Food & Drink

Tynemouth Food Festival 2026: Sunshine, Street Food and a Brass Band on the Headland

We spent the day at the Tynemouth Food Festival: blue skies over the priory, dozens of street-food and drink stalls, a roaming brass band, and free face painting and games for the kids. Here is what it was like, and it is back again tomorrow.

Tynemouth.live·5 September 2026

Under blue September skies, with just enough of a sea breeze to warrant a jumper, the Tynemouth Food Festival took over the grass around the priory and castle this weekend, and it was busy from the off.

There are few better settings for a food festival anywhere in the North East. Tynemouth Priory and Castle sits on a headland right where the Tyne meets the sea, and the ruined arches make a spectacular backdrop to a lawn full of picnic blankets, camping chairs and prams. Families spread out across the green, children ran about, and the queues for coffee and lunch barely let up all day.

Live music in the ruins

Working their way between the stalls were the Spanish City Rollers, a brightly-dressed street brass band whose saxophones, trumpets and trombones kept the whole site buzzing. It is exactly the kind of roaming, feel-good soundtrack a festival like this wants.

The Spanish City Rollers brass band bringing the party to the priory lawns.

North East street food, and plenty of it

The real draw, of course, was the food. Dozens of traders ringed the green, with everything from wood-fired pizza and Sri Lankan street food to crispy duck wraps, loaded fries and proper coffee. The smell alone was enough to build an appetite.

Street-food traders lined up on the headland, from wood-fired pizza to Sri Lankan food.

Alongside the hot food were the stalls you go home laden from: hot sauces, preserves, bakes and jars to squirrel away in the cupboard. The colourful Catchi's Kimchi stall, all pink signage and neat rows of jars, was doing a brisk trade in kimchi, DIY kits and fiery sauces.

The colourful Catchi's Kimchi stall, one of many independent producers at the festival.

One for the whole family

It is a genuinely family-friendly day out. As well as the food there were games for children and free face painting, with plenty of room for little ones to burn off energy on the grass while the grown-ups grazed. Dogs were welcome too.

Going this weekend?

The festival runs again tomorrow, Sunday 6 September, from 10am to 5pm. If you are planning a visit, our full visitor guide to the Tynemouth Food Festival has the details on tickets, timings and getting there. Wrap up if the breeze picks up off the sea, and go hungry.