Forth Valley Food Festival returning with virtual and socially distanced events

The third Forth Valley Food Festival will take place from Saturday, October 10 to Sunday, October 25.

Last year a wide variety of events were held across the area over ten days, from foraging walks and farm tours to wild cocktail making and pumpkin picking.

Organisers will work with businesses to ensure that all events comply with Covid-19 guidelines.

Festival co-ordinator Carolyn McGill said: “Our 2020 festival will give local food and drink businesses a boost at a time when they need it most.

“We’ve extended this year’s programme to two weeks to coincide with the extended school break and allow even more local food and drink businesses to take part.

“As lockdown eases, we know that socially distant outdoor events are in high demand, particularly with families and visitors.

“The festival will help raise the profile of local food and drink businesses and attractions, helping them to get back on their feet.”

Carolyn added: “We want to make this year’s festival even bigger and better, whilst keeping everyone safe.

“We’ll be spacing events out over the course of the fortnight, holding most events outdoors and restricting numbers at indoor events.

“We hope locals and visitors alike will take time out to savour what our region has to offer and help our food and drink industry recover from the impact of Covid-19.”

This year’s festival will be hosted by the newly formed Forth Valley Food and Drink network, established in lockdown by and for local food and drink businesses to promote the area’s rich larder with Connect Local funding.

One of the network’s founding members is Douglas Ross, who runs Bridge of Allan’s Allanwater Brewhouse, is a founding member of the network.

He said: “We’re offering local food and drink businesses free membership of our network until the end of 2020.

“We recognise how difficult this year has been for the industry, but by joining forces we can use our collective power to raise the profile of local food and drink and bounce back from this.”

Businesses interested in joining the network and taking part in the festival should email [email protected] by September 18.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you