The Watercress Festival is back!

It’s back! The brilliantly bonkers British bash, otherwise known as the Alresford Watercress Festival, will be taking place on Sunday 17 May to mark the start of the UK watercress season, celebrating everything wonderful about watercress.

This free, family friendly event, now in its 17th year, regularly attracts over 17,000 people to the pretty Georgian Market Town which made its wealth from the watercress grown in the beds that surround it. Hitch a ride into town on the Watercress Line steam railway which gained its nickname from its role as transporter of the watercress from Hampshire to London during its Victorian heyday.

All the old favourites are back; the day’s proceedings start with a procession of the newly crowned Watercress King & Queen throwing freshly harvested watercress to the crowds, live cookery demos from local and national celebrity chefs, food and craft stalls galore, live music, children’s entertainment, inspiring talks explaining the unrivaled health benefits of watercress, and the piece de resistance, The World Watercress Eating Championships.  Try being the fastest to eat an 85g bag of watercress and perhaps even beat the Guinness World Record of 32 seconds!

More new activities are planned and will be revealed as they are confirmed. To keep up to speed with what’s on offer, updates on celebrity chefs, timings and parking information, visit Alresford Watercress Festival. In the meantime, be sure to put Sunday 17 May in your diary for a great day out!