Mabon Fire-Cooking Event Set to Return to Caldicot Castle 2026

Key Points

• Mabon, a festival based around fire, food, and Welsh mythology, is returning to Caldicot Castle from 25 to 27 September 2026.
• The festival is brought to you by Sam and Shauna of Hang Fire BBQ and Street Food Circus.
• There will be an announcement of a programme involving fire chefs, cookery demos, independent producers, music, and fireside chats.
• The festival starts off with a fire feast made up of four courses prepared by Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn of Hang Fire BBQ.
• There will be Eight Fire Kitchens, displaying open fire cooking, smoking and BBQ traditions of Wales and other places.
• Jayde Adams and Shauna Guinn will be hosting the Smoke & Fire demo tent.
• The New Wave Producers Market will comprise independent food, drink, and outdoor cooking businesses.
• The Fireside Chats will be about Welsh mythology, food, agriculture, travelling, and fire culture.
• Children under 16 years old may enter for free, and there will be dog-friendly entry.
• Tickets can be purchased at Street Food Circus.

Castle  (Wales Times) September 11, 2026 — Mabon will return from 25 to 27 September 2026, bringing together chefs, food producers, makers and performers for a weekend dedicated to open-fire cooking and seasonal celebration. The festival will coincide with the autumn equinox and is being presented by Hang Fire BBQ and Street Food Circus.

The event is inspired by traditional autumn gatherings in which communities came together around fires to mark the harvest and the changing season. Organisers say the festival will combine food, fire and Welsh folklore in the grounds of the historic uk/local/swansea/castle/">castle.

What will happen at Mabon?

According to Wales247, Mabon will begin on Friday evening with a four-course fire feast prepared by Hang Fire BBQ’s Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn. The meal will be cooked entirely over fire using local produce and served as part of an evening designed around food, storytelling and the atmosphere of the castle grounds.

The festival will then continue across the weekend with eight Fire Kitchens, a Smoke & Fire demonstration stage, a market for independent producers, fireside conversations and live music.

The Fire Kitchens will bring together chefs, producers and specialists representing different traditions of outdoor cooking. The programme includes Welsh and British BBQ, American-style smoking, South American asado, seasonal garden cooking, pizza and fire-based desserts.

The participating kitchens listed by Wales247 are:

• Game & Flames, founded by chef, hunter and fire specialist Cai Ap Bryn.
• Smokey Rebel, known for small-batch rubs, seasonings, sauces and grill equipment.
• Hang Fire BBQ, led by Sam and Shauna, combining Welsh and Irish influences with the flavours of the American South.
• Feast Pembrokeshire, which will bring its “Beast of Feast” smoker to the festival.
• The Jolly Allotment, focusing on homegrown, seasonal and local produce cooked over live fire.
• Leviathan Pits x James Peck, a collaboration involving James Peck of Cardiff’s Ember and UK-made smokers from Leviathan Pits.
• The Dough Thrower, which uses 72-hour fermented dough topped with seasonal ingredients.
• Reclaimed Fire, presenting South American asado cooking.
• Drizzle Desserts, offering soft serve and plated desserts featuring combinations such as olive oil and bee pollen.

Although the programme is described as eight Fire Kitchens, the published line-up also identifies Drizzle Desserts as part of the wider fire-food offering. The festival’s announcement presents the kitchens and food specialists as a showcase of different approaches to cooking with flame, smoke and seasonal ingredients.

Who will host the cooking demonstrations?

The Smoke & Fire demonstration stage will be hosted by comedian Jayde Adams and Shauna Guinn, co-founder of Hang Fire BBQ.

The chef and food personalities scheduled to appear include Anthony “Murph” Murphy, co-founder of the Beefy Boys; Adam Purnell, known as the Shropshire Lad and founder of Embers in Ironbridge; and Russ Jacques, founder of Smokey Rebel seasonings and rubs.

The programme will also feature Steve Guy, known as The Hungry Guy, who works as a community chef and food educator. Matty O’Brien, founder of Penarth-based Matty’s Chop Shop, is also included in the line-up.

Other announced participants are Owen Morgan, chef-founder of the Spanish-inspired Asador 44 and Bar 44 restaurants; Jonathan Woolway, a chef at Michelin Guide-listed restaurant The Shed in Swansea; Polly Baldwin, a fire chef, photographer and founder of The Jolly Allotment; and Nathan “Big Nath” Ritchie, founder of Big Nath’s BBQ, a Bristol-based live-fire BBQ school, shop and podcast.

The demonstrations are intended to give visitors an opportunity to see cooking techniques and hear from chefs working across several styles and cuisines. The published announcement does not provide a detailed timetable for each demonstration.

What will be available at the producers’ market?

Mabon’s New Wave Producers Market will focus on independent food, drink and outdoor-cooking businesses. Wales247 reports that the market is intended to introduce visitors to a new generation of makers and producers while giving them an opportunity to taste products and buy goods to take home.

The listed exhibitors include Lucky No.7 Coffee, a Welsh speciality coffee brand, and Silver Circle Distillery, which produces vodka and a Bloody Mary drink in a can.

Shropshire Salumi will present salamis and cured meats made using free-range Gloucester Old Spot pork. Welsh Homestead Smokery will offer smoked cheeses, charcuterie and condiments from the Cambrian Mountains.

The market will also include businesses focused on outdoor cooking and craft products. Kadai Bowls will display handcrafted fire bowls, while Richkins Woodcraft will bring bespoke wooden products and kitchen boards.

Other announced exhibitors include Hive Mind, a Wye Valley mead producer; Tubby Tomms, which makes small-batch sauces, relishes and preserves; and Big Nath’s BBQ Shop, which sells BBQ equipment and outdoor-cooking essentials.

Fold + Hide, an outdoor-goods business with a workshop in Herefordshire, and BBQ Magazine, an independent UK publication focused on barbecue and outdoor cooking, are also included in the market line-up.

What are the Fireside Chats about?

The Fireside Chats will examine the relationship between food, fire, folklore and place. The sessions have been curated by Sam and Shauna and will be hosted by Jayde Adams and Shauna Guinn.

The announced speakers include representatives from BBQ Travel Club, a tour operator specialising in immersive BBQ and open-fire cooking journeys around the world. Its contribution will focus on food, fire and travel.

Nerys Howell, a Welsh food and drink specialist, author and broadcaster, will discuss the connections between folklore and rural farming.

The organisers describe the conversations as a way to explore the wider meaning of food and the stories associated with it. The sessions are part of the festival’s attempt to link contemporary outdoor cooking with Welsh seasonal traditions.

What did the organisers say?

Shauna Guinn, author, broadcaster and co-founder of Hang Fire BBQ, said the organisers had wanted to create Wales’ first dedicated festival for fire cooking and BBQ. As reported by Wales247, Guinn said the return of Mabon would allow the team to bring together chefs and producers with whom it works throughout the year.

Guinn said the festival would give people in South Wales the opportunity to experience the food produced by the participating chefs and businesses. She also said the line-up had been created around the themes of folklore, fire and seasonal abundance.

Matt “the Hat”, founder and ringmaster of Street Food Circus, said Mabon had offered a creative opportunity to use Welsh folklore as an influence for the line-up, food and entertainment.

As reported by Wales247, he said Caldicot Castle provided a distinctive setting for the festival’s planned fire-lit autumn atmosphere. He also said Street Food Circus was pleased to showcase local food and drink talent and help introduce those businesses to a wider audience.

The published report does not identify the individual journalist who wrote the article. Attribution has therefore been given to Wales247, the media outlet that published the announcement, rather than assigning an unnamed statement to a specific reporter.

Who can attend Mabon?

Tickets are available through Street Food Circus. Children under 16 will be admitted free, according to the published announcement.

The festival is also dog-friendly, meaning visitors can attend with their dogs subject to the event’s own rules and arrangements. The announcement does not provide detailed information on ticket prices, access requirements, transport, parking or the timetable for individual performances and demonstrations.

Luna Amani, a Welsh-Iranian DJ, designer, artist and stylist, is listed as part of the music programme. She is expected to provide DJ sets across the festival, adding music to the food and folklore programme.

What is the significance of the festival’s return?

The 2026 event will be Mabon’s second year, according to Shauna Guinn’s statement reported by Wales247. Its return reflects the organisers’ intention to establish a recurring festival focused specifically on fire cooking and BBQ.

Rather than presenting the event only as a food market, the programme combines live cooking with producers, craft makers, storytelling, music and discussions about Welsh culture. The organisers are also using Caldicot Castle as a central part of the event’s identity, linking the festival setting with the seasonal and folklore themes.

The published programme includes both local and international influences. Welsh producers and restaurants appear alongside American-style BBQ, global BBQ traditions and South American asado cooking. That combination gives the festival a broad culinary focus while maintaining its emphasis on local and seasonal food.

Background

Mabon is a festival created by Sam and Shauna of Hang Fire BBQ in partnership with Street Food Circus. Its themes draw on traditional autumn celebrations associated with harvest, seasonal change and gatherings around a fire.

The 2026 festival will take place at Caldicot Castle during the weekend of the autumn equinox, from 25 to 27 September. Its programme is built around several elements: the Hang Fire Feast, Fire Kitchens, the Smoke & Fire demonstration stage, the New Wave Producers Market, Fireside Chats and music.

Hang Fire BBQ’s founders have described the festival as an opportunity to bring together chefs and producers connected to their work. Street Food Circus founder Matt “the Hat” said the event uses Welsh folklore, food and entertainment to create a distinctive autumn setting.

The published announcement does not provide verified figures for expected attendance, economic impact or the number of traders taking part. It also does not state whether the festival has received public funding or provide details about environmental measures, fire-safety arrangements or waste management.

Prediction for visitors and local producers

Mabon is likely to give food enthusiasts and families in South Wales a concentrated opportunity to see live-fire cooking, meet independent producers and experience food-related discussions in a historic setting. The free admission policy for children under 16 and the dog-friendly approach may make the event more accessible to families and visitors seeking an outdoor festival.

For local food and drink businesses, the event could provide direct contact with customers and a platform to promote products beyond their usual trading areas. Its combination of demonstrations, tastings and a producers’ market may also help smaller makers build recognition.

The festival’s effect will depend on attendance, weather, transport arrangements and the ability of organisers to manage demand around food stalls and demonstrations. Based on the published programme, its clearest audience is likely to be people interested in BBQ, outdoor cooking, Welsh food, independent producers, folklore and family-friendly cultural events.