Thame food festival to move and expand in 2017

The Thame food festival was launched in 2008 and for the past eight years thousands of visitors have come to the town centre each year to sample great local food and meet some of the top names in the cookery world.

Organisers say the event has now outgrown the town and that it has to expand to survive.

The 2017 festival will take place on Saturday September 30 and Sunday October 1 and will be held at the Thame Showground.

Patron Lotte Duncan said: “We are very excited about this move and we have some amazing plans and ideas to make this next chapter of the festival the best it can possibly be.

“The move will enable us to stay open until 9pm on the Saturday and to hold the event over two days - two things we couldn’t do in the town centre.

“It also gives people more space to look and browse.

“We are planning to expand some of the workshops and have a bigger restaurant.”

Another change in 2017 will be that there will be what organisers call a ‘small charge’ for adults which is yet to be determined, although children will continue to be able to get in for free.

Ms Duncan said: “Almost all food festivals of this size charge, and we need more income which will go back into the festival and make it sustainable.

“Our only income last year was from pitch sales.

“We are still a not-for-profit community interest company and our ethos will continue to be the same.

“We know that some people don’t like change but it is for the better.”