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The Dartmouth Food Festival 19-21 October 2018


T


he Dartmouth Food Festival has grown significantly since it


was founded in 2003 and yet, despite the many pressures that inevitably accompany such growth, the Festival has stuck to its founding principles. The not-for-profit Festival exists to promote Dartmouth as a destination and showcase the very best food and drink experiences in the South West. A volunteer team work hard


all year-round to ensure the 3-day Festival offers up an appetising menu of exciting and enjoyable food and drink encounters to suit all tastes. Whether you want to get hands-on in a cookery work- shop, watch your favourite chefs at work in the demon- stration kitchen, engage with new ideas and fresh chal- lenges at an Eat Your Words session or simply eat, drink and make merry, everyone is welcome and entry is FREE! Ahead of this year’s Festival


which runs from 19-21 Octo- ber, the Festival Team tackle some of the most frequently asked questions about the Festival.


HOW IS THE FESTIVAL ORGANISED? Unusually for a Festival of its size and reputation, Dartmouth Food Festival is run almost entirely by volunteers. It takes a core team of twenty and 100 additional volunteers to make it happen. The Festival employs just one paid part-time administrator who acts as the main point of contact. The current Administrator, Helen Lloyd, is sadly stepping down after this year’s Festival and we are in the process of appointing her successor. WHAT DOES THE FESTIVAL COST? Last year the Festival cost £81,000. By far the biggest outlay is marquee hire. But insurance, security, equipment hire, food and drink for events, PR and marketing, waste management, venue hire and reasonable travel and accommodation for visiting chefs all contribute to the overall cost. WHO PAYS FOR IT? Entrance to the Festival is free. It’s something we are proud of and which sets us apart from most other food festivals. Without generous contributions from our Sponsors and


Patrons, the Festival simply wouldn’t happen. Likewise we rely heavily on income from stallholder pitch fees, proceeds from workshops, drink seminars and special supper events held during the Festival as well as year-round fundraising activities. Sad- ly, there is no revenue grant funding for the Festival to apply for from local councils that would help with the costs of running the event. The Festi- val is non-profit making, meaning any surplus left over is reinvested in the Festival and our local community. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH STALLHOLDERS ATTEND THE FESTIVAL? Our stallholders are carefully handpicked so we can be sure of offering festival-goers a wide range of the highest quality local, regional and artisan produce. We avoid large companies and having too many stalls of the same category, ensuring that each producer has a fair chance to sell on the day and that there’s a balanced mix for those visiting. WHY DOESN’T THE FESTIVAL MOVE TO CORONATION PARK?


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