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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much does the Festival cost?
When is the Festival open?
Is there a cash machine in the castle?
Is there a bureau de change?
Do you take credit cards?
What happens to the profits?
How do I find accommodation in Ludlow?
Can I book accommodation through you?
Can I bring a coach party or other group?
How do I get a stand in the food and drink fair?
Does everything take place in the castle?
Is there disabled access?
Do you cater for vegetarians?
Where are the car parks?
I don't want to use the Park and Ride, can I park in the town centre?
Can I bring my dog?
Is there anything for children to do?
I don't like large crowds - when is the Festival quietest?
What about the quality of the food and drink at the Festival?
How much does the Festival cost?
The Festival takes place throughout the historic town centre of Ludlow. Many events take place inside Ludlow Castle, and the castle admission prices for the days of the Festival last year were as follows:
Friday 12th September: Adults £5.50
Concessions (Fri. only - see here) £3.50
Groups (see here) £3.50
Children £2.00
Family £13.00
Saturday 13th September: Adults £6.50
Children £2.00
Family £15.00
Sunday 14th September: Adults: £6.00
Children £2.00
Family £14.00
Further information can be found here.
When is the Festival open?
Events outside the castle have their own times which are shown throughout the website.
The castle is open to the public as follows:
Friday 12th September: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
Saturday 13th September: 10.00 am to 6.30 pm
Sunday 14th September: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
Last admission 30 minutes before closing time.
Is there a cash machine in the castle?
No, but there are cash machines at all the major banks, within 5 minutes walk: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, NatWest. There is also a Link machine outside the Post Office (One Stop Shop, Upper Galdeford) (a fee is charged), and a cash machine outside Tesco (the car park side).
Is there a bureau de change?
The Post Office (at the One Stop Shop, Upper Galdeford, next door to Somerfield), and the four banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, NatWest) all have foreign exchange facilities (converting to pounds). These are all within 5 minutes walk of the castle.
Do you take credit cards?
Many individual vendors do take credit cards. But it is always useful to have cash with you! At the entrance to the Castle, payments for admission can only be made with cash, or a personal cheque backed with a bank card. Online ticket sales are now available for payment by credit or debit card, or via Paypal.
What happens to the profits?
Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Any surpluses can only be used for financing the next year's festival, or for otherwise furthering the aims of the festival, which are to promote and assist independent, quality food and drink producers and suppliers in Ludlow and the Marches. Surpluses cannot be paid as dividends to the members. Much of the work of the Festival is done by volunteers. We have one permanent, part-time employee, and a very small number of the workers at the Festival weekend are also paid, for particular reasons.
How do I find accommodation in Ludlow?
A list of accommodation web sites, and other information, can be found here. There are also special camping facilities at Ludlow Town Football Club for the Festival weekend - see here.
Can I book accommodation through you?
No, the Food Festival is unable to help you book accommodation, but please visit our accommodation page for information about accommodation.
Can I bring a coach party or other group?
Yes coach parties - and other groups - are welcome, especially on Friday, which is a bit quieter than the other days, but please help us to help you by contacting us in advance. Discounted prices for groups available on Friday, see here. Please contact the office for more information.
How do I get a stand in the food and drink fair?
Please contact our office for more information. Please also note that we apply strict quality and geographical (the Welsh Marches area ONLY) to applications for stands, and the demand for space far outstrips supply. Contact details.
Does everything take place in the castle?
No, many events take place throughout the town. Visit our What's On section for more information.
Is there disabled access?
Yes, click here for more information
Do you cater for vegetarians?
Yes of course. There is a wide range of vegetable products and vegetarian food for you to sample.
Where are the car parks?
I don't want to use the Park and Ride, can I park in the town centre?
It might be possible to find space in the town centre car parks if you are very lucky, but we don't recommend it. During the Festival the town centre will be very busy and parking difficult, click here for more about Park & Ride. The Park and Ride is definitely the easiest way to get to the Festival if you are coming by car. Please also note that because of the numbers involved, King Street and High Street (the main streets leading to the castle) will be closed to vehicles during the main part of Saturday, for safety reasons. (Pedestrians can have the whole street to themselves.) This means it will be even more sensible to use the Park and Ride!
Can I bring my dog?
Well-behaved dogs are allowed in the castle grounds, but NOT in any marquee or anywhere where food preparation is taking place (except guide dogs for the blind). Festival venues other than the castle each have their own policy regarding dogs, but of course food shops do not normally permit dogs to enter.
Is there anything for children to do?
Most things in the Festival will be suitable for, and of interest to, all the family, apart from alcoholic beverages.
Activities that will be of particular interest to children (and also adults) include the following:
Panic Circus (see here)
Waiters Race (see here)
I don't like large crowds - when is the Festival quietest?
Friday is the quietest day, and the day when trade visitors normally prefer to come. The peak periods are between about 12 and 2.30 on Saturday and Sunday - during these times you may well find the food and drink marquees in the castle are very crowded, and it is suggested that you may wish to visit other festival venues at those times. The first part of the morning and the afternoon from about 3.00 pm onwards are also good times for leisurely inspection of the stands.
What about the quality of the food and drink at the Festival?
This is the most important question of all! We try hard to ensure that all food and drink supplied at, and associated with the Festival, is of the highest taste quality and of the highest standard of production. Except for products and ingredients that clearly have to be brought in from elsewhere - such as coffee, for example - almost all of it is produced by small independent producers from the Welsh Marches area. As well as taste quality which is paramount (it has to taste good, and will almost always taste better than the equivalent from industrialised, globalised large-scale production, and be better for your health), we try to ensure that products are produced with respect to the environment - this doesn't have to mean organic (though organic is good) but it does mean that sustainable production with a minimum of artificial intervention is required. We select the exhibitors at the festival, and the suppliers of take-away food, very carefully, but we cannot examine or analyse every product by every supplier. But any supplier that is found to be supplying food or drink at the festival that does not meet our standards and requirements will be asked to stop doing so - and is very unlikely to be asked to return next year.
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