Thousands of people from across the region will descend on the County Durham coast this weekend for the Seaham Food Festival.

The event is being held on Saturday and Sunday (August 6-7) and will see around 100 stalls offering their food and drink, with celebrity chefs also attending with live cooking shows.

Last year the event was extremely popular with queues at food vendors throughout the site.

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Councillor Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We hope people are as excited as we are for the return of Seaham Food Festival. As one of our key cultural events, the festival is set to be the perfect summer weekend full of family-friendly fun and, of course, food.”

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re heading down to the Seaham Food Festival this weekend:

Do I need to have a ticket?

You do not need to have a ticket to enter the free event on either day.

However, organisers are expecting it to be busy so you may wish to plan your day with plenty of time to visit the stalls.

The Northern Echo: The 2021 festival. Picture: DOUG MOODYThe 2021 festival. Picture: DOUG MOODY

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Are there any road closures?

North Terrace (B1287) from the Tempest Road junction to the Marquess Point junction will be closed from 5pm on Friday 5 August to 9pm on Sunday 7 August.

Terrace Green Car Park will also be closed from midnight on Thursday 4 August. Diversions will be in place and council bosses say these will be sign posted.

Is there public transport running?

A park and ride service will be running from the Spectrum Business Park (SR7 7TT) to the town centre.

Buses will depart from the business park from 9.30am and cost £2 for adults and 50p for 5-15 year-olds.

The last return busses will depart the top of Harbour Road at 5.30pm on Saturday (August 6) and 4.30pm on Sunday (August 7).

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Which celebrity chefs will be there?

There are a host of celebrity chefs set to make appearances at the event’s cookery theatre.

Stars on the bill include: Chris Bavin, host of BBC1’s Eat Well For Less; Cherish Finden, judge on Great British Bake Off: The Professionals; and Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt.

There will also be some local culinary talent on display including North East Chef of the Year Kyle Greenwood.

The Northern Echo: Chris Bavin at the 2021 festival. Picture: DOUG MOODYChris Bavin at the 2021 festival. Picture: DOUG MOODY

See the full list of famous chefs appearing at the festival and the timings of their shows here.

What are the timings of the event?

There are no official start and end times for the festival but the first busses to the seafront will leave from 9.30am and the first performances at the cookery theatre on both days will start at 10.30am.

The event is expected to wrap up around 4-5pm both days.

What stalls will there be?

There will be around 100 stalls at the event selling fresh, local produce and artisan foods.

There will also be a wide range of street food sellers and bars providing something for everyone.

A full map can be downloaded from the Food Festival Website.

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Can I take my dog to the food festival?

Dogs are allowed at the Seaham Food Festival but organisers have warned dog owners that there will be large crowds and the event may not be suited to nervous pets.

What will the weather be like?

The Met Office currently expect it to be dry with sun in the morning before clouding over into the afternoon.

There will be lows of around 13C and highs of 18C to 19C on both days with low winds.

Forecasters say there is less than a 5% chance of rain for most of the weekend, increasing to 10% on Saturday between 1pm and 4pm.

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