Karoo Food Festival to celebrate regional cuisine

The Karoo Food Festival returns this weekend, 29 April to 1 May, to celebrate the unique culinary offerings of the region.

Taking place in Cradock this weekend, the Karoo Food Festival aims to provide both local and out-of-town visitors with the opportunity to taste the traditional dishes associated with the Karoo region, with special emphasis on the world-renowned Karoo lamb.

Karoo Food Festival aiming to ‘attract more people’ to the region

Lisa Ker, one of the co-organisers, says that the idea around the festival is wider than just sampling Karoo-related delicacies.

“This is a platform to attract people to our town and to bring the local community together, which is something a food festival can do. Obviously, the centrepiece comprises the food stalls, but we have tapped into the broader community to offer other activities such as the potjiekos competition.” she explained.

“For instance, we have linked up with Old Mutual, who is organising a trail and social run, while we also profile local cooks and chefs who provide demonstrations and talks on their skills. There are opportunities to go canoeing or to play golf or tennis, so we use all our local resources to make it a community-focused occasion.” Ker added.

According to Tourism Update, Ker, whose family run accommodation establishments in the Cradock area also said that the festival is an amazing opportunity to help promote the town and the trendy topic of Karoo food. It also gives members of our community hope and a purpose, through the employment opportunities that exist.

We assist in training these people in the workings of a festival and then we are able to use them at other functions or similar occasions during the year,” she added.

The festival takes place this weekend, from Friday, 29 April 2022 to Sunday, 1 May 2022. There promises to be delicious food, decor and gift stalls, entertainment, a trail run, cooking demonstrations and a potjiekos competition.

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