Huge Crowds Gather for Eats and Beats Festival

Surrounded by the stunning backdrop of the Mourne Mountains, huge crowds gathered for the Eats and Beats festival in Newcastle at the weekend.

Food and music lovers descended in their thousands to enjoy delicious local fare and drinks at the Producers Pavilion (sponsored by Lexus Belfast) and music lovers danced their way around two music stages, offering the best of homegrown and world music over the two days.

Festival goers delighted in over 40 local and Northern Irish artisan food producers. Local food and drink producers, experience and hospitality providers delighted food enthusiasts with the superb array of delicious food and craft drinks on offer.

If that wasn’t enough, visitors enjoyed a wonderful line up of cookery demonstrations from the likes of Jenny Bristow, Melissa McCabe and Paul Cunningham who served up a delicious array of local food at the Mourne Flavours Pavilion over the festival weekend.

The incredible music line up offered an eclectic mix of styles and genres creating a big festival vibe across the seaside town throughout the weekend. Newcastle reverberated to the sounds of live music from the likes of Dea Matrona, Paddy Casey, and Belfast’s very own Brian Kennedy who was joined by the Uplifted Gospel, expertly hosted by Ryan Hand and Ripton Lyndsey.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Pete Byrne said, “ Newry, Mourne and Down is becoming well known for its exceptional food and drink offering and it has a strong track record for producing talented and accomplished musicians. Now in its third year, this first-class food and music festival treated locals, visitors and tourists to an unforgettable experience, featuring top-quality cuisine, unique musical performances, alongside a range of fringe events and family-friendly activities.

“The Eats and Beats festival was the perfect finale to the Council’s summer event programme, but the excitement continues for both locals and visitors with the return of the 2024 Amgen Irish Open starting Wednesday, 11 September. To complement the golf tournament, the Council is hosting a Fringe Events programme from Friday 13 September to Sunday 15 September. Full details are available on the Visit Mourne Mountains website https://www.visitmournemountains.co.uk/things-to-do/golf/fringe-events-in-newcastle. Please join us for another weekend of fantastic events”

Jason Hawthorne, Franchise Manager, Lexus Belfast said, “Lexus Belfast is delighted to sponsor the Food Pavilion at the 2024 Eats and Beats Festival for the second consecutive year. The success of last year’s event brought significant exposure to local businesses and musicians, and we are proud to support a festival that emphasises sustainability; a value that aligns closely with our brand’s core principles.”