Smoke and Fires is the UK’s largest award-winning BBQ festival is a jam-packed family-friendly two-day festival celebrating all things BBQ and more!
Held at the beautiful Promenade Park in Maldon the festival delivered on its promise of being a celebration of all things cooked with flame and smoke blending incredible food with a fantastic atmosphere for all ages.
The moment you walked in you were hit with a wave of delicious aromas, it was a sensory overload in the best possible way, the sweet smoky scent of slow cooked brisket, the sharp tang of spicy rub, and the rich cherry notes from open flame grills. The variety of food vendors was genuinely impressive, yes there were plenty of meat and American style BBQ’s but it was awash with a variety of cuisines from Africa, Australia, Asia and Europe. To be honest is was a foodie paradise with the only problem being what to choose.
Queues were perfectly acceptable and if you timed it right, there were none and all vendors were happy for you to chat about their food or watch them cook it and not purchase.
Beyond the food the festival had a bustling lively feel with plenty going on, including the Great British Open Freestyle BBQ Championships: ‘a weekend-long showdown where Britain’s finest pitmasters unleash their creativity over live fire’. There were seven challenges over the two days and you could watch the competitors at work meticulously crafting their masterpieces it was fascinating to see the level of skill and passion on display.
There was also the ‘Fire Demo Stage’ down in BBQ Alley, where guest speakers, such as Matt Tebbutt, Marcus Bawdon, Julian Baron, and Sam & Shauna gave cooking demos, with the best bit being some of the food being offered out to the audience.
The organisers also did a brilliant job of catering to families, the kids zone was packed with activities from free workshops to funfair rides which meant the little ones were constantly entertained this made it a perfect day out for everyone not just the foodies.
There were activities for when you needed a break from the food, which included shooting, and axe throwing, or a bit of shopping: Harley-Davidson was there with a nice big stand, a few motorbikes and merchandise and opposite them were a handful of very nice fancy cars on display. There was a VIP area which had a classic double decker bus serving them and the rest of us had plenty of drink choices at different bars and cocktail outlets around the site.
The extreme eating challenges were also a huge crowd pleaser on the main stage between the music acts. I watched brave souls take on the hot wing and chilli eating contests and the reactions were as entertaining as the field was fiery. It was all great fun and a perfect spectacle to watch while you waited for the next delicious meal.
The music stage in the main arena was entertaining the crowds and everyone around the festival. The organisers really pulled out the stops with Toploader headlining on Saturday night which was a fantastic throwback and their performance of ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ had the whole crowd singing along. The atmosphere was great, a perfect blend of a relaxed Sunday afternoon gig in a full-on concert. The Britpop tribute acts on Sunday were also excellent bringing a wave of nostalgia with their renditions of classic Oasis and Blur’s hits. it was great to have a soundtrack to the feasting and the music really elevated the whole experience from a food market to a genuine festival.
For more information visit: https://www.smokeandfirefestival.com
