Food festival set to be axed unless buyer found

The Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival will not go ahead in July unless a buyer comes forward

A North Yorkshire food and drink festival is set to be axed unless a new operator can be found.

The Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival in Skipton was set to take place from 19 to 21 July and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Events By B3 Ltd, which runs the event, announced it had ceased trading with immediate effect and would enter liquidation.

Citing "unsustainable financial problems" as the reason for the decision, liquidators said the festival would not go ahead unless an interested party came forward.

The Hairy Bikers were regular attendees at the North Yorkshire food and drink event

Founded in 2015, the three-day festival at Funkirk Farm attracts about 30,000 visitors and 200 exhibitors annually, organisers said.

The event offers pop-up restaurants, workshops, street food and food tasting and had previously hosted masterclasses from celebrity chefs such as James Martin and Hairy Bikers Si King and the late Dave Myers.

In 2023, organisers said flooding had impacted cash flow in the company.

Paired with a decline in ticket sales for the 2024 event, the decision was taken to cease trading.

Proposed joint liquidator Jonathan Amor said: “The Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival is the largest event of its kind in the UK and regarded for the contribution it makes to the local economy.

"Unfortunately, the business has been suffering from unsustainable financial problems and the directors decided that it would be in the best interests for all creditors for the company to cease trading and be placed into liquidation."

Customers have been advised to check with their credit or debit card providers to see if they can claim a refund by making a chargeback request on their purchase.