Sunderland Food and Drink Festival back on the menu for 2020

Celebrity chefs Jean Christophe Novelli, Dean Edwards and children’s favourite, Katy Ashworth, brought in thousands of visitors from June 21 to Sunday, June 23.

The event took place across the city centre and was run by Sunderland BID and Sunderland City Council.

Organisers say they have been delighted with the reponse to the festival and that there are plans for a return next year.

Sharon Appleby, Head of Business Operations at Sunderland BID, said: “We have been delighted with the response so far and people seemed to really enjoy all the activities on offer.”

“The celebrity chefs were fantastic and so were the local bars and restaurants who took part. It gave us a great opportunity to showcase the city centre to a wider audience.

“We’re also taking on board some of the positive suggestions that we’ve received and we’ll be looking to include them in next year’s event.”

Coun John Kelly, Sunderland City Council Portfolio Holder for Communities and Culture, said: "It was fantastic to see the city centre so busy, with people enjoying themselves in the sunshine. We listened to feedback from our event-goers last year and they said they wanted more food festivals.

“We're delighted that, working with Sunderland BID, we have delivered a really successful event and hopefully it will be the first of many."