Thank you Bristol!

Food Connections Festival, Bristol. 4 May 2014

What an incredible 11 days we had. Something that started as a small acorn grew into something bigger than any of us could have imagined. But we couldn’t have done it anywhere else, it is this inspirational city and the people that live in it that ensured the festival was the roaring success that it was.

We set out to put on a citywide event that was engaging, accessible, enjoyable and educational. We wanted to showcase just how forward-thinking Bristol is when it comes to food, but in a way that brought communities together, while being great fun at the same time.

How did we do it? By reaching out and working with the many communities that thrive here in Bristol, combined with the many thought-leading organisations* that are proud to call this city home. Together, we put on almost 200 events and drew an estimated 185,000 visitors over the 11 days.

We welcomed the prestigious Slow Food International to our city, we showcased local producers, we highlighted street food, restaurants popped up across the city, we hosted Cook ‘N Converse community discussions, the Sikh Temple opened its doors to visitors, the BBC Hub played host to inspirational celebrity chefs, radio shows were recorded live, people went on foraging and chocolate walks, restaurants across the city put on special menus and events, bakeries created special festival loaves, shops gave discounts, adults got to explore At-Bristol after dark, there were discussions on the sustainability of our food systems and on nutrition, growing workshops, wine tastings and even a competition to find Bristol’s young chef of the year. In short, the entire city joined forces to draw attention to the power that food has to connect and inspire us all.

Some incredible stories have already come out of the festival, we have heard tales of Bristol’s bakeries running out of flour during the festival and helping each other out wherever possible! But we want your feedback too. Please help us to make this groundbreaking festival even better next year by sparing a few minutes to fill in this feedback form. You might win £50 to spend at Bravas in Cotham too!

As we finally wind down and pack everything up, it is with hearts filled with awe and inspiration, and we have you to thank for that. We couldn’t have done this without you and your continued support. Until next year…

*Bristol Food Connections is part of the Bristol Food Network and was a partnership event, the idea for which came from the BBC, but the festival would not have happened without the support of so many organisations. We must thank Bristol City Council for believing in us, At-Bristol and Watershed for their unwavering support, the University of Bristol and UWE for their immense talent, Square Food Foundation, Bristol Pound, Eat Drink Bristol Fashion, Canteen and the Sustainable Food Trust for epitomising what the festival is about and the many Food Trail participants for making us so proud of Bristol’s food. Thanks also to all of our sponsors for helping us to grow that acorn into a tree that we hope will continue to grow for many years to come.

If you (like us) have got withdrawal symptoms, head over to our Facebook page to see the latest pictures.