Tastes of the world come to Birmingham food fair

THE tastes and smells of food from across the world will descend on Birmingham city centre.

The Birmingham International Food Fair has doubled in size following the success of last year’s event and will this year feature around 120 stalls offering tastes from Europe, Australia and the Far East.

The inaugural food fair last year saw around 60 stalls showcasing their wares and attracted 250,000 visitors, boosting the city’s economy to the tune of £6m, according to organisers Birmingham City Council.

Leader Cllr Mike Whitby believes the International Food Fair can develop into one of the major events in Birmingham’s social calendar and play a part in its bid to become UK City of Culture.

“The International Food Fair was a big success last year as visitors enjoyed cuisine from around the world, including the best of British,” he said.

“The feedback was extremely positive for an event that perfectly showcased our multicultural city to visitors from across the globe, enhancing Birmingham’s reputation as a destination city.

“Last year’s visitor figures showed a definite appetite for a summer sister to our now world famous Frankfurt Christmas Market and that event has grown from 200,000 visitors in 2001 to a massive three million last year.

“So, building on a successful start, we promised to further develop the event and this year we’ve doubled the number of stalls.

“The plan is to continue growing the international food fair over a number of years.”

• The second International Food Fair runs from June 10 – 20 and is being held in Victoria Square. It is open from 10am to 9pm and entry is free.

Picture from left: Simon Widdowson from event specialists Event Men and Birmingham City Council leader Cllr Mike Whitby at last year’s fair.