It may be grey and gloomy outside, but come July the skies should be blue, the flowers will be blooming, and sitting pretty in the green grounds of Preston Park will be the motherlode of all UK food festivals, Tom Kerridge’s culinary and entertainment juggernaut, Pub In The Park.
“I’m so excited to be coming to Brighton to host Pub In The Park and I can’t wait for a weekend of good food and good vibes,” Tom said recently. “Top notch food is at the heart of what we’re all about and I know we’ll have the very best festival food around from our incredible restaurants… we can’t wait for you to try it!”
Tom will of course be presiding over the entire three-day food-fest himself and, according to the press release, will be popping up all over the place as the weekend unfolds, so if you get tickets make sure to keep an eye out. He’ll be more than ably assisted by TV’s Andy Clarke (This Morning, Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh) on the Main Stage, while on the Firepit Stage, Pub In The Park regular Alan Purnell, aka Shropshire Lad, will showcase one of the biggest trends to hit British cooking in years.
It wouldn’t be Pub In The Park without food you can actually get your hands (or your mouth) on and Brighton is absolutely representing, with some major debuts from well-known city names. Local legend Kenny Tutt brings his Pitch concept to the park alongside iconic Indian and Bib Gourmand-winning eatery Chilli Pickle. Pub grub and small plates also feature in spades: Tom Kerridge’s two Michelin-starred The Hand And Flowers, the outstanding Tapas Brindisa, and The Kentish Hare courtesy of the Tanner Brothers, ranked fifth in the country by the prestigious Top 50 Gastropub Awards. We genuinely suggest you get in line early!
There will also be a healthy side dollop of A-list music and 2023 promises to be another big year. Sugababes (we’re assuming the original line-up) headline Friday night, with Soul II Soul and Judge Jules heaping on the party vibes. The Brand New Heavies take over Saturday afternoon, supported by 90s rockers Toploader and everyone’s favourite MBE recipient Norman Jay. Saturday night takes things to extremes of cool as none other than the Happy Mondays (yep!) ‘Step On’ stage, Stereo MCs and Example adding to the air of uber-cool merriment. On ‘Lazy Sunday’ 90s band Dodgy bump up against the legendary Craig Charles’ Funk & Soul Club, before none other than Gabrielle takes to the boards to close the weekend out.
All this with a pint and a pie in hand? If you’re a food and/or music fan you’d be daft to miss it. Different tickets abound depending on what kind of experience you’re after. The limited Taster Ticket add-on lets you eat three meals for the price of two, the Super Saturday ticket lets you eat, drink and party all day and night long, while The Morning After does exactly what it says on the tin, letting you party on Saturday night and have an award-winning hair of the dog come Sunday morning.
To check out all ticket prices, including the Full Weekend Pass, head over to pubintheparkuk.com.
Pub In The Park (Brighton), Preston Park
14th – 16th July 2023
www.pubintheparkuk.com
