Free Caribbean and African food festival set to take over Leeds Kirkgate Market in Covid-recovery boost

Hosted by The Cultural Arts Heritage Circle (Nubian Noire), the free event promises an array of national dishes, live entertainment and wellbeing workshops.

It will be held at the market's food hall from 10am-5pm on Saturday August 28.

There will be goody bags for children, live chef demonstrations and a host of independent traders serving recipes passed down through generations.

The event's organiser Dionne Edwards is the project manager and cultural producer of Cultural Arts Heritage Circle, a not-for-profit organisation established in 2019.

It works to support BAME businesses and young entrepreneurs to push through social and economic boundaries, and tackles inequalities which have surfaced in the pandemic.

Dionne told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "The onslaught of Covid-19 has affected businesses massively, in particular black businesses in the hospitality industry. I wanted to give them a boost and help them to embrace new clientele.

"When a lot of people think about Caribbean food, they think about jerk chicken, but it's so much more diverse than that. There will be an array of food on offer, from Barbadian to Gambian.

"There will be Calypso music and with Carnival not happening this year, it keeps it low-key but gives people something to look forward to."

The event is free, but registration is required here.

Any vendors wanting to trade at the event can contact Dionne at [email protected].

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