Tempting aromas and terrific ingredients will come together in Reading town centre this weekend, as the Reading Food Festival returns.
Broad Street will be turned into an open-air food court, offering cuisines from across the world some of which has been made in Reading.
Organised by Reading’s Blue Collar in partnership with REDA, people can enjoy authentic German kebabs, paella, Korean barbecue dishes, Middle Eastern-inspired fusion food, Jamaican, and Greek delicacies.
Add in pizza, brownies, smashed burgers, dumplings, meze, rolled ice cream, gluten-free treats and Turkish flatbreads and there really is something for everyone at Reading Food Festival.
Blue Collar added the event to its portfolio in 2021, but the Reading Food Festival has been going for several years, originally as Eat Reading.
Glen Dinning, Blue Collar’s head honcho, is looking forward to welcoming people to the two-day event.
“It’s a really good event, and very different to what we do in Forbury Gardens or in Blue Collar Corner,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to bring a really, really good mix of different food options to Reading’s busiest street and let food be the talking point.
“The Reading Food Festival is an event that came before Blue Collar, running for nine years now. To have an event that’s even older than us in Reading’s food scene is pretty rare.”
MORE CHEESELOGS: Cheers! Twyford Beer Festival 2025: Tickets on sale for three-day extravaganza
He has worked hard to get a mixture of street food traders into the town centre for the Reading Food Festival, including businesses from the greater Reading area, some “interesting traders” from Bristol and the South West and a few from London.
Glen explains: “We’re in a pretty good location and we have this nice blend: the best of other areas and as many independent Reading businesses in there as possible.”
He feels he has the best job in the world matching businesses with Reading, looking for those that will be popular and well received.
“We’re here to facilitate and focus on getting all these different independent businesses to and event,” he continues.
“We bring everything together and make sure that we’ve got a really good blend, so they have a good chance of doing well and being popular, and on the days when the sun shines and it really works, and that’s incredibly satisfying.
“You can see that even in the bar. We will always stock local beer, for example. At Reading Food Festival, Double-Barrelled will be there. It’s the same with the food. Really, we just, we want to give an opportunity to these food traders and in return, they are good for us, so everyone wins.”
Anyone visiting Reading Food Festival for the first time could be in for a bit of a shock. The stalls are set out from the area outside Marks & Spencer to pretty much close to Smelly Alley. A seating area is available, canteen style, and there will be live entertainment: it’s very different to a normal weekend in the town centre.
“The thing to expect with Reading Food Festival is a volume of choice, with so many different food options and so many different cuisines from some high-quality and interesting traders,” Glen says.
“For instance, we’ve got some great dessert traders in there, we’ve got great Asian food. We’ve got great burgers, we’ve got Peruvian food. Long-term fans of Blue Collar will recognise Peru Sabour. They have been with us since the first event.
“And there will be some of the town centre businesses pitching up and doing a pop-up as well.
“It’s all about the mix.
“I still love doing this, I’m really excited to see it come together. There is a nice feeling when everything is set up, all the food traders are in position and people start coming in and trying the different foods.”
The event runs between 11am and 6pm on Saturday and Sunday and Glen is hoping that people will stay in Reading when the festival ends, as Blue Collar will be open Hosier Street.
“Everyone is more than welcome to come to Blue Collar, have a drink and enjoy Gurt Wings, some Asian food, and The Burger Society. We’ll have a DJ on adding to the atmosphere.
“It’s just makes it a nice place to be in the sun.”
Who will be at Reading Food Festival 2025?
All vendors are subject to change.
- Zero Degrees – Pizzas so good they won National Pizza of the Year 2023.
- Zambrero – Mexican inspired food that makes you feel good.
- Korean Corn Dogs – A true taste of Korea!
- Sweet N Delish – Promising to bring you something different, but delicious, with our rolled ice cream.
- Berlin Doner – Serving authentic German doner kebab.
- La Real Paella – Proud to be one of the finest and most established Paella Catering companies in London.
- Japchae Korean BBQ – Healthy, tasty and fresh Korean street food.
- Street Food Shack – Bringing you tasty food from all over the world!
- Meski’s Ethiopian Gersha – Authentic and delicious Ethiopian cuisine.
- My Pig Stuff – An inventive barbequing experience for those who value fun and flavour.
- Panzerotti Bros – Southern Italian fried dough and grill.
- Momo Bros – Serving the finest dumplings & Asian street food.
- Boigers – Proper. Smashed. Burgers.
- Sultan Gozleme – Authentic Turkish stuffed flatbreads.
- Peru Sabour – Serving up traditional flavours of Peru.
- Fink – Award-winning Middle Eastern fusion, tackling mental health stigma one bite at a time!
- The Fine Brownie Co – Hand-made and hand-finished brownies, honed to perfection and perfectly rich.
- Krua Koson – High quality Thai street food.
- Yaylo – Your one-stop shop for handcrafted gluten-free treats.
- Sharian’s Caribbean – Enjoy the flavours of the Caribbean with Sharian’s authentic Jamaican street food.
- The Royal Tandoori – Serving only the finest Indian food.
- Churros Garcia – Providing the public with the best churros you can get in the UK since the ‘70s.
- Fornoza – Delicious, freshly prepared artisan sourdough pizzas.
- Pitta Pitta – The original Greek food.
- The Jamaican Patty Co – Hand-crafted Jamaican patties.
When is Reading Food Festival taking place and where is it?
Reading Food Festival will take place on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, from 11am to 6pm.
It will take place in Broad Street.
Entry is free, but of course, food prices will vary.
For more details, log on to: https://whatsonreading.com/venues/reda/whats-on/reading-food-festival
Alternatively, visit: https://www.visit-reading.com/whats-on/reading-food-festival
Get Cheeselogs in your inbox!
Sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest posts, news and surprises. It's completely free, and goes straight to your inbox.
