Abergavenny Food Festival

The Abergavenny Food Festival takes over a Welsh market town for a weekend each autumn. Its events fill venues “across the heart of Abergavenny”, as Brecon Beacons Tourism puts it, from the market halls to the castle. Visit Abergavenny calls it “one of the most high profile events in the UK’s culinary calendar”. Visit Monmouthshire says it is held on the third weekend of September. Transport for Wales says “generally”.

Abergavenny Food Festival 2026

The ticket prices are those listed by Visit Monmouthshire when it was read, on 6 October 2026. The festival’s own site sells the tickets. The 2027 dates had not been published when this page was checked, on 6 October 2026: watch the festival’s site and the county tourist board.

What to eat

• Welsh produce. Lamb from the hills, Caerphilly and other Welsh cheeses, and laverbread, a seaweed purée, are the traditional larder of Wales, and Welsh cakes, cooked on a griddle, and bara brith, a fruit loaf, are the staples of its baking. Ask the stallholders what they bring.
• The castle grounds. The ruins of the Norman castle are one of the festival venues, next to the market halls in the centre.

Practical tips

• One day or two. A day ticket costs 17 pounds and a weekend ticket 26 pounds (2026 prices): the weekend ticket pays for itself from the second day.
• Families. Under-16s were free in 2026, according to Visit Monmouthshire and Brecon Beacons Tourism.
• Come by train. Abergavenny station is a short walk from the centre, with direct trains to Cardiff and Hereford.
• Dress for the weather. September in the Welsh hills can be bright or wet within the same day: bring a waterproof layer.

Where to stay and combine

Book a room ahead for the festival weekend, in the town or in the surrounding Monmouthshire villages. Hill walkers can add a day in the Brecon Beacons, whose south-eastern edge is on the town’s doorstep. The Ludlow Food Festival, in Shropshire, also falls in September and is further north on the same line: in 2026 it was held the weekend before, from 11 to 13 September.

Planning for the next edition

The tourist boards’ description, the third weekend of September, is a guide to plan around, not a date: confirm it on the festival’s site before you book. Abergavenny also makes a base for the hills: the Sugar Loaf, north-west of the town, is a classic half-day walk.