Farnham is cooking up a treat as the town centre prepares to host the annual Food and Drink Festival on Sunday, September 28.

From 10am to 4pm, Castle Street and The Borough will be transformed into a pedestrian zone packed with more than 100 food and drink stalls.

Organiser Farnham Town Council is promising a mouth-watering day out for visitors.

The cookery demonstration stage in The Borough will be headlined by 2023 MasterChef champion Chariya Khattiyot, alongside chefs from Lorna’s Indian Kitchen, Henry Hampshire, Little Fish Sushi and Petite Patisserie.

The festival will also feature the popular chilli-eating competition, drinks talks, a live music stage in the Bush Hotel Courtyard, and an acoustic music stage on Castle Street showcasing local performers.

Cllr Kika Mirylees, town council lead member for culture and business, said: “We are delighted to bring back the Food and Drink Festival for 2025.

“It offers a fantastic chance for our community to celebrate local producers, enjoy great food, and spend a fun day out in Farnham. This festival captures the spirit of our town – friendly, vibrant, and full of flavour.”

To help manage crowds, visitors are encouraged to use a free hoppa shuttle bus. Seven buses will serve three routes covering Hale and Upper Hale in north Farnham, Badshot Lea and Weybourne, and south Farnham.

For those travelling by car, there is free Sunday parking in all Waverley Borough Council pay-and-display car parks.

To keep traffic moving, Downing Street will reopen for one day.

It will be the first full reopening since the section between the Union Road/Longbridge junction and Lower Church Lane/Downing Street was converted to two-way traffic. Drivers using Downing Street or exiting Waggon Yard car park are asked to take extra care.

Festival-goers can also get a taste of things to come as the Farnham Lions will also use the event to launch their sixth annual Advent Appeal.

The appeal is the biggest yet with more than 100 prizes on offer from Christmas turkeys to car washes up for grabs, all donated by local businesses.

Another traditional will be maintained as it features a painting of a wintry Farnham Castle by artist, Susie Lidstone, with tickets costing a very reasonable £6.

This year’s festival is supported by gold sponsors Kidd Rapinet and the Bush Hotel, Farnham, and bronze sponsor Durham House Chiropractic Clinic.

Full route details are available at www.farnham.gov.uk

For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.farnham.gov.uk.