Come and see us at the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival

The UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man team will be at the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival this weekend (18th and 19th September).

The Biosphere stand will be in Sustainability Corner, sponsored by Biosphere Partner Zurich International.

Jo Overty, Project Officer, said: ‘We will chiefly be promoting our Biosphere Bee Community Picnic 2022, which connects communities, gets people out into nature and promotes local food and drink.

‘We hope friends, neighbours, class and workmates and clubs and societies will organise their own picnics, registering them with us to get all the downloadable resources they need.

‘We’ll be asking adults to submit their favourite picnic recipes using local produce and children can colour in and take home our cute Bee logo.’

Jo said: ‘We’ll also chat with people about how being a UNESCO Biosphere benefits our Island, and about our newly published strategy, Working Together for a Sustainable Future.

‘And we’ll be there in support of our hard-working food and drink Partners, who’ll have stands and give demonstrations.’

Sustainability will be a key theme of the event, being held at the Villa Marina Gardens.

Exhibitors are prohibited from using certain single-use plastics and visitors are encouraged to bring their own bags and reusable bottles.

The AB Project, a global initiative to reduce the use of single use plastic water bottles, will provide the festival’s filtered water Refill stations. In the Island, Refill is a UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man initiative.

Sustainability Corner will also feature the Western Civic Amenity Site, Manx Utilities and Zero Waste Mann, all Biosphere Partners.

More than 70 local producers will be at the event, whose overall sponsor is PokerStars, another Biosphere Partner.

The event offers visitors the opportunity to sample a wide range of great tasting food and drink ranging from artisan breads and sizzling steaks to unique ice lollies and specialist gins.

The action-packed programme will include cooking demonstrations, eating competitions, busker style music, live animals, crafts and children’s entertainment, as well as a food court featuring cuisine from around the world. This year’s event will also feature a new Drinks Pavilion hosting six local distillers and brewers.

Jo continued: ‘Our Biosphere strategy pledges to promote local produce, which supports our economy and jobs and is an important part of our Isle of Man story, shaping our landscape and forming part of our culture.’

The festival, which is held in association with Manx Radio, will be open from 10am to 5pm on both days. Entry for adults is £5 for a day and £8 for a weekend pass and free for under 16s. Tickets can be purchased via the VillaGaiety website or by cash or by card on the day.

To reduce traffic issues, shuttle buses will be provided from the TT Grandstand every hour from 10am to 4pm on both days. Buses will pick up attendees from the festival every 30 minutes and return to the Grandstand.

For more information, click here.