The annual Stone Food & Drink Festival, which will this year take place on 15th & 16th July at Kibblestone Scout Camp, is celebrating having signed a record number of sponsors this year.
The event, which is run as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, relies on sponsorship to meet the huge costs associated with its set-up and running. With the event having to relocate this year due to development work on its usual Westbridge Park site, securing sponsorship was more important than ever – as festival Chairman, Richard Stevens, explains:
“As a volunteer-run event which is entirely self-funded, sponsorship from local businesses is an important revenue stream for the festival. The move to Kibblestone and rising costs across the board due to the global financial climate have meant that securing sponsorship was even more essential this year. We are delighted to say that we have more sponsors on board than ever before and are humbled by the generosity of local businesses. Every penny will be ploughed back into the event to ensure that it’s a great foodie day out for everyone involved.”
This year’s lead sponsor is Stone-based logistics specialist Drac Group, which started in 2009 with three staff working from an office in Stone High Street and is now based out of its 32,000 sq ft HQ on Stone Business Park where it currently employs 33 staff, with storage and distribution sites across the UK.
The Live Music Stage, which will see a host of great live bands perform over the big weekend, is being jointly sponsored by Stone live music venue and bistro Granville’s and Stoke SEAT specialist, Barlow Motors. The Demonstration Kitchen, where crème de la crème of Staffordshire chefs perform on the hour, every hour is being sponsored by local waterside eatery Aston Marina and the Talks & Tastings Tent – which offers a packed, informative programme, is being supported by Stone-based Industrial Engineering and Installation Services (IEIS).
An essential addition to this year’s logistics, the free Shuttle Bus service which will run throughout the weekend ferrying visitors from several stops around Stone town centre to Kibblestone is being sponsored by Stonegate Wealth Management.
Other sponsors include Roo’s Cocktail Bar, Six Towns Gin, Griffin & Gray and BEAR coffee bar which will run pop-up bars at Kibblestone, while Austin & Roe Estate Agents, Stone Scaffolding, Moddershall Oaks, Canal Cruising Co, Dave Fox Cars, Star Private Hire, Rooftop and Brown’s Recycling are also supporting the event.
The 2023 Stone Food & Drink Festival will take place on Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th July. Advance early bird tickets are available online here
