THE popular eat:Festivals are returning to Minehead for a three-year period.

Minehead Town Council announced on Tuesday (August 27) that the food and drink festival will be back in Minehead on April 6 next year.

The beloved festival took a hiatus from Minehead in 2024 much to the disappointment of both residents and visitors. But town councillors have responded in positive fashion to requests from the community agreeing to finance the event's return - securing an annual festival for the next three years.

The eat:Minehead festival is a free-to-attend, family-friendly and accessible event held in The Avenue. The festival aims to showcase a diverse range of local producers and products, bringing vibrancy and flavour to the heart of Minehead.

Sarah Milner Simonds, head of sparkle at eat:Festivals, said: "We are really pleased to be returning to Minehead and signing a new three-year agreement with the town council.

“The visitors to eat:Minehead have always been so positive and welcoming."

The eat:Minehead event will return on Sunday, April 6, next year from 10am to 4pm at The Avenue with more than 70 local food and drink producers and lots of free entertainment.

Mayor of Minehead, Cllr Craig Palmer, said he is delighted tthe festival will return.

"We are thrilled to welcome back eat:festivals to the town." said Cllr Palmer. "The festival is clearly very well received in Minehead and it now returns after popular demand. This event will be another date of family fun on an ever-increasing calendar of Town Council supported events in Minehead.”

The return of eat:Festivals marks an exciting addition to Minehead's event calendar, promising a day of culinary delights and entertainment for all ages.

The eat:Festival aims to bring a great range of producers and products into the town on the day of the festival with the majority of stall-holders coming from within 30 miles. The organisers have held similar festivals all over the South West including Wellington, Taunton, Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil, Honiton, Dawlish, Exmouth and Tiverton.

Sarah added: "We are grateful to our traders, supporters and sponsors who help us put on these festivals."