Popular Specialist Food and Drink Festivals in the UK.

There are a large number of food and drink festivals that take place in the UK every year attracting thousands of visitors and they remain popular for all foodies. In addition to the more generic food and drink festivals there are a number of specialist festivals that focus on just one or two specific food or drink groups.

Everyone has their favourite food or drink group and not surprisingly there are hundreds of festivals in the UK that cater for all these specific tastes. Theses specialist festivals are often associated with a particular area famous for producing that food group combined with particular seasons. Most are supported and sponsored by trade organisations and local tourism authorities who have an interest in promoting the festival. Here is a pick of some of the more popular specialist festivals taking place each year.

Crab Festivals. 
Although there are numerous seafood festivals for those who have a specific taste for crab and lobster there are a number of festivals taking place every year associated with fishing towns with a reputation for excellent crab. One of the most popular events is the Salcombe Crab Festival which takes place in May every year.

Coffee Festivals. 
Probably the largest coffee festival in the UK is the London Coffee Festival that spans 4 days each year around April and showcases the variety of coffee brands with tasting and training for potential baristas. Caught somewhere between a trade show and a consumer event the festival is heavily sponsored by well-known coffee brands including producers, retailers, equipment suppliers and publishers. There are similar events hosted in most cities around the country.

Gin Festivals. 
The most popular gin festival in the UK is the annual Gin and Rum festival that tours major cities and attracts large numbers of visitors each year. There are opportunities for attendees to taste a wide selection of new varieties along with opportunities to enjoy parties and live entertainment with DJ performances. The events are sponsored by the importers and producers of Gin and Rum.

Apple Festivals. 
The UK has a number of harvest festivals at which apples feature heavily but there are events that specifically celebrate the apple. The UK has a reputation for producing some of the most varied apples and the National Apple Festival takes place in October each year. Visitors get to experience and taste some of the 2,200 different varieties of apples and the organisers put on orchard tours too.

These are just a small selection of some of the smaller specialist food and drink festivals that take place every year in the UK and the popularity is often determined by what's trending. The rise of interest in recent years for coffee and gin have helped to fuel the emergence of such festivals.

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