Street Food Weekend sat to launch Storyhouse in the Park 2026

Open-air theatre, comedy, film and family fun set to take over the park for a fabulous season in the sun 

Celebrate Chester’s vibrant food and drink scene at a special Street Food Weekend which launches the 2026 Grosvenor Park season next week.

The fabulous two-day event, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, 27-28 June, promises a stellar selection of food and drink along with live music, family games and much more - and also marks the start of the wider Storyhouse in the Park season which runs between now and September.

Entry is free.

Relax and soak up the summer vibes in the enchanting surroundings of the open-air festival site, with delicious culinary treats on offer from leading Chester businesses.

The Sandbar Seafood Shack celebrates the best fresh and tasty seafood chosen from bespoke local suppliers and made with passion and care.

Chester Market favourites Nice Bites, Sandwich’d and Guroma will also be on hand.

Nice Bites offers visitors a range of tempting homemade American-style burgers, hotdogs and sides – all made to its own unique recipes, while Sandwich’d brings its freshly-made, great tasting sandwiches and salads to the park. And Guroma promises visitors an amazing authentic Bangladeshi street food experience personalised to their taste.

Northgate Street newcomer Maray is set to tickle the tastebuds with some of its most popular small plates inspired by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours, while there will be delicious plant-based treats on offer from Chester city walls-based café Fika.

Meanwhile Parkgate institution Chows Eating House is back with its Chows Street Food, delivering a mixture of classic and contemporary Chinese cuisine and the fresh catch taste of its Parkgate Fish & Chips sister business.

And there’s the chance to kick back and relax with Boughton-based independent free house The Jolly Gardeners and award-winning Chester craft beer and cider purveyors That Beer Place.

The Kitchen at Storyhouse will be on hand in the park with a delicious taste of summer for festivalgoers. And the weekend will also feature a pop-up open air wine bar, while the festival site’s popular teepee bar will be serving frozen margaritas, Storyhouse craft ale, local beers and more.

The Street Food Weekend heralds the start of this year’s Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre festival with the main stage season getting underway on Friday, 3 July with Kieran Lynn’s Outlaw: A Robin Hood Story - a bold, feelgood reimagining of one of Britain’s greatest legends.

Set in Sherwood Forest, this modernised take features Robin, Maid Marian, the Merry Men and the Sheriff of Nottingham in an Ocean’s Eleven-style heist to steal the king’s jewels. Directed by Hannah Noone, Outlaw: A Robin Hood Story runs until Sunday, 23 August.

Then Let the Sun Shine! with Helen Redcliffe’s uplifting transformational drama which runs from Friday, 10 July to Sunday, 23 August.

The immersive coming-of-age story, directed by Rob Green and Lucy Thatcher and with amplified music throughout, is set in 1969 and unfolds in a conservative UK town on the brink of cultural change. When a Woodstock-inspired festival arrives, fear and resistance eventually give way to collaboration, connection and joy.

Meanwhile this year’s enchanting walkabout family show is Peter Pan.

Taking place from Tuesday, 28 July to Thursday, 13 August, children under eight and their families are promised a vibrant interactive adventure. Staying close to the classic Disney-style storytelling, the show features Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook.

Audiences become part of the action – even forming the crocodile – as they journey through Neverland. With water pistol fights, pirate antics, Lost Boys vs Pirates, walking the plank and plenty of playful audience participation, this daylight production delivers high-energy, family-friendly fun.

And the open-air season ends with a further theatrical treat in a co-production with Shakespeare North Playhouse and Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.

Nell Gwynn, being staged from Friday, 21 August to Sunday, 6 September, is a bawdy feminist comedy with music and dancing, telling the true-ish tale of the orange seller turned Restoration celebrity, actress and mistress of Charles II. Set in 1660s London, the production is a rags-to-riches story packed with wit, irreverence and heart.

Meanwhile the festival site will once again feature the popular tepee bar, with a wider variety of food choices than ever before, along with craft beers and frozen cocktails.

And across the summer season, visitors can also enjoy:

Moonlight Flicks – the return of Storyhouse’s atmospheric open-air cinema nights

Live comedy evenings

Thrilling Murder Mystery events

Outdoor yoga sessions in the park

Rhyme Time and Library Craft sessions for families

For more details on the Storyhouse in the Park season visit www.storyhouse.com