MALDON'S Smoke and Fire Festival is returning this summer to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
The UK's largest barbecue and outdoor cooking festival will return to Promenade Park on August 15 and 16.
This year, the festival will feature more live fire cooking demonstrations from top chefs.
These include Welsh-based BBQ experts and cookbook authors Sam and Shauna, who star in the BBC series Sam and Shauna's Big Cook-Out.
They will host the sessions alongside pop-up restaurants in BBQ Alley, award-winning street food outlets, and interactive workshops to help visitors improve their skills.
New for 2026 is the Festival BBQ School, a pre-bookable workshop where attendees can try their hand at grilling.
In another first, the festival will host the European Butcher Wars, a theatrical competition showcasing the best butchers in the art and science of butchery.
The Ember Lounge Sessions will return to the festival following a standout debut.
This exclusive area, hosted by award-winning live fire chef James Peck and Māori chef Matt Burgess, will offer an immersive VIP experience with specially curated menus from four internationally renowned fire chefs and pitmasters.
The British Open Freestyle BBQ Championships will also make a return, offering a chance to watch British and European teams compete for a place at the BBQ World Cup.
Daring applicants are invited to take part in the festival's Extreme Eating Challenges of hot chilli and hot wings.
Visitors can enjoy live music throughout the weekend, with a headliner planned for Saturday and some of the UK's best tribute acts performing on Sunday.
There will also be a Family Fun Zone, featuring rides, bouncy castles, and children entertainers for younger festival-goers.
Over the past decade, the Smoke and Fire Festival has welcomed more than 250,000 visitors.
The festival has served up 500,000 plates of food, cooked 100 tonnes of meat, and fired up 1,600 BBQs, smokers, and grills.
More than 3,000 raw chillies and up to 5,000 hot wings have been consumed in the festival's extreme eating challenges.
Read more
The festival has also poured 300,000 drinks and hosted 300 chefs, pitmasters, and butchers, with 85 dogs taking part in agility challenges.
In total, the festival has generated more £55,000 for charities.
Tickets for the festival are available for purchase directly from the Smoke and Fire Festival website.
Camping packages are also available exclusively at Maldon.
Share