London loves a food festival. It’s a chance for the city’s hungry foodie denizens to try out top-notch food from around the city, country, and world, all in one convenient location. We’ve got festivals dedicated to burgers, tacos, ice cream, Italian food, and more. And a brand new one is about to make a splash in the city. The Roost Festival will host its inaugural chicken festival this summer, serving up some of the best poultry dishes from around the world.
Running from August 21-23, Roost will take over the Allianz Stadium with an enormous celebration of the world’s most consumed protein. They’ll have everything from live-fire rotisserie chicken to succulent fried chicken, with world-renowned chefs descending uon the festival to share their food. And it’s all courtesy of the internet’s own Eating with Tod (@eatingwithtod).
For the festival, Eating with Tod, aka Toby Inskip, has partnered forces with the foodie force behind the fried chicken festival, WingJam. It’s an evolution of the WingJam experience into something entirely new. Roost draws from the likes of Daegu Chimaek in South Korea and Kentucky’s World Chicken Festival, and coalesces them all into one event.
But at the beating heart of it all is still the wing competition. Vendors will battle it out to find out who serves the very best chicken wings at the festival – and in the entire world. And your vote will decide the winner!
As if that wasn’t enough, they’re keeping prices low to ensure as many people can afford it as possible. Tickets start at £17 for adults and £10 for kids. Then once you’re in, wings start at £1.50, with mains ranging from £3 to £15.
The best chicken from around the world
Now it’s a pretty hefty claim to suggest that attendees at Roost will be able to try some of the world’s best chicken dishes – but it’s also a verifiable fact. The festival is themed around “The Great Migration, [tracing] the routes chicken has travelled across borders, kitchens and generations”.
To tell the story of chicken across space and time, Roost will feature everything from “Carolina barbecue and Harlem pan-fried chicken to Caribbean jerk, Middle Eastern shawarma and Korean-inspired wings”. More than 30 ‘Chicken Masters’ will be serving up over 120 styles of poultry dishes at Roost.
Of particular note are some of the vendors who are flying across the ocean, from the States, to serve their chicken at Roost. These include:
- Chicken Baptiser (South Carolina)
- Charles Pan Fried Chicken (Harlem)
- Pecking House (New York City)
They’re joining UK faves and cult legends, such as:
- Chicken George JR
- FOWL
- Coqfighter
- Maureen’s Kitchen
- Schnitzel Heaven
- Killa Waffle
- Game and Flames
- Ginger Wings (Marlow)
- Shwings
More than just chicken
But Roost isn’t just a place to fill your gob with delicious chicken. There’s much more going on than that. The festival will be home to exclusive specials that you won’t find anywhere else, and the chance to try a VIP experience pairing Champagne & Chicken, as well as luxurious Caviar Bumps.
Beyond that, Roost will also feature eating challenges – ranging from hot wing battles to speed eating showdowns – as well as demos, workshops, live music, DJs, and a market and cookshop. Plus, to wet the whistle (or cool down from the heat), they’ll have ice-cold drinks ranging from craft beer to natural wine and frozen cocktails.
And naturally, you’ll need some hot sauce to spice up your food. Fortunately, Roost has you covered with The Hot Sauce Tent. There, you can find bottles and jars from Louisiana, Mexico, the Caribbean, Korea and West Africa.
Ready for some chicken? Or are you too… chicken…?
🍗 Roost will take place on August 21-23. Find out more and grab your tickets here.
📍 Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, TW2 7BA.
🚇 The nearest station is Twickenham.
