Thousands expected for weekend of fun, food, and drink as free festivals get under way
A BUMPER bank holiday weekend of free entertainment is on offer in Wirral with the third Food and Drink Festival and the Hoylake Lifeboat Day both taking place.
Both events have grown to attract thousands of visitors, and organisers are hoping for good weather.
This weekend will see the third serving of the Wirral Food and Drink Festival and for the 2008 Festival, the volunteer organisers promise to have “pulled out all the stops”.
The two-day event at Claremont Farm, Bebington will feature more than 100 stalls from local producers, circus fun for children as well as a food court, chefs’ demonstrations and a local beers bar.
Fifi the cow is to be the new mascot.
Organiser Andrew Pimbley, from Claremont Farm, said: “This year we wanted a theme of getting back to your roots.
“As usual, we have the mechanical milking cow from Reaseheath college which helps demonstrate how milking is done, but we wanted to get more down to earth than that, so we have asked a farmer to bring along a real cow.”
The “festival cow” will form part of the ever-expanding children’s area, aimed at showing people where their food really comes from, one of the aims of this year’s event.
There will also be a wine and cheese bar, run by the Liverpool Cheese Company and offering wines from Tanners Wine Merchants.
The Wirral Food and Drink Festival takes place on Sunday, from 10am to 5pm and on Monday, from 10am to 4pm.
And on Monday the Red Arrows and Flying Yakovlev display teams will be helping provide the entertainment at Hoylake Lifeboat Station’s Open Day.
The event has become a massive day-out for many, and organisers are again hoping for good weather to encourage the crowds to the Hoylake promenade.
Last year about 40,000 people attended the Lifeboat Day which also features a funfair, charity stalls, street theatre, raffles, classic cars and lifeboat tours.
There will also be a chance to meet Hoylake’s Lifeboat volunteers, have a look around and chat to the crew.
The Lifeboat Day runs from 10am to 6pm and admission is free, but because of the numbers expected to turn up, the promenade will be closed to vehicles.
