On Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th of July, the Portsmouth Food and Craft Festival will be taking place and there will be absolutely loads to see and do there.
The festival celebrates everything Thai, and I do mean everything. Thai food, Thai massage, traditional Thai music and dancing, Muay Thai boxing, and there’s even a ladyboy show! Plus, a real Buddhist monk sets the whole thing off with a traditional blessing.
This is an opportunity to really immerse yourself in another culture and have loads of fun while you are doing it. Entertainment runs throughout the day, including a dedicated children’s play area, and even well behaved dogs on leads are welcome.
A company called Magic of Thailand are behind the event, and they run similar festivals in other locations around the country, so it’s a well oiled machine. It’s been going since 2012 too, so the festival is very well planned and attracts some big names from Thailand to come and perform on the stage.
There’s nothing else quite like the Thai Food and Craft Festival.
Southsea Common Location
The festival will be held on Southsea Common, which as locals will know, is a beautiful location popular with other festivals too. It’s especially beautiful there in July, assuming the weather doesn’t give us any surprises.
It only costs £6 for entry, and kids under 15 get in for free. Of course, there will be other things to spend your money on once you are inside, but there is plenty going on for free, too. You can buy food, produce, crafts, clothing and more, all Thai of course.
Oh and it’s well worth pointing out that your entry ticket also gets you a ticket to the raffle, where the grand prize is flights to Thailand! Not bad, huh? However, this only applies to tickets bought online in advance, so while you can pay on the door, there’s potentially a free holiday in it for you if you book ahead.
The festival opens its gates at 10:00am and runs until 7:00pm, so you can come for a morning, and afternoon, or spend the whole day there.