Arnolfini, Bristol

26th & 27th September 2026

A FESTIVAL OF FOOD IDEAS

WHAT IS FŌDA?

FŌDA is a ‘festival of food ideas’ taking place at the Arnolfini in Bristol this 26th & 27th September.

It incorporates an artisanal Producer Village along the quayside and the launch of The Pony Farm Bus.

The finale is a symposium chaired by founder Josh Eggleton, food writer Xanthe Clay and entrepreneur Roger Saul. Symposium tickets are now on sale.

Tackling some of the big issues around food today - from health to regenerative farming and education - FŌDA will bring together industry professionals, leading experts, grassroot organisations and consumers. Ideas and inspiration will be shared through panel talks, workshops, exhibitions and an independent Producer Village along the waterfront.

Aerial view of a city riverfront with boats moored along the dock, trees with autumn foliage, a historic building, and a busy downtown with modern buildings and streets.
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THE SYMPOSIUM

Our amazing panel of experts hosted by the brilliant Xanthe Clay, Josh Eggleton and Roger Saul - featured inspiring speakers, each sharing their ideas and stories.

land

“The Ground Beneath Everything”
This conversation examines soil as a living system what we’ve stripped from it, what regenerative farming can restore, and why the health of the ground beneath us is inseparable from the future of food itself.

sea

“What We Take, What We Return”
A candid reckoning with how we use the ocean from overfishing to waste and what a shift from extraction to stewardship would actually look like. Equal parts practical and ethical, it asks what we owe back to the ecosystems that sustain us.

air

“The Space Between Us”
Loneliness is an increasingly urgent crisis. This panel explores whether the table can be part of the solution, examining how communal dining, grounded in genuine hospitality can rebuild connection and foster a sense of belonging. Alongside this, the discussion will share practical, real-world ways the table can become a quiet but powerful antidote to isolation

forest

“Why Food Needs Trees”
A deep dive into agroforestry and why trees are fundamental infrastructure for food systems shaping soil health, water cycles, and even flavour. The conversation zooms out to examine how interdependence in nature mirrors what resilient food production actually requires.

Our Speaker Line Up

THE PRODUCER VILLAGE

  • 91 Ways

  • Logo of Black Bee Honey featuring a stylized bee and a flower on a yellow background.

    Black Bee Honey

  • Bocca Di Bianchi

  • Branch Cider

  • Bristol Rum Company Logo

    Bristol Rum Company

  • Brunel Mushroom Company

  • A hot air balloon with a canopy resembling a shell, in black and white, against a white background.

    Catleys

  • Chew Valley Distillery

  • Blue circular logo with the words 'GORNSH' and 'SEASALT' arranged around the circle.

    Cornish Sea Salt

  • DBM Wines

  • Drinks Kitchen

    Drinks Kitchen

  • Colorful abstract logo with interconnected shapes and arrows, spelling out 'IMPACT' in a stylized manner.

    Eat Muti

  • A circular logo with a dark gray background featuring an orange outline of a leaping deer in the center. The text "GROVE GAME" is curved above the deer, and "HILD VENISON" is curved below it, in white capital letters.

    Grove Game Wild Venison

  • Hill & Vale

  • Hugo's logo with an ornate decorative letter H and the text "Hugo's Your Greengrocer for All Seasons".

    Hugos

  • Kaland Coffee

  • LettUs Grow

  • More Wine

    More Wine

  • My burrito kitchen

  • Nanias Vineyard

    Nanias Vineyard

  • nempnett pastures

    Nempnett Pastures

  • Port O’ Bristol

    Port O’ Bristol

  • Redcatch Community Garden

  • Salsa Stories

  • Shorkk

    Shorkk

  • Silhouette of various meat cuts hanging from a rack, including a sausage, a turkey, and a fish fillet, with a knife nearby.

    Somerset Charcuterie

  • Spiegel and Peach

    Spiegel and Peach

  • Spirit of Bristol

  • The Community Farm

  • Veysel

  • Westcombe Charcuterie

  • Westcombe Dairy

  • White Horse Honey

  • Wild West Cider

  • Wild Wine School

    Wild Wine School

  • Green logo featuring a rabbit wearing glasses and a hat, with the word 'WOGAN' underneath.

    Wogan

  • White heart-shaped label with black, green, and black text reading "Yeo Valley Organic".

    Yeo Valley

Want to join our producer village? Get in touch

SATURDAY 26th SEPTEMBER

FREE ENTRY

Our outdoor producer village, showcases local supplier and producers with food to try and buy on the day. There will also be food based art activities and food workshops on The Pony Farm Bus and in Arnolfini’s community workshop.

The Symposium

A symposium of talks featuring inspiring speakers, each sharing their ideas and stories. This is a ticketed event which includes breakfast for the morning session and lunch for the afternoon session.

This is a ticketed event

SUNDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER

FREE ENTRY

Our outdoor producer village, showcases local supplier and producers with food to try and buy on the day. There will also be food based art activities and food workshops on The Pony Farm Bus and in Arnolfini’s community workshop.