements in the near future.A variety of the Encona sauces will be incorporated into a number of independent street food vendors delicious dishes. From low and slow, American style BBQ meat to Malaysian cuisine and seafood specialities, you can try it all at any 2019 Street Food Festival. Better yet, if you love the dishes you’ve sampled, the delicious Encona dishes will have their recipes published on our website, so you can create that street food taste at home!
Take this opportunity to become an Encona Taste Explorer and follow the entire tour from destination to destination. Try each vendor’s Encona incorporated dish to become a certified Taste Explorer and bag yourself an Encona x Street Food Warehouse T-Shirt!In the run-up to the festivals, we will be hosting a number of social media competitions and goodie giveaways in association with Encona sauces. Keep a lookout on our social media channels for more information!We’re extremely excited to have Encona on board for this year’s Street Food Festivals, making this summer even hotter!Stay up to date with all of the festival news on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.