Food festivals, local farmers’ markets, harvest festivals and events like flea and Sunday markets have always fascinated me. They tend to showcase local art, craft, produce and provide a great insight into the culture and heritage of a place. I always try and visit these events for their novel and sometimes unconventional appeal.
While visiting Manchester a few years ago, I happened to read about the Chocolate festival at Ramsbottom which was taking place around the same time. Quite excited at the idea of visiting a chocolate festival for the first time, we quickly looked up the directions for the tiny town of Ramsbottom from Manchester. A quaint town with the typical old world charm, Ramsbottom is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. The town is famous for the annual chocolate festival normally held on the weekend before Easter.
Arriving at the town center on a rather cold weekend, I was amazed to see the town center teeming with stalls full of absolutely delectable goodies. The stalls were buzzing with activity with enthusiastic store owners attending to eager adults and children alike. The whole idea of a fun filled chocolate themed weekend made me feel, quite literally, like a kid lost in a candy store!!!
The wares on display were truly creative, colorful and of course lip smacking. From cup cakes to chocolate pizzas to specially curated cookies and chocolates to the handmade lip balms and soaps, everything looked incredible.
An ideal family outing, we spent about half a day before doing a quick round of the other delightful little stores in the town center that were open that day.
The winner of the prized Manchester Tourism Award for the Best Small Event in 2012, festival has been getting bigger and better each year ever since it started in 2009. Slated to take place this year on the 19th and 20th of March, it is little wonder that this festival is in the top 10 chocolate festivals in Europe!
More information on this years’ festival can be obtained here.
You can read about my other posts on harvest and food festivals by clicking here and here.
Sounds yummy,thanks for posting, I hadn’t heard of the festival before so might take a look this year,
Thanks Marion, glad you liked this post. I hope you can visit it this year.
Looks very chocolicious!
Yes Swami it is:) If you like chocolate, this sure is a treat.
Wowzers; there’s chocolate and then there’s chocolate! Chocolatiers are amazing artists. We’ve never heard of this festival, but it would be interesting to see how much vegan chocolate they have going! Thanks for sharing Rashmi and have a great weekend. 🙂
Thanks Alex and Lynn. I am sure they must be having the vegan variety also now, considering the festival has been expanding.
Glad you like the post!
wow! chocolate festival ?! seems like the place to be for people like me 🙂
Yes Archya:) I felt like that too:)
These look so yummy! Wish I could be there!
Yes Arun; it is really nice:)
Yummy festival.
Yes Arun:) Thanks for reading.
It must be a weak point for many 🙂 awesome information 🙂
Thank you Shweta:)
Oh my goodness, this only looks like the best festival on earth!! #jealous 😉
Yes Reeanna:) It is a great idea for a family outing as well.
I could cry right now. I would love to visit the festival. It all looks so great and funny.
Xx Blue Ducklings
http://www.blueducklings.wordpress.com
🙂
that is a treat 🙂
Yes, a very yummy one:)
That sounds amazing! Before reading this article I did not know that there is even something like a choocolate Festival, hahaha 😀
Yes it is quite amazing:) Thanks for your comments.
interesting info…
It is quite a unique festival:)
[…] Ramsbottom chocolate festival: joyful indulgence […]
Wow! looks yummy. Wish I could be there. 🙂
Yes it is; thanks for reading:)
So tempting!!! Delicious post 🙂
Thank you:)
Wow ~ All that chocolate looks fabulous!
A chocolate festival sounds amazing! My only problem is that I’d walk out with buckets of chocolates and broke…but worth it 😉
Yes Nilla; it is a nice and unique event. We too bought a lot of chocolates:)