Forest Feastival returns to the Merthyr Mawr Estate in Bridgend this weekend, bringing its family-friendly global feast to these unique woodlands by the sea.
The event is run by organisers Street Food Circus, and ringmaster and founder, Matt ‘the Hat’, who is no stranger to assembling an exceptional array of vendors in settings adorned with breathtaking backdrops.
Formed in 2015, Street Food Circus represents a continually expanding community—a diverse assembly of wandering chefs, self confessed misfits, creative mixologists, and innovative minds. Together, they craft immersive culinary encounters and gatherings unparalleled in their uniqueness.
Forest Feastival at Merthyr Mawr is just the start of a season of flavoural events hosted by Street Food Circus. Don’t miss The Big Banquet at Caldicot Castle on the late May Bank Holiday Weekend, St Donat’s Castle in August and Saundersfoot in September, to name a few. But for now, let’s head back to Merthyr Mawr to see what they have going on…
Getting there and finding the campsite
If you’ve not been before, it can be a little daunting but it’s really simple to find when you know how.
Forest Feastival is located in Candlestone Woods in Merthyr Mawr, which is conveniently located between Cardiff and Swansea, and is approx 30 minutes from either of those. The sat nav address is Candlestone Woods, Merthyrmawr Road, Bridgend CF32 0LS. However, depending on what sat nav you have, it can take you to either side of the festival site. So, our recommendation is, if you have Google Maps (Apple Car Play / Android Auto), you search for “Forest Feastival” and navigate to that. It’s more accurate than trying to use the above address.
When you drive through the small thatched roof hamlet of Merthyr Mawr you will see the car park on the left hand side. It’s field parking with plenty of spaces. Make sure you book your pre-paid parking ticket online when you book your festival tickets. It’s £2 and it’s for the duration of your session, which is approx. 4 hours.
Once parked, follow signs to begin your 15 minute walk through the forest to the camp site. The ground is relatively flat with a small gradient, which is pushchair accessible. It can get a little muddy in places but not enough for wellington boots etc. However, we took a spare pair of shoes with us in the car.
The walk through the forest is absolutely magical, especially early evening as the sun starts to go down and shines through the trees. Don’t forget, it isn’t quite summer yet, so if you’re here in the evening, you’ll want to dress appropriately for the weather.
When you arrive at the campsite, you’ll be greeted by a friendly team, who will check and scan your food festival tickets. Make sure you have these downloaded to your phone or printed, as phone signal is extremely poor in the area.
What to expect from five weekends of flavour
Two new food zones have been created to help visitors navigate the menu with a Wildfire area dedicated to chefs cooking over open flames and Feasts from the East showcasing the diversity of Asian flavours on offer.
New things to look out for this year include two new food zones – the Wildfire area dedicated to chefs cooking over open flames and Feasts from the East showcasing the diversity of Asian flavours on offer.
The festival also has new traders this year including Bristol’s award-winning Gourmet Warriors, Brecon’s Hill’s Burgers and Westlands BBQ bringing the world’s only vintage 1951 BBQ hot rod. They’ve also worked with independent drinks producers to curate a bar offer that matches the food line-up’s local and sustainable ethos.
Organisers have partnered with Newport’s Tiny Rebel for beers (including non-alcoholic) on the main bar and local and sustainable spirits from Welsh rum Barti-Du, gin and vodka from B Corp the East London Liquor Co, Fairtrade liquors from Fair and El Sueno sustainable tequila. Bristol’s Bubble Bros will bring their frizzante bar offering semi-sparkling wine on tap.
Soft drinks include the launch of a new Street Food Circus brand hibiscus lemonade with 10p from every sale donated to support the Flying Seagull Project, a charity which sends clowns, musicians and entertainers to create safe environments for play and laughter in challenging and desperate situations, in the UK and around the world.
Full list of vendors at Forest Feastival 2024
Main course
- Bao Selecta – freshly-steamed bao buns
- Bare Bones Pizza – wood-fired pizza and fries
- Ceylon & Beyond – Sri Lankan street food
- El Cabron Tacos – 10-hour braised Birria tacos
- Fire & Flank – sous vide flank steak with cheesy garlic mash
- Gourmet Warriors – award-winning tacos
- Hill’s Burgers – multi-award winners, using some of the best producers in Wales
- Holy Chesus – purveyors of the finest grilled cheese
- Keralan Karavan – unique jazzed up Southern Indian kitchen
- Mandala Street Food – Himalayan-inspired recipes and locally sourced ingredients
- Mr Noodle – introducing a new Korean Fried chicken Ramen
Credit: Rhys Gregory / Wales 247
- Packed Sarnies – Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches, dripping in gravy
- Sin Nombre – fresh tacos, fresh flavours and fresh ingredients
- The Jerk Yard – authentic Jerk chicken and curried goat
- Two Lads Kitchen – authentic Afghan street food
- Westlands BBQ – serving from the Smoking Rat, the world’s only custom built BBQ Hot Rod
- Kebabalanche – Cooked over the grill, fresh wrapped and unwrapped kebabs
Dessert
- Church of Churros – buckets of churros and Spanish chocolate sauce
- Minto’s Desserts – patisserie from the Bake off The Professionals winner
- Pwdin – classic puddings like warm Belgian chocolate brownie
- Rebel Crumble – a boozy twist on the traditional crumble
The Forest Feastival After Dark sessions happen every Friday and Saturday evenings as we bring the woodlands to life with music and DJs under the canopy lights or around the communal campfires.
Tickets are on sale now, starting from £5 at streetfoodcircus.co.uk.
