Comber Earlies Food Festival | Activities

Click here for information on | Comber Earlies Food Festival Quiet Hour | Comber Earlies Food Festival Plan Your Trip | Comber Earlies Frequently Asked Questions | Comber Earlies Site Description

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Saturday 20 June 2026

Comber Leisure Centre Car Park | 11am - 5pm

Part of Taste Summer in Ards and North Down 2026, 17-28 June

This is a FREE event - no ticket required to attend the event.*

Comber Earlies Food Festival is organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council and supported through collaboration with Comber Regeneration Community Partnership - CRCP and Comber Earlies Growers' Co-operative. 

The annual Comber Earlies Food Festival is a wonderful day out filled with family fun, cookery demos in the Festival Kitchen and activities that celebrate the Comber Earlies potato which holds PGI Status. 

Returning to Comber Leisure Centre Car Park on Saturday 20 June, 11am - 5pm enjoy a wealth of artisan food and drink stalls, vintage tractor display, celebrity chef demos, children's entertainment and lots more foodie favourites at this free family event! 

Come along to Comber and celebrate its famed potato, with chefs showcasing their culinary talents, discussions with food heroes, live music throughout the day, and an Artisan Bar – why not try a local beer brewed by McBride’s in the Square, Comber as well as other breweries from the area? A festival not to be missed! 

Only alcohol purchased at the event can be consumed on the event site. (For more information on safe alcohol consumption, visit the Drink Aware website).

Quiet hour from 10am – 11am

New for 2026, a quiet hour will be introduced from 10am–11am, welcoming people with a disability, neurodiverse conditions, carers and parents/guardians.

This hour offers a calmer environment with reduced noise and gentler activity levels. This new feature aims to make the event more inclusive and comfortable for those who prefer a slower pace.

To support this, capacity during Quiet Hour will be reduced and entry will operate on a first‑come, first‑served basis. 

During Quiet Hour:

• All stalls will remain open
• Vintage tractor display
• Ride-on tractors
• Soil pit and sensory play with Little Learners
• Creative workshops with Mrs Maker (potato printing, eco crafts)
• Golden spud treasure hunt

>> Explore our Quiet Hour page to find out more

We kindly ask attendees to consider whether this session is the right fit for them, helping to preserve a calm experience for those who need it most.
 
After this quiet hour, the event will officially open at 11am with a fun-filled programme running through to 5pm.

A note for dog owners:
While Quiet Hour offers a calmer environment, the site becomes very busy and noisy once the main event opens and throughout the day. For this reason, we do not recommend bringing dogs. Trained assistance dogs are welcome.

If you do choose to attend with your dog, they must remain on a short lead at all times. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs and disposing of waste in the appropriate bins.

Everyone is welcome, come enjoy the event at your own pace!

Please note: there will be a quiet area available throughout the event, please ask a member of event staff who will bring you to the area.

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*Comber Earlies Food Festival is a free to attend event. Charges will apply to stall purchases

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Festival Kitchen and Meet the Producers Kitchen

Watch live demonstrations throughout the day in the 2026 Festival Kitchen

11am - 5pm
We’re delighted to welcome Nathan Anthony, No. 1 bestselling author and creator of the hugely popular Bored of Lunch platform. 

See Nathan in action and pick up recipe inspiration, tips and tricks to try at home. Click here to read more about Nathan.

Joining him will be chefs from the borough and beyond, including South Eastern Regional College, Jim Mulholland from No. 14 Georgian House, Comber, Andrew Turner from The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, Johnny from Krumb Bakery, and MasterChef 2026 participant Adam Morrison.

Meet the Producers Kitchen with Lotte Duncan

12noon – 5pm

We’re also pleased to welcome Lotte back to Comber at the Meet the Producers Kitchen. A leading authority on English cooking, with over 30 years’ experience, she brings expertise, warmth and humour to her television and live presentations. 

Throughout the day, Lotte Duncan will feature products and ingredients from local NI producers in her cookery demonstrations, guiding you through her curated recipes that you can try at home.

Schedule

(timings subject to change)

12:00 noon – Raspberry and Rose Fool

With Wayne Adair (Papas Minerals), featuring Will Taylor (Glastry Farm Ice Cream)
A fresh, layered dessert of raspberries and softly whipped cream, enhanced with Irish Sisters Raspberry amd Rose Cordial.

Also at 12:00 noon – Ice Cream Soda Demonstration

Lavender and Strawberry / Raspberry and Rose Ice Cream Sodas
Refreshing soda floats made with Papa’s flavoured sodas, Glastry Farm ice cream, fresh fruit, and Mallow Makers marshmallows.

>> Recipe: Raspberry and Rose Fool With Lavender and Strawberry Ice Cream Soda

1:00pm – Savoury Cheesy Pudding

With Laura Bradley (Indie Füde), featuring Jonny and Sadhbh (Krumb Bakery)
A light, soufflé-style baked pudding combining artisan cheeses, beer mustard, and breadcrumbs for a rich, comforting dish.

>> Recipe: Savoury Cheesy Pudding

2:00pm – Best Ever Sticky Sausages and Seasonal Mashes

With Olivia Stewart (Habanero Steve’s), featuring Robbie Neill (Stonebridge Farm)
Stonebridge sausages glazed in bold Habanero Steve’s relishes, served with a variety of Mash Direct potato dishes.

>> Recipe: The Best Sticky Sausages and Many Mashes Ever!

3:00pm – Comber Earlies Summer Potato Salad

With Alex Lyttle (Lyttle Leaves) and Richard Orr (William Orr and Sons) and Luca Montorio (Peppup)
A warm potato salad featuring Comber Earlies, fresh local greens and herbs, Peppup gherkins, and a creamy dressing, finished with crispy Stonebridge bacon.

Recipe: Comber Earlies Potato Salad

4:00pm – Lemon, Lime and Rum Cheesecake with Mallow Fluff

With Ingrid Maxwell (Mallow Makers) and Copeland Distillery
A zesty no-bake cheesecake infused with citrus and Copeland Rum, topped with caramelised Mallow Makers marshmallow fluff.

>> Recipe: Lemon, Lime, Rum Coconut Cheesecake with Mallow Fluff

Find out more about Lotte and explore further recipe's from previous years here.

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Stretch Tent 

11am-5pm | Comber Earlies Tasters

By SERC and on the Food Producers Stage

South Eastern Regional College chefs will provide a variety of delicious tasters that you can try recreating at home.

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Recipe inspiration

There are many ways to cook these famous potatoes, here is some inspiration for you to try at home - Comber Earlies recipes.

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Food and Drink Stalls

Expect stalls from a variety of local providers. A list of vendors and their product range is available here.

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Comber Earlies Food Festival Passport

If you are planning to join us on Saturday 20 June in Comber, make sure you pick up your Comber Earlies Food Festival Passport from 11am – 5pm to enjoy lots of fun around the town. Visit 10 locations around the town and get your passport stamped at each participating business!

Click here to view the full list of participating businesses!

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Children’s Activities 

Street Theatre Entertainment

Mr and Mrs Potato love Comber Earlies so much, they are coming back this year - this is their moment to shine, at an event that celebrates potatoes! And, they want to celebrate with everyone... yes, that means you!

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Music Entertainment

On Stage

12noon - 2pm | Wookalily | Five women, ten instruments. Daring to dissolve musical and generic boundaries. Irreverently intertwining the disciplines of blues, rock, punk and more to create a unique and singular musical menagerie that must be witnessed to be truly experienced. 

3pm - 5pm Batesy & The Deadly Rhythm | A four-piece powerhouse blending the grit of country rock with the soul of rhythm and blues. Hailing from Belfast, the band delivers raw, foot stomping energy wrapped in heartfelt storytelling and tight, groove driven musicianship.

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Travel

Did you know that there is are Free Event Shuttle Buses to avail of from a variety of locations?

Find out more >> Plan your trip

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗔𝗘𝗥𝗔’𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲.

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Please note

- Details are subject to change.

- This event is being photographed/filmed. Images may be used in Ards and North Down Borough Council promotional material. If you do not want your image to be used, please inform our event staff

- This event is a no drone zone. Only official event drones authorised by the event organisers are permitted

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Make a Break of it and Stay a While 

Stay a while and take a break on our shores. Relax in the beauty of this place, offering everything from 5 star luxury to cosy guest houses or unique self-catering options, maybe camping and caravanning is more your thing, let us help you plan your perfect getaway. 

Find out more in our Plan Your Trip section.

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Sustainability
Ards and North Down Borough Council is committed to reducing our carbon footprint. We encourage visitors to travel via public transport, there are fresh water stations on site bring along refillable water bottles, reusable bags to pick up goodies at the event and please dispose rubbish in the correct bins when on-site.

Read more about our Roadmap to Sustainability and Recycling at Council-run Events in Ards and North Down.