Street Food Circus is set to return this spring, kicking off a calendar of five family-friendly events that promise to celebrate the best street food, great days out and good times together in epic coastal, castle, and woodland settings across south Wales. The 2026 season also sees the launch of a new offer designed just for kids, the Little Kooks Club.
Building on its 10th-anniversary season last year, the 2026 season marks the next chapter for Street Food Circus, which has spent over a decade providing a vital platform for some of Wales’ best-known chefs and street food businesses. The new programme is built around offering high quality days out for the whole family, and opportunities to make memories and share new experiences together.
The new Little Kooks Club is a place for curious kids who love to eat and cook, try new things, circus skills, and creative challenges that encourage exploration around the events. Joining the Little Kooks Club, younger festival-goers will get access to additional activities around the site and get a backpack to take home with challenges, ideas and stories inspired by the circus to keep them cooking, creating and playing with food. Kid’s tickets (under 16s) for all of the events are free, with the option to join the Little Kooks Club for an additional fee when booking event tickets.
This year all of the traders will also be creating a dish on their menu specially for kids.
Street Food Circus has built a reputation for curating Wales’ best known chefs and street food businesses, bringing them to new audiences across the region. This year’s roster of rotating traders across all five events includes SFC regulars, Welsh and British Street Food Award winners and some new names to the Welsh street food scene – from the best burgers and fire-baked pizzas to cuisine from India, Mexico, Venezuela, Sri Lanka and China.
Traders for 2026 include the return of Hang Fire BBQ and SFC debutants Mama Lala Sichuan street food along with regulars such as Two Lads Afghan Street Food, The Dough Thrower, The Bone Cartel, Mar y Fuego, The Queen Pepiada, Pasta a Mano and Burger Bros with sweet options from Paletas Mexican-style ice lollies and Drizzle desserts and soft serve.
Street Food Circus founder and ringmaster Matt the Hat said:
“All of our events are built on a foundation of the very best street food chefs that we can find. Our mission has always been to provide a platform for that talent, and to take them to places where people would not usually find them.
“This year, we’re also really focusing on how we continue to build the experience around those culinary moments. We know that people are looking for the full package – a great day out where everything is taken care of. We want people to know that when they’re with us, they can just relax and enjoy great food and entertainment for all ages. It’s a reason to bring family and friends together, to share moments, connect and make memories.
“We can’t wait to hit the road again, taking in some of the most unique festival sites in Wales, from forests and beaches to castles and harbours,” he said.
Street Food Circus 2026 – what to expect
Forest Feastival: 17 April – 10 May
Street Food Circus is pitching up in the beautiful Candleston Woods on the Merthyr Mawr Estate for four long weekends of an open-air dining experience. This outdoor gathering features some of the best street food traders and chefs from Wales and beyond, cooking a global feast beneath the canopy. Beyond the food, expect a big day out in nature with roaming circus performers, a kids’ circus school, laid-back music, and communal marshmallow fire pits.
The Big Banquet: 22 – 25 May bank holiday weekend
Roll up for a weekend of feasting, fun, and a full-on festival atmosphere inside the historic walls of Caldicot Castle for the late May Bank Holiday. A travelling caravan of celebrated street food chefs will serve dishes from across the world, brought together around long communal tables. Built for all ages, the event includes a free kids’ circus school, high-wire performances, bubble discos, and a spectacular evening fire show.
Summer Feastival: 19 – 21 June
Street Food Circus returns to Pembrey Country Park for a weekend of great food, sea air, and long evenings over the Summer Solstice. Situated between eight miles of golden sand and a park packed with adventure (including a dry ski slope, toboggan rides, miniature railway and nature trails), the Feastival offers a gathering of some of the best street food traders, serving a rolling feast from morning until sunset. With an on-site campsite, visitors can make a weekend of it.
Fantastic Fete: 31 July – 9 August
A giant village fête reimagined for the 21st century, Fantastic Fete takes over the grounds of St Donat’s Castle for two consecutive summer-holiday weekends. The castle grounds will be filled with feasting, silly games, performances, and all the joyful chaos of a classic British summer day, all served with the best street food. Expect food from across the world, roaming entertainment, curious competitions, and plenty to keep every age happily occupied.
Harbour Feastival: 4 – 6 September
Street Food Circus drops anchor in Saundersfoot Harbour this September for a weekend of sea air, street food, and tall tales. A global fleet of traders serves dishes from across the world while circus pirates climb rigging, music rolls across the water, and the harbour fills with the sound of laughter and shanties. The event promises gravity-defying pirate circuses, DJs, and plenty for small sailors and seasoned sea dogs alike.
Street Food Circus After Dark
On weekend evenings, the atmosphere shifts with all of the events taking on a more grown-up child-out festival feel with guest DJs, great drinks and special touches from communal campfire to spectacular fire shows.
