THOUSANDS of visitors enjoyed food and drink from around the world and live music at Upton House Food and Drink Festival this weekend.

The event, which ran at Upton Country Park between Friday, June 24 and Sunday, June 26, featured an array of international street food, as well as gin and craft beer bars, arts and crafts, and fun for children.

There was also entertainment on two stages, one featuring regional produce in the hands of chefs hosting cooking shows and demonstrations, the other a host of performers including tributes to David Bowie, Arctic Monkeys, and Madness.

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Event organiser Serena Wren said: “Luckily the weather has held out for us, it's been really nice and dry, we've had thousands of people through the gate which has been brilliant. “People seem really happy to be out, listening to live music, eating some great food, drinking great beer.

“We’ve made sure we have a variation of food from across the world, things like burgers, Greek food, Mauritian food, everything really, a great selection of beers and live music.

“We’ve definitely had more people than we were expecting, we’ve had quite a few people who have just turned up on the day and paid, which is good.”

The food festival offered a range of quality street food traders showcasing food from all around the world, with an array of artisan and local produce from suppliers in Dorset and beyond.

Jack Tiedeman, Cherry Tree Preserves stallholder, said: “It’s an absolutely brilliant event, a lot of families here, smiles on faces, phenomenal food products and lovely music as well, the sun is shining, it doesn’t get much better than this.”

Other stalls also had a place at the festival including the charity Helping Homeless Veterans UK.

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David Wood, CEO and founder of Helping Homeless Veterans UK, said: The event is going really really well, this is the second year I’ve been here and it’s exactly the same as last year.

“It's great to see people having a good time with their family, enjoying themselves and the support that we’re getting is truly humbling, we seem to be getting more and more supporters every time we go to an event.

“This is our first big event of the summer season, we’re looking forward to he Bournemouth Air Festival, Shake and Stir and Folks Fest, so we’ve got a lot of events planned and its great for us to be back out in front of the public, telling them about the work that we’re doing. “We have such a dedicated team of volunteers and I wouldn't be able to do it without them.”