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Plans for £35k street food and drink festival in Dundee unveiled

The event could replace the former Flower and Food Festival, which was axed by councillors last year.

By Laura Devlin

January 4 2024, 10:04am

The Flower and Food Festival had attracted well-known names over the years, including Paul Hollywood. Image: Kris Miller/DC Thomson.

Plans for an event which could replace the axed Dundee Flower and Food Festival have been revealed by council bosses.

Councillors agreed last January to scrap the long-running festival owing to concerns over its financial viability.

The event had not been held in-person since 2019 because of the the Covid-19 pandemic and ran at a loss of more than £50,000 in its final year.

Instead it was agreed the local authority would consider an updated event which would form part of a wider corporate events strategy.

Details of this replacement have now been revealed in a report which will go before the council’s Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure committee next week.

food flower — Emily Hutchison & Louie Glennie from Glamis Castle arrange the veggie wheelbarrow in 2018. Image: DC Thomson.

Proposals for the 2024 event, provisionally named the Dundee Food for Thought Festival, reveal that a series of activities will be held over the course of one weekend.

The festival will be focused on the the city centre but fringe events will take place across the whole city.

Both indoor and outdoor activities will be held across the weekend, which will include lectures and talks, food walks and tasting trails, markets, street food, and cooking demonstrations.

There are also plans to further develop the festival through a food trail around Dundee, and community events across the city.

A date for the event is yet to be decided but council chiefs have proposed the last weekend in May so that it will be one of the first food festivals of the year.

It’s also expected to cost around £35,000, which will be met from a one-off budget investment.

People setting up for the the 30th Dundee Flower and Food festival in 2018. Image: DC Thomson.

The Dundee Flower and Food Festival was first held in 1988 and was one of the city’s best loved events.

Over the years it attracted big names including television personalities Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, Gregg Wallace and the Hairy Bikers.

But figures revealed by council officials last year showed the festival had run at a “considerable loss” in each year of the last three years it was held live.

Speaking on the fresh plans, committee convener councillor Steven Rome said: “While this would be a small scale start to a new food and sustainability festival, I am hoping that this will grow organically in scale as more partners become involved and contribute.

“There are many elements in the city that could be brought on board to provide events that will attract visitors as well as local people.”