The Margate Food Festival is in its inaugural year and was initiated by the Ugu South Coast Tourism Margate sub-committee. We offered our services pro bona to test the waters in the hopes of setting up a event footprint as well as finding potential sponsors that would allow this event to then become a annual happening. Having said this, it was the exact same format we used in our first year before we started Africa Bike Week – running a ‘test roll out’, inviting potential sponsors and ironing out difficulties experienced at the event. I would think this is true to say with most things in life – you start out with an idea and then learn and grow it into something worthwhile.
This year’s festival had a strong emphasis on ‘international food’ representing different countries of the world. We took that one step further and embraced ‘The Food Truck Revolution’ which is a incredible concept that has taken off in the United States at beach festivals in Florida and California. We managed to attract over 20 food participants with trucks and stalls selling food representing Portugal, America, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Cape snoek, Mongolian stir-fry, Indian curries and Swedish salmon and cream cheese bagels to name a few. We witnessed many hundreds of visitors to the festival happily queuing to support these food stalls and the majority of them have booked to come back for next year’s event.
We also secured a small ‘gourmet’ area within the festival. This area performed exceptionally well and sold out within the first day offering artisan breads, fresh herb boxes, handmade fudge, imported chocolate, spanakopita baked on site, delicious homemade sun-dried tomato and pesto’s as well as the most popular stall that sold styled gourmet baked goods.
We look forward to growing this area of the festival and will continue to motivate local suppliers to try and offer something different as well as continue to invite stall holders from around the country to join us as we grow this event to its full potential.
I also understand and appreciate the points raised by festival visitors who felt let down and improvements such as a central seating area, the flow of stalls, as well as finding more of the gourmet experience exhibitors that we all love and expect at a Food Festival.
We thrive and develop on positive criticism, it is that which helps us grow events from small town happenings into international festivals that attract global attention. If there are any further suggestions or great local foodies wanting to take a stand at next year’s event please email me at vicky@wozaniafrica.co.za
VICKY WENTZEL
Wozani Africa Events
