Shrewsbury Food Festival wins Festival of the Year

Local events business, Shropshire Festivals, has won Tourism Event/Festival of the Year at the 2026 West Midlands Tourism Awards for their flagship event – Shrewsbury Food Festival. It is the third year running that the Shropshire business has scooped gold.

Shrewsbury Food Festival is an annual event in the town’s Quarry Park, which champions local independent producers, chefs, performers, and businesses. It happens across two days on the last weekend in June. The event hosts around 200 food, drink, and homeware exhibitors, chef demonstrations, kids’ cookery school, a live music stage, a family entertainment stage, a field to fork area, VIP tent, corporate party tipis, and a whole area of free kids' activities.

The awards from Visit England, celebrate the accomplishments of tourism businesses across the West Midlands region and promote the venues, people, experiences, and accommodation in the region. They are supported by the West Midlands Tourism and Hospitality Advisory Board (THAB) and the West Midlands Growth Company.

Shropshire Festivals’ owners, Beth and Sid Heath, collected their award on March 16th at The Belfry Hotel & Spa. Beth said, “I cannot put into words just how proud I am of this award. So much goes into building a festival that most people don't see - time, effort, planning, and money, plus a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears - all driving Shrewsbury Food Festival forward for the last 13 years. I'm so proud to work with such a brilliant team that made the dream a reality.

“In the last week, Shropshire Festivals has joined the call to change how the Met Office reports weather over a 24 hour period. So, to start my day advocating for the tourism sector on BBC Shropshire, and to end it in a room with the West Midlands brightest tourism stars, collecting the Festival of the Year award, is a pretty great day in the office!”

“Thanks to our hard-working team, plus every exhibitor, supplier, staff member, volunteer, sponsor, visitor, performer, chef, and the many unofficial ambassadors who shout about what we do at Shropshire Festivals. We’re a small, family-run team that genuinely does this to spread smiles. Recognition on this level means a great deal.”

Shropshire Festivals has joined a growing list of over 80 major UK tourist attractions, which includes Chester Zoo and West Midlands Safari Park, to call for changes to the way weather forecasts are displayed.

Beth adds, “A rain symbol summarising a full 24-hour period can give the impression of non-stop rain, even when that’s not the case. That single symbol can be the difference in

whether people come to your event or visitor attraction or not - and that can cost thousands of pounds in lost visits. It's understandably frustrating, so if the Met Office can improve how weather is reported, that could have a very positive impact on the tourism industry across the UK.”

Shrewsbury Food Festival is taking place on June 27th and 28th this year.