Fine food and plenty of family entertainment will be served up this weekend at the LegenDerry Food Festival which will take over Derry’s Guildhall Square for three days of foodie fun from Saturday March 15 – Monday March 17.
Celebrate St Patrick’s weekend in style and treat your taste buds to an array of gourmet delights served up by some of the biggest names in Irish cuisine, including Rachel Allen, Neven Maguire, Paula McIntyre and Brian McDermott.
They will be cooking up a storm in the huge marquee kitchen alongside a whole host of local talent, who will work their magic on the finest local produce courtesy of some of the North West’s quality food producers. Find out more about the real treasures of the deep with the Loughs Agency who will be serving up some of the finest oysters from Lough Foyle at their famous Oyster Bar.
And there will be plenty of live entertainment and fun for all the family throughout the weekend, with animation and children’s crafts to keep the little ones amused while you sample some mouth watering morsels hot from the galley kitchen.
Tourism Officer with Derry City Council Mary Blake, said there would be something to entertain all the family. “Parents are always looking for things to do, especially when the children are off school, so we are delighted to be able to offer such a diverse programme of events guaranteed to appeal to all ages during the LegenDerry Food Festival.
“As well as our impressive line-up of top chefs who will be wowing the grown-ups with their exciting array of dishes, there will be plenty of treats and activities for the youngsters throughout the entire weekend. I would encourage everyone to come along and treat the family to a weekend of festive fun and a celebration of the region’s finest food.”
Enjoy a gastronomic feast of festival charm served up by the stilted Cake Ladies, whose fun antics are served up with lashings of glamour. Mind your fingers as our Juggling Chef demonstrates his death defying skills with razor sharp knives and out of date cucumbers, and shows off his ability to cook anything from a pot noodle to a pot noodle with soy sauce! Then meet Derry’s own domestic goddess Majella Lousing, whose hunger for fame is almost as strong as her fondness for food, and who makes Nigella seem tame.
Other colourful characters include the Singing Chef and the Candy Girls, who will bring an air of sophistication to the event along with local talents Ursula and Co and Susan Donaghy.
There will be plenty of activities on the menu to entertain younger visitors with face painting, children’s crafts and balloon modelling. And there will be opportunities for cupcake decorating, talks on nutrition and food heritage, as well as book signings by local and celebrity chefs.
Take a trip across the Peace Bridge to Ebrington Square, which will be transformed for the weekend into a Magical Storytelling Garden, complete with music and magical characters from 12pm – 5pm daily. And youngsters are invited to join the pirate trail at the Playhouse as the Pirate King leads them on an exciting musical adventure to find the Legenderry treasure, with each hunt starting at 12noon, 1.30pm and 3.30pm each day.
Music lovers can soak up the St Patrick’s atmosphere with a serving of traditional music in the Trad Triangle from the 15th – 17th March. Live acts will perform on the main stages in New Market Street , The Craft Village and Waterloo between 1pm – 7pm, and will include the O’Carolans, Eoin Kearns and Derry Comhaltas performers.
And of course don’t forget the major highlight of the weekend – the Spring Carnival Parade which this year celebrates ‘Music, Myth and Magic’ and features over 600 talented local performers.
The parade will take place on the 17th March at 2.30pm, starting at the Queen’s Quay car park, and the festivities will this year be led by the immense Púca – a shape shifting creature of the mountains, followed by fairy folk, magical creatures, giants and many more mythical creatures.
There will be live music and entertainment at a whole host of venues across the city throughout the weekend, so feel free to just take a wander and see where you end up, with plenty of craic agus ceoil to go round.
For more information on all the events taking place from Saturday March 15 – Monday March 17, go to www.derrycity.gov.uk, or www.whatsonderrylondonderry.com