Waitrose – Summer Festival

01 Sep
Bringing you the latest and greatest campaigns from around the world, EventStream keeps you up to date on the world of experiential marketing events. We show you behind the curtain, taking a closer look at the tactics  – today, we’re taking a look at the very first Waitrose Summer Festival…

Gearing up for a huge end to the summer, Waitrose are planning to host their first summer festival, August 18th-20th, featuring a host of pop-up kitchens, masterclasses, workshops and activities, with a focus on health, wellbeing, cookery and much more.

 

Waitrose – Summer Festival

 

The Aim

To give guests an inside like into the Waitrose brand, and meet the people behind the food.

 

What Are They Doing?

Taking place between 18th-20th August at the brand’s own Leckford Estate, Waitrose’s Summer Festival is set to be a cavalcade of enjoyment, giving guests the chance to meet the chefs behind the food and see them in action; take part in cookery masterclasses; and sample a range of culinary tastes.

Speaking of tastes, a plethora of different pop-up kitchens serving delights from barbecue and sushi, to stone baked pizza and artisan cheese, will be available for hungry visitors. Similarly, to wash your food down, a variety of beers, ales, ciders, spirits and sparkling wines are on sale to wet the pallet.

For those who are more horticulturaly inclined, the Summer Festival will have its own ‘Festival Garden’ masterclass, taken by gardening expert Adam Pasco, aimed to help guests build a garden that’s attractive to all species – which is then followed by a tour of the estate’s own water garden.

There’s even something for the little ones: junior cooking classes, a chance to meet the Gruffalo himself, and a colouring wall are all on offer to keep them from running wild.

The line-up of celebrity chefs and “foodies” for the Summer Festival is star-studded to say the least:

  • Food writer William Sitwell, 
  • TV chef John Whaite,
  • International chef Ching-He Huang,
  • Tw0 Michelin star chef Atul Kochhar,
  • Italian chef Antonio Carluccio,
  • Martha Collison the youngest ever Great British Bake Off contestant

There will even be a special sundown set from London-based Soho Radio to give it a true festival feel.

 

Head of marketing for Waitrose, Rupert Ellwood, said on the subject:

“From the very best food, to our knowledgeable partners and the passion of our produces, we wanted to show customers what it is that makes Waitrose special. We are proud supporters of British farming and our farm at Leckford Estate is the perfect venue to showcase this.”

 

Why Do We Like It?

Firstly, by building effective retail partnerships, Waitrose enjoy a wide array of celebrity chefs and food industry experts to call upon for their first event. This not only gives the Summer Festival impressive credentials, it also enables Waitrose to offer a small number of high-quality attractions rather than just “more of the same”.

At the same time, they haven’t made the classic mistake of trying to do too much in their first event, instead the simple format is awash with quality activities that help bring customers closer to the brand – epitomised by the selection of Leckford Estate, Waitrose’s own farm, as the venue, demonstrating a willingness to let customers inside the brand.


With Waitrose’s Summer Festival added to the list, this summer is certainly heating up – if you liked this article, don’t forget to share it with your connections.

Or, if you’re looking into experiential marketing for your brand, get in touch today, we’re here to help.