Pink Island Cafe brings a splash of colour to Nelson Food & Drink Festival this Saturday

Nelson is set to come alive this Saturday as the Nelson Food and Drink Festival returns to the town centre from 10am to 4pm, offering a vibrant day filled with flavour, entertainment and family fun, all completely free to attend.

Among the highlights, the world-famous Pink Island Cafe will be making a special appearance with its dazzling Pink Island Express. Based in Stockport, Pink Island Cafe is renowned for its incredible ‘Instagrammable’ menu, bold pink restaurant, and is part of the P.Louise Makeup Academy.

Owner and celebrity chef Naem Rafiq, who is originally from Nelson and has cooked for stars and top footballers, will be on hand to serve delicious hot and cold food from his iconic pink food truck.

Naem said: “I’m originally from Nelson, so bringing the Pink Island Express back to my hometown means so much to me. I can’t wait to support the festival and share a taste of Pink Island with the community in Nelson Town Centre.”

The festival programme is packed with live cooking demonstrations by TikTok sensation and bestselling cookbook author Zaynah Din, who has amassed more than 8.4 million likes for her creative foodie videos.

At 11:30am, Zaynah will kick things off with her signature Chicken Karahi, bursting with spices and flavour.

At 1pm, she will demonstrate how to make a quick and delicious two-ingredient naan, sharing tips on how to achieve the perfect texture and taste with minimal ingredients. The demos will conclude at 3pm with her vibrant and spicy Chilli Paneer, blending bold flavours and fresh ingredients for a real crowd-pleaser.

Adding to the entertainment, visitors will also enjoy a dazzling performance from Bollywood dance group Desi Nach at 2pm. The event will officially open at 10am, led by the Mayor of Pendle, with the town centre bustling throughout the day with stalls offering everything from ice cream, spiral potatoes and Korean corn dogs to Karak tea, Cannoli and much more.

There will also be a variety of craft stalls, as well as face painting and henna.

Children can also take part in a #ShopLocal Competition, where under-12s will be challenged to collect stamps from six local shops before handing in their entries at the organiser’s gazebo on the day. Competition booklets have already been delivered to local schools and nurseries and can also be downloaded from the Nelson Food & Drink Festival website.

Coun Sughra Bibi, chair of Nelson Town Council, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back to the Nelson Food & Drink Festival. It’s a fantastic celebration of food, culture and community, and we’re especially excited to have Pink Island Cafe, Zaynah Din, and so many local traders joining us this year. It promises to be a wonderful day for the whole family.”

The Nelson Food & Drink Festival is proudly sponsored by Nelson Town Council and Sugden Ltd.

To keep up to date with the festival, visit www.nelsonfoodfestival.co.uk

To learn more about Sugden Ltd, visit: https://sugden.ltd.uk/