I love the closing act of autumn. Not only has the garden reached a climax of seasonal colour, but the middle of May also marks the occasion of our big local event here at Hampton – the Hampton Food and Arts Festival. This year I’ve been privileged enough to help out behind the scenes with some marketing/publicity, and I have to tell you, I’ve come away very impressed by the co-operative and professional manner in which the Festival is organised. Congratulations to the all-volunteer organising committee on a job well done (so far!).
Come along and lend your support to a fantastic community event. Festivities kick off from 9.30am in Chapman Park, Hampton, this Sunday May 16th. There’ll be plenty of fine food and wine, fresh produce from local growers, artisanal food products, cooking demos with celebrity chefs, fine art from local artists, textile craft demonstrations, kids activities, and lashings of entertainment from a diverse array of performers. This year, the Festival has secured the talents of renowned jazz singer Grace Knight for the weekend. She’ll be performing at various times throughout Sunday.
Another exciting new aspect to this year’s Festival is a focus on Slow Food. Besides cooking up a storm, celebrity chef Matt Golinski will speak about the Slow Food movement and a special Slow Food stall will invite festival goers to get involved. We’re hoping that we might see the birth of a “High Country Convivium” – a major step toward celebrating the Hampton district’s local food traditions, and encouraging a greater awareness of what we eat, where it comes from, how it tastes, and how our food choices affect others around the world.
See you on Sunday for what promises to be the best Hampton Food and Arts Festival yet!
