As the Manchester Food and Drink Festival heads towards its final weekend, theres still plenty on the menu for visitors to enjoy Last years festival attracted more than 150,000 visitors to the Festival Hub on Albert Square. Between them they drank over 40,000 pints of beer, and ate amongst many other things, over 5000 ostrich burgers.
As usual, the Hub is located on Albert Square. It's the location for a packed programme of foodie fun including Manchesters biggest Street Food Fair; Manchester Beer Festival (with over 100 different local beers); Robinsons Pub on the Hub, Oktoberfest, Independent Food Market sponsored by Booths; a Cider Fest; Festival Pop Up Cocktail Bar by Apotheca; Bakerie Wine Bar and Shop and more.
There will be a live music programme at the Hub with DJ sets from the best local artists including The Unabombers and Club Clique, as well as live acoustic music from Johnny Bramwell.
Outside of Albert Square, foodie fun continues on the final weekend with the sell-out annual 5th Big Indie Wine Fest hosted on Friday and Saturday in the Town Hall, and Liquor Market at Rosylee on Saturday afternoon- a chance to sample and purchase a range of boutique spirit brands.
Restaurants
Manchesters restaurants and bars are offering everything from dinner dances to foraging alongside the main action on the Hub. And rounding off the Festival is the MFDF Gala Dinner & Awards (Mon 7 Oct), where the highest profile awards in the region will be made to the best Manchester restaurants, bars and chefs.
Festival Director, Siobhan Hanley comments: This is a Festival for Manchester by Manchester, and its right that we look at the best things going on in the city and celebrate new talent as well as consider some of the problems that we have around food too with the food poverty strand. The Hub on Albert Square, more than ever before, is set to be the centre of the action and a place for Manchester to celebrate amazing food and drink."
Festival highlights
Street Food and Markets
With two sessions of street food and new traders arriving for the second half of the festival, this years food offering in the Hub promises to be bigger and better than ever. Highlights include the Chaat Cart, Tampopo, Margo and Rita Mexican , Mumma Schnitzel, Alberts Chop House, and Susannas Churros. (Until Sun 6 Oct, Festival Hub, Albert Square)
Oktoberfest
Germanys finest beers on sale include Kaltenberg, Warsteiner and Konig Ludwig Weiss Beer. Plus live Bavarian music on Sat 5 October. (Until Sun 6 Oct, Festival Hub, Albert Square).
100 Greatest Beer Bar & Cider Fest
100 beers served across the week from the regions best brewers and micro brewers form Marble in Manchester to Bank Top in Bolton. Also in the Den will be the 2013 Cider Fest with the likes of Black Dragon, Happy Daze and Farmhouse Scrumpy. (Until Sun 6 Oct, Drinking Den Marquee, Festival Hub, Albert Square.)
The Big Indie Food Fair sponsored by Booths
The Big Indie Food Fair returns to the Festival Hub celebrating the finest handcrafteds food and drink the nation has to offer. There will be plenty to sample and buy, as well as chef demonstrations from Booths Chef Rob Morris Lang featuring recipes form Booths Christmas Book. (Fri 4 Sun 6 Oct , Festival Hub, Albert Square)
The Liquor Market
Brand new for 2013, this is your chance to dive right into the world of boutique spirits. See our feature. (Rosylee Restaurant & Tearooms, Sat 5 Oct, 2pm , £7)
Live music at The Hub
Live music will be happening at The Hub throughout the whole Festival including sets from The Unabombers (Thu 3 Oct), Vermillion Cinnabar present Clique DJs (Fri 4 Oct), Oktoberfest with live Bavarian Music (Sat 5 Oct), I Am Kloots Johnny Bramwell (Sun 6 Oct).
Information about all events can be found at www.foodanddrinkfestival.com and by following @mfdf13