Organisers of Tom Kerridge's Pub in the Park food and music festival have confirmed its St Albans return this year.

Pub in the Park with the celebrity chef and friends will take place at Verulamium Park from Friday, September 10 to Sunday, September 12, 2021.

Last year's ultimate foodie festival featuring award-winning pubs, live music and Michelin-starred chefs was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But promoters are getting the band back together this summer!

They have announced the 2021 line-up of chefs, pubs and music acts.

A Pub in the Park newsletter said: "We've really missed being together, pretty much everything you’ve been hankering for during lockdown is back on the menu – with actual people."

Superstar chef Tom Kerridge will once again be bringing together his band of incredible chef pals including The Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown, Andrew Pern, Stephen Terry and Atul Kochhar for a weekend of great grub and fun.

In true Pub in the Park style, party-goers can look forward to some stunning pubs and restaurants including Kerridge’s two Michelin-starred Marlow establishment The Hand & Flowers, Andrew Pern’s The Star Inn, Stephen Terry’s The Hardwick, Atul Kochhar’s Restaurants including the amazing Vaasu and Sindhu, and more.

As well as tasty food from top pubs and restaurants, PITP will also feature some banging live music.

Foodies heading to St Albans on the Friday night can party to a DJ set from electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, as well as enjoy sets from Midnight at the Oasis stars Brand New Heavies and DJ Judge Jules.

The Saturday afternoon session on September 11 is due to feature The Life of Riley and Lucky You group The Lightning Seeds and Dodgy, who are best known for hits Good Enough and Staying Out for the Summer.

Those attending the second Saturday show in the evening can enjoy Pure Shores and Never Ever chart-toppers All Saints and a DJ set from Faithless.

The lazy Sunday afternoon session in St Albans will feature Dreams chart-topper Gabrielle, who recently appeared on The Masked Singer, Reef, and The Kingdom Choir, who performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

If that wasn’t enough, top chefs will be sharing tips and tricks of the trade as they cook up a storm on the demo stage.

Tom Kerridge said: “After the year we’ve had, I think everyone deserves a good-knees up – and what better way to do it than Pub in the Park!

"We’re so excited to be doing what we do best, bringing back our feel-good festival to the towns we love and filling it with lush music and proper good food.”

In every location organisers will be staging a special session called A Thousand Thank You’s, by providing free tickets to local health care heroes and key workers so they can let their hair down. That’s 8,000 Thank You's across the whole tour.

Organisers will be working with NHS trusts, the emergency services, and local people to allocate these tickets.

Kerridge continued: “Key workers have been the true superheroes of this pandemic, and we want to say thanks by offering 1,000 complimentary tickets in each of our towns so these superstars can let their hair down while enjoying some awesome music and lush grub.”

Pub in the Park has been designed with these times in mind and has been awarded the Visit Britain ‘Good to Go’ certification.

The tour will have COVID-safety measures in place if needed, but as government restrictions ease, so will the event’s.

Chris Hughes, CEO at Brand Events, the team behind Pub in the Park, said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing back our brilliant food, drink and music festival to eight towns in 2021.

"All of our events are flexible, adaptable and ready to get even more free as the country begins to unlock.

"We’re ready to bring the public some much-needed fun."

Pub in the Park festival tour tickets go on general sale on Friday, March 19, with a pre-sale available from Thursday, March 18.

Pub in the Park 2021 will be taking place on the following dates at the following venues:

  • Royal Victoria Park, Bath: June 18-20
  • Dulwich Park, London: June 26-27
  • St Nicholas Park, Warwick: July 2-4
  • Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells: July 9-11
  • Chichester College, West Sussex: July 24-25
  • Chiswick House and Gardens, London: September 3-5
  • Verulamium Park, St Albans: September 10-12
  • Higginson Park, Marlow: September 16-19

Music acts and restaurants vary by venue, visit the website for full details.

For more information visit www.pubintheparkuk.com/