The Bishop Auckland Food Festival has invited traders to apply for a stand ahead of its return in April 2022.
The most recent Food Festival took place in October 2021 so as to be in line with coronavirus restrictions, but is returning to its usual April slot in 2022 - meaning foodies won't have to wait long until another helping of festival fun.
And with MasterChef host John Torode, MasterChef 2021 winner Tom Rhodes and Saturday Kitchen's Joe Hurd all appearing at October's festival, there's much excitement at what could be coming up in April.
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The upcoming offering is set to have celebrity chef demonstrations, cookery workshops, and stalls selling a mixture of local produce and street food from across the globe.
In previous years, the festival has attracted almost 30,000 people to the town, providing a welcome boost for local businesses and traders.
It has also helped to raise County Durham's profile as a visitor destination and along with the county's wider festival and events programme is a key part of the Durham 2025 campaign, which aims to secure the title of UK City of Culture for the whole of County Durham.
Coun Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council's cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: "Over the years, Bishop Auckland Food Festival has grown into one of the biggest and best loved food festivals in the North East.
"It has also become a popular fixture in the national culinary calendar, thanks to its line up of celebrity chefs and County Durham's reputation for high quality and inventive produce.
"We know many food and hospitality businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and so we are delighted to reinstate the festival in its usual April slot.
"North East traders are key to Bishop Auckland Food Festival's success and we hope the event provides a fantastic start to next year's festival season."
How to apply for a stand at the Bishop Auckland Food Festival 2022
Applications to trade at the festival are now open and those wishing to apply can do so online at www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk. The application form requests information details of products, pictures of stall set ups, and web and social links.
It also says: "We focus on producers from the North East, Cumbria and Yorkshire, but will consider traders from outside of these areas if their products are particularly unique, as we like to provide a fresh and new offer for our visitors."
