The Smoke and Fire Festival is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary this year, returning with the UK’s largest BBQ and outdoor cooking festival to Maldon Essex! On August 15th and 16th, there will be a massive festival with all of the food, music, and entertainment one could want.
Dann and I previously enjoyed the Smoke and Fire Festival in Maldon along with their Ascot event the year prior. This year, they have announced that there will be live fire cooking demonstrations from the likes of Sam and Shauna, who are Welsh-based BBQ experts, cookbook authors, and stars of the BBC series Sam and Shauna’s Big Cook-Out, alongside the pop-up restaurants in the BBQ alley.
If you want to take on the grill yourself, the Smoke and Fire Festival this year will have a Festival BBQ School where visitors can grill themselves, through pre-booked, hands-on workshops. This is such a great chance to learn alongside experts. There will also be the European Butcher Wars for the first time this year, which is a theatrical competition bringing the best butchers to the table in the art and science of butchery.
Some returning events to the Smoke and Fire Festival at Maldon this year include the Ember Lounge Sessions, which will be hosted by the award-winning, live fire chef James Peck, alongside the lengendary Maori Chef Matt Burgess (AKA Mat Blak). This VIP experience allows guests to enjoy a curated menu that’s always the talk of the event.
Of course, attendees can also watch the British Open Freestyle BBQ Championship where teams from Britain and Europe will face off for a place at the BBQ World Cup. The Extreme Eating Challenges, both Hot Chilli and Hot Wings, will also be taking place this year, along with tons of live music all weekend.
Currently, the Fire and Smoke festival has an Early Bird discount on a variety of different tickets, if you’re interested in attending.