Conwy Feast is Not Running this Year

Gwledd Conwy Feast is no more, well certainly not running this year. The closure of this great festival really will hit trade standers, suppliers, locals and visitors as this was an important addition to the Welsh food festival listings.

The decision to discontinue this festival has been made with a heavy heart from the organising team.

It was a mainstay festival after running successfully for 16 years and certainly put Conwy on the map as a foodie destination. The festival has struggled financially in recent years as public funding dwindled and it is now unable to pay Conwy Council’s site fees from 2019, the last time it was held.

Each year Gwledd Conwy Feast cost around £160,000 to stage. But as well as showcasing local produce and farming, it was also a platform for music, art and crafts. It is thought to have generated £1.4 million in revenue for the local economy.

In an online statement, the festival said:

“Although we have done everything in our power to push forward and try to get another feast together, and after many discussions – we have decided that it’s time to say goodbye to our beloved event after 16 amazing years. We would like to extend the warmest and most sincere thanks to everybody who has been a part of Gwledd Conwy Feast for so many years. Volunteers, exhibitors, artists, musicians, chefs, local markets, farmers, makers, breweries, schools, community initiatives, townspeople, agencies and our team of passionate individuals have made the last 16 feasts incredibly special. Most of all, we’d like to say thank you to each and every person that attended and enjoyed the event – it’s because of you that we were able to continue to run Gwledd Conwy Feast for so many years.”

The festival was launched in 2003 and was held annually in October to coincide with the mussel season, Conwy being the UK’s last rake-only mussel fishing community. It began to grow and grow featuring spectacular firework displays and visual art projections on the town’s 13th century castle.

Event organiser Jane Hughes said finances, fees and “personal circumstances” were behind the decision to close.

“We would never have been able to run the Feast again in the same way because of funding issues – and because people simply have less money to spend in the current climate. For the past three years we have been trying to come up with a plan to continue the event in a different way, perhaps in a reduced format. But it just wouldn’t have worked.”

Bank accounts for Gwledd Conwy Feast are being closed as the community interest company (CIC) that ran the event is also being wound up. No future event could be run without new sources of funding appearing to pay what is owed.

I guess there is an outside chance that someone might come forward to take-over with Jane offering assistance, should that happen. Jane said,

“However I’m not convinced this would be the right thing to do. Sometimes you just have to accept that things have reached their natural conclusion. I don’t think anyone would want to see the Feast run as a pale imitation of what it used to be. It couldn’t have worked without so many other contributions, from toilet cleaners to rubbish collectors and car park attendants. I’d like to thank them all for making the festival the success that it was.”

Gosh that is yet another blow for north Wales and this festival really will be sadly missed. I’ve already posted how concerned I am about food festivals and do hope this doesn’t start a festival closure ball rolling.