Newquay Food Festival 2025 Draws Crowds to Killacourt

Published On: 16 July 2025Last Updated: 16 July 2025By CornishStuff

📷 Newquay Food Festival 2025 - Credit: Danny North

Thousands Flocked to Killacourt for Four Days of Cornish Food, Fire Cooking and Live Music

Newquay’s first ever Food Festival wrapped up on Sunday 13th July after a scorching four-day celebration of Cornish flavours, fire-cooked dishes and coastal community spirit.

Set on the grassy Killacourt overlooking Towan Beach, the free event ran from Thursday to Sunday and brought together a powerful mix of street food, chef demos, craft drinks and live music from morning through to 9pm each evening.

A Festival of Fire and Flavour

At the heart of the weekend was the “Fire Theatre”, where live cooking demos sizzled. Sponsored by Kamado Joe and hosted by Andi Tuck, the stage saw top chefs including Paul Harwood (The Fish House Fistral), Gavin Edney (The Headland Hotel), and Adam Handling MBE show off their skills with Cornish seafood and open flame.

Crowds gathered for a lively cook-off between actress-turned-cook Rose Cant, known as Mum on Muddy Lane, and professional chef Eddy Rains. The friendly culinary clash had festivalgoers voting for their favourite dish.

📷Newquay Food Festival 2025 - Credit: Danny North

Local Tastes, Big Names

The food and drink offering was wide-ranging, with vendors serving up local seafood, Cornish cheeses, street food fusion, pastries, sweets, and more. Highlights included craft coffee from Yallah, cocktails from Tan Dowr, beer from St Ives Brewery, and spiced rum from Rosemullion Distillery.

Music with a Sea Breeze

Live music added to the seaside atmosphere, with performances from C Bone, Seamus McKenna, The Mighty Howlers, Wild Oyo, and Oddfolk. Friday night’s headline slot was taken by Echo Town, delivering a set that carried well into the summer evening.

A True Community Event

Open daily from 10am, the festival drew a wide mix of people—from families and dog walkers to foodies and holidaymakers. Local producers, artisans and BID traders were also involved, giving the event a strong community connection and economic boost.

Plans Already Underway for 2026

Organiser Barney Farnworth reflected on the weekend’s success:

“We couldn’t have asked for more. The weather was perfect, if not a little too warm! But the community came and supported, enjoying what we had created. I think all of our hard work was noticed!
Watching incredible chefs cooking over fire, and vibrant bands on the main stage whilst enjoying fine Cornish food and drink. Isn’t that the perfect weekend?”

Barney and the team are already planning next year’s festival, hoping to build on the momentum and excitement of the 2025 launch.