Second servings for South Shields' Proper Food Festival as bank holiday event welcomes diners
The Proper Food Festival has returned to Bents Park for the second time this month, with the three-day event welcoming people once again to a host of stalls and counters.
Mark Deakin organises the event with wife Shelley, with plans already well under way for the next visit to the town, when the Great North Feast will be hosted in the same park during the August Bank Holiday.
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Hide Ad"Today has been very good, as always, and this is one of our favourites, it's a great site, the events team has made us very welcome, and it's got a really nice atmosphere.
"It's free, it's got a good selection of street food stalls, around 25 or 26 around the field, and a celebration of food from around the world.
"We're already working on the August event, which will be a bit different, it'll be on later, some special events, a marquee, a singalong and a bierkeller, so that'll be good.
"But as for this weekend, it's a no brainer, it's free and friendly and there's lots to chose from."
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Hide AdSean McMullan, 49, a teacher at Fellgate Primary, and his son Harry, 12, a pupil at St Wilfrid's RC College, enjoyed a lunch from Fat Hippo after cycling down to the park from their South Shields home.
Sean said: "It's nice and it's something extra and an event for the seafront.
"It brings people into the town and it's free."
The event has also seen a number of live acts perform to people as they have tucked into their street food or taken a rest from shopping at the stalls.
Raine Ling, 24, who is from the Ocean Beach showmans' site, and Abby Pagan, 24, who is also from South Shields, served up customers on the Traditional German Sausage stall.
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Hide AdRaine said: "We do this festival every year, the atmosphere is buzzing, it's a nice place to have a festival.
"It's good to see such a wide range of people coming together, there's all ages, and everyone's so well mannered, it makes it a really good day out."
Abby added: "A lot of people come back because they liked it last time and recommend it to other people and it does just have a nice feel about it."
Tomorrow's festival will run from 10am until 5pm.