You can get tickets to a four-course fire feast from Hang Fire BBQ in Wales next month
Chefs Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn of Hang Fire BBQ - who brought authentic southern states of the US barbecue cooking to Wales - will bring their distinctive style of cooking to Caldicot Castle this September, in collaboration with Street Food Circus..
The new annual fire-cooking festival, titled Mabon, aims to celebrate feasting, fire and folklore associated with the autumn equinox in September.
READ MORE: Full list of 33 River Island shops to close after court approval
READ MORE: Tiny village has a pub and a campsite where you can eat spectacular seafood by one of Wales' best beaches
The event will take place on Friday, September 26, until Sunday, September 28. The Hang Fire four-course feasts will take place during each of the event days
According to Street Food Circus, Mabon will be a weekend food festival bringing together a diverse line-up of chefs who all have one thing in common - a love of cooking with fire. Mabon, which is also known as the autumn equinox, is a pagan festival that is celebrated at the end of September and marks the midpoint between the summer and winter solstices.
Taking inspiration from these celebrations, the new festival will make the most of Wales' harvest time, bringing together the smoke and flames with the best Welsh produce, while drinks will come from a natural wine bar supplied by Wright's Wines. And even better, the festival will be hosted within the medieval walls of Caldicot Castle in Monmouthshire.
At the event, attendees will see chefs cooking outdoors around a central dining space under cover of a large canopy. Sam and Shauna will host an exclusive four-course fire feast and will be joined by guest chefs under the canvas. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here.
Additionally, the event will include theatrical performances and storytelling around communal fire pits, as well as Smoke & Fire Demo stage. Street Food Circus has confirmed there will also be a programme of food talks from chefs, producers and writers all curated by restaurateur Simon Wright.
Ahead of the event, Shauna Guinn, the co-founder of Hang Fire BBQ said: "The first food festival we cooked at was also the first ever Street Food Circus in Cardiff - so we're thrilled to be back to celebrate ten years with them.
"We've always wanted to create an event which celebrates our home here in Wales and our great passion for cooking over fire. And importantly, one where everyone is welcome, a truly inclusive event where the focus is all about great chefs cooking with the best - ideally Welsh - produce.
"We also know how hard everyone in the food industry works throughout the festival season in the summer, so we'll be extending a very warm welcome to anyone who wants to join us for an end-of-the-season get-together".
As food lovers in the south Wales area will know, Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn made their name with Hang Fire BBQ, that was fully booked for seven years, and won the prestigious title of best restaurant in the UK at the Observer Food Monthly Awards, until the decided to close the Hang Fire Southern Kitchen smokehouse in Barry in 2021.
The cooking duo have also become familiar faces on the small screen, having appeared on BBC's Saturday Kitchen as guest chefs and helping change the way people barbecue with their own TV series - Sam and Shauna's Big Cook Out. They have also published a series of cookbooks and made regular appearances at food festivals.
Over the last three years, Street Food Circus has been holding their Big Banquet events at Caldicot Castle. This year, the Big Banquet took place over the Spring Bank Holiday in May. Mabon will be the ninth event out of ten in the 2025 Street Food Circus programme, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Matt the Hat, founder of Street Food Circus said: "This is a bit of a departure from our usual family-focused feastival events. We're leaning into the fire and folklore, creating something more grown-up, and uniquely Welsh with Mabon. It's a time to enjoy the richness of our harvest in Wales, gather together around the fire and take the opportunity for one last outdoor event before the nights draw in.
"We're celebrating ten years of Street Food Circus and all the food businesses that have joined us along the way, many of whom have gone on to open restaurants, appear on TV or win major awards. So, it's really special to welcome back Sam & Shauna who've done all of those things! We can't wait to launch this new annual venture with them".
Camper van parking with toilet facilities will also be available for people to stay on site overnight for the event. The first release of tickets are on sale now, which you can find on the Mabon website here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Noel Gallagher: I'm proud of Liam Gallagher
Noel Gallagher is having a "great" time being back in Oasis with his brother Liam Gallagher. The pair took to the stage together for the first time since 2009 when they launched their reunion tour in Cardiff, Wales, and the 58-year-old guitarist has admitted he is "proud" of his formerly estranged sibling and his performance on stage. Speaking for the first time since the tour started, Noel said on talkSPORT on Tuesday (19.08.25): 'It's great just to be back with Bonehead and Liam, and just be doing it again. I guess when it's all set and done, I'll sit and reflect on it, but it's great being back in a band with Liam. I'd forgotten how funny he was.' Asked by presenter Andy Goldstein about the strength of Liam's vocals at the shows, Noel quipped: 'It's AI." He then added: "Liam's smashing it, I'm proud of him. Having been fronting a band for 16 years, I know how hard that is. "I couldn't do the stadium thing like he does it, it's not in my nature, but I've got to say, good for you, mate. It's been amazing.' Noel has been left "completely blown away" by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the Oasis gigs. He said: "Yeah, completely blown away. Everyone is. It's difficult to put it into words actually.' 'Every night is the crowd's first night, do you know what I mean? So every night's got that same energy to it. But it's been truly amazing. I'm not usually short for words, but I can't really articulate it.' The Don't Look Back in Anger confessed he had "grossly underestimated" just how big the tour would be and his legs "turned to jelly" soon after stepping out on stage with his bandmates for the first time. He said: 'For me personally, I grossly underestimated what I was getting into. After about five minutes, I was like, alright, can I just go back to the dressing room and start this again? 'I've done stadiums before and all that, but I don't mind telling you, my legs turned to jelly after about half-way through the second song. It's been an amazing thing, it really is an amazing thing.' Demand for tickets has been huge and Noel admitted his phone has "exploded" with people hoping he can help them gain access to see him in action. He said: 'When it all started, the ticket sales and all that, there was a few people who I would have expected to [be] looking for tickets who didn't 'But after the first gig my phone just exploded.' The guitarist admitted he feels bad for those left singing the band's songs outside the venue and has found the love for the group "mental". He added: "It's more than the band. It's more than the songs. There's something else going on that we've not quite been able to our fingers on yet."
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Wrexham: How One Stadium Project Eliminated The Construction Inefficiency Problem
Hollywood star power and historic sports culture fueled the revival of a stadium for Wrexham Association Football Club in Wales. The fusion of digital maps and 3D models charted the course. When actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought the club in 2021, Wrexham's Racecourse Ground—the oldest international football stadium still in use—needed repair. They made modernizing the beloved venue a top priority. With the celebrity owners documenting their efforts in an FX docuseries, the stadium played a lead character. At the heart of the ambitious construction project: a bold vision for the club's future, grounded in respect for its past. To balance innovation and tradition, Ramboll, an engineering and architecture firm, carefully reviewed every decision using advanced mapping and modeling. With the stadium embedded in existing neighborhood infrastructure and adjacent to active rail lines, any design misstep risked undermining community support, a crucial element of the project's viability. Ramboll needed to fit a new Kop stand into the existing neighborhood layout. They did this through a fusion of two powerful technologies: geographic information system (GIS) and building information modeling (BIM) software. By combining GIS-powered maps and 3D BIM models, project teams created dynamic visualizations of the site, surrounding area, and planned upgrades. These digital environments became a shared source of truth. Data moved freely between the two platforms, bringing models to life with rich environmental details. Traditionally, the firm's design and environmental teams worked in isolation. Each used specialized tools that didn't easily share information. By merging maps and models, they streamlined collaboration. Environmental staff could collect data right from the site and link it directly to the BIM tools used by designers. This opened new ways to share information and formed connections that didn't exist in prior workflows. The benefits went beyond saving time. Designers could bring multiple building models into one place. They could see how everything on the stadium site—from pipes to pathways—fit together. That big-picture view helped them fine-tune designs to match what was already on the ground. In turn, they could avoid conflicts before they arose, making the whole project smarter and smoother. Creating Essential Contextual Insights For the designers and construction teams tasked with developing the new 5,500-person-capacity Kop stand, integrating detailed maps and sophisticated building models provided significant advantages. Previously, design teams worked in isolation, viewing building models without understanding how they fit into the real world. They would miss critical interactions with existing infrastructure, terrain, and utilities. By combining building designs with geographic data, teams could anticipate problems before construction began. They designed for water drainage, traffic flow, and sustainability features like solar panels and stormwater management. They reduced costly surprises and enabled resilient infrastructure planning. Overall, the key benefit is that teams moved from reactive problem-solving to pro-active risk mitigation. They integrated environmental and operational considerations from day one rather than discovering conflicts during construction. A Hollywood Tale of Community Rebirth Wrexham's transformation extends far beyond the stadium. It's driving a citywide economic revitalization that's reshaping an entire Welsh community. 'They're looking at transport, regeneration of the city center, and the non-match-day amenities that include a hotel, retail shops, and room for offices,' said Sarah Widdowfield, UK and Ireland digital hub manager at Ramboll. When Reynolds and McElhenney purchased the struggling club in 2020, they brought not just financial resources but also marketing expertise. Wrexham AFC has steadily progressed from the fifth tier of English football to the EFL Championship (the second tier). Driving the success is increased financial investment, a global fan base surge, and the 'Welcome to Wrexham' television series. The impact of the actors' involvement is 'probably as much on the business side as it is stoking the passion for the Red Dragons,' Widdowfield said. In April 2025, Wrexham became the first team in English football history to win back-to-back-to-back league promotions, bringing even more civic pride to the historic mining community. As Wrexham continues to flourish, technology can help it grow in a way that's respectful of the past and intentional about the more about how architecture, engineering, and construction businesses can use GIS for smarter planning, development, and operation management.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Ryan Reynolds And Rob McElhenney May Bring Women's World Cup To Wrexham
Ambitious plans to redevelop the oldest venue in the world to stage international soccer could result in Wrexham hosting matches at the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup. The Welsh club are owned by American actor Rob McElhenney and Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, through their RR McReynolds Company LLC. Since their takeover was approved in 2021, they have helped the team secure three successive promotions from tier five to tier two of the English men's game. The club's fortunes have been documented on the hugely successful FX television series 'Welcome to Wrexham' broadcast on Disney Plus. The Hollywood actors were present on Saturday to see their team play its first game of the new Championship season against West Bromwich Albion, a match watched by an attendance of 10,656 spectators. It was the club's first game at that level for 43 years. The United Kingdom are the sole bidders to host the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup. It will be the second tournament to feature 48 teams and will therefore utilise more venues than previous editions. The Football Associations of the four nations staging games - England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales - will submit their bid document to FIFA in November which is expected to include up to sixteen stadiums. It is believed that the Football Association of Wales (FAW) want to put forward two stadiums, one in Cardiff, in the south of the country, and one in the north of the nation. The Racecourse Ground (Y Cae Ras in Welsh) is the largest ground in North Wales and has a storied history having first staged games in 1864. Currently, FIFA bid requirements stipulate that a minimum of eight stadiums must be proposed and each stadium must be an all-seater with a minimum capacity of 20,000. This is double the current limit of the Racecourse Ground. A new 7,750-capacity Kop Stand is currently being developed which will take the seating capacity to 18,000. It will be fully compliant with UEFA Category Four stadium requirements. The new Kop will be completed in time for it to be used next summer when the stadium will host matches at the U19 UEFA European Championship. However in May 2024, Reynolds and McElhenney outlined plans to redevelop all four sides of the ground. McElhenney said 'it's hard to say for sure, but we think we can get between 45,000 and 55,000 people in there'. Stadium architects Populous have been appointed to create a masterplan for the venue. Speaking to the Press Association yesterday, Noel Mooney, the chief executive of the Football Association of Wales (FAW) admitted that 'the Kop development is a significant first step and the vision for the stadium is incredible.' 'What Ryan and Rob are doing is amazing. They are looking to look to invest in the stadium and build up the Cae Ras, which is the oldest international ground in the world, and there is a potential North Star for them. The city and the club have a chance to bring a World Cup to North Wales. What a story that would be. What a legacy for Ryan and Rob to leave Wrexham.' The Racecourse Ground first hosted an international games in 1877 when Wales played Scotland on March 5. Since then it has staged 95 senior international Wales matches, more than any other stadium in the country. The last of those came against Gibraltar in October 2023. The Wrexham Women's team were promoted to the Welsh Premier Division in 2023 and finished fourth in the league last season. The investment and interest created by Reynolds and McElhenney have led to a partnership between the women's team and Ally Financial, the largest all-digital bank in the United States. As part of the deal, they organised for the team to compete in tour matches in the United States in 2024 and, this summer, in Hong Kong. Last month, the Welsh women's team competed at their first-ever senior tournament, the UEFA Women's Euro in Switzerland. The Welsh women's team played Sweden at the Racecourse Ground in the UEFA Nations League in February. As hosts of the Women's World Cup, Wales will qualify automatically for a tournament they have never competed at before. Mooney added that 'there is a symbiotic relationship there where we can create a lot of value for each other. People all over the world are talking about Wrexham and that inspires partners like FIFA, commercial bodies and Governments to get involved.'
