Spread over four stages, this year’s Theatre of Food programme includes cookery demos at the Main Stage; workshops and talks at the Fringe Theatre; events at the Drinks Theatre; and introducing for the first time, the Garden Stage, where acclaimed chef Caitlin Ruth will be showing festival-goers how to make their dream of cooking in a food truck come true.

This year the Main Stage will feature athletics champion and celebrity MasterChef winner David Gillick, as well as demos from Ireland’s cutting-edge chefs on all aspects of food, including vegan cookery from writer and natural beauty stylist Holly White. The programme will explore food and comedy – and will feature actor and comedian Conor Drum performing a set about cheese with his food blogger sister, Erica Drum. Jr Ryall of Ballymaloe House will return, having just won Best Dessert Trolley in the world at this year’s World Restaurant Awards in Paris, so expect sweet treats for the audience. The Main Stage once again features a beautiful kitchen, designed and built by Liam Grant Wood Design, and this year the Theatre is working with Pallas Foods, Kenwood and Big Green Egg to help make it all happen at Stradbally.

If you have ever dreamt of leaving it all behind and setting up business with your own food truck, then the Garden Stage is where you will get your chance. Cook sustainable, delicious food with Caitlin Ruth in the Theatre of Food food truck and serve it to your friends in the audience. The Garden Stage will also feature a wood fired BBQ zone and live fire lessons and experiments with the latest BBQ technology with leading chefs, including Big Green Egg expert Kwanghi Chan, from Dublin’s Bowls restaurant.

The highly-anticipated Sunday Drunch will also return - a feasting, drinking, dancing celebration of the Irish breakfast set alongside great music, which promises to have everyone on their feet by the end of the meal. Get your tickets early: in 2018 the Sunday Drunch sold out very fast. This year, all proceeds for the Drunch go to FEAST - the non-profit organisation set up to improve Food Education and Climate Action in Irish schools.

Theatre of Food is curated by Sally and John McKenna, of McKennas Guides, working with the Food Collective.

See electricpicnic.ie for more information.