Re-Opening Safely - Statement from Ludlow Food & Drink Festival
Finally we can re-open for business and we will be running Ludlow Food Festival on 10-12 September. After a period in which we have been unable to run any events since September 2019, we could have chosen to put on the biggest ever Festival, aimed at the largest ever audience to make up for the time we have been away - the temptation to do this is very strong. But stronger still is our commitment to re-open safely for visitors, volunteers and exhibitors.
Finally we can re-open for business and we will be running Ludlow Food Festival on 10-12 September. After a period in which we have been unable to run any events since September 2019, we could have chosen to put on the biggest ever Festival, aimed at the largest ever audience to make up for the time we have been away - the temptation to do this is very strong. But stronger still is our commitment to re-open safely for visitors, volunteers and exhibitors. In terms of covid, we are not out of the woods yet and many people will still be wary of large public events. We know and respect that.
Whilst a lot about the Festival remains the same: the same weekend, the same iconic location of Ludlow Castle… some things will change as we have redesigned the Festival to provide the safest possible experience.
There will be a limit on ticket numbers, currently 5000 for each day. This will reduce numbers and queues especially as we aim to sell most tickets on-line, so please book yours now to avoid disappointment. Buying in advance will enable us to keep you up to date with any changes if government rules or advice change prior to the Festival.
We are redesigning the Ale and Sausage trails to avoid the queues on the events and in buying tickets for them.
We will be simplifying the layout and upgrading the very popular Fire Stage to take over the whole of the Inner Bailey – I said we were aiming for safety, not that we would be dull or boring! This will be some spectacle.
We will have Information points inside and outside the Castle to make it easy for visitors to find what they need to know and marshals who are focusing on covid safety. We will of course have covid measures in place and will advertise what these are ahead of the Festival.
I look forward to welcoming you back to the Castle on 10-12th September for the 26th Ludlow Food Festival, designed with your safety in mind.
David Chantler OBE
Acting Chair, Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival
