York Food and Drink Festival - a 10 day foodie extravaganza - begins today (Friday, September 20).

As well as traders selling their finest products, there will be competitions, workshops, demonstrations, music, trails and tours – plus much more.

The event which takes place across the historical city this September will of course celebrate and promote local (and regional) food and drink.

The festival which began in 1997 is expected to welcome around 400,000 visitors.

If you’re hoping to attend, here is everything you need to know about the York Food and Drink Festival – from opening times, traders and where to park.

How long is the York Food Festival? See all dates

Starting on Friday, September 20, the festival will run for 10 days and comes to an end on Sunday, September 29.

The festival market, bars, and demonstrations are located on Parliament Street and St Sampsons Square while events such as food factory, wine tastings, dinners and trails are city-wide, reports the York Food and Drink Festival website.

The opening times are as follows:

Festival market - 10am to 5pm
Demonstrations - 12pm to 5pm
Festival bars - 11am to 9pm (last day closes at 5pm)

Do you need tickets for the York Food and Drink Festival?

It is free entry for those wanting to explore the markets and watch demos.

However, some individual events such as taste trails, chocolate tours and chocolate experiences at the Cocoa Works will be ticketed – see the full programme here.

What stalls and traders will be at the 10-day festival?

There are plenty of stalls from traders to discover at the York Food and Drink Festival this year.

From Babtooma York, Cluck N Dough to Heavenly Desserts and Ripe Cheese, there is something for everyone’s taste.

See the full list of traders attending here – spot any of your favourites?

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Can you park at the York Food and Drink Festival?

As the culinary festival is situated in York city centre, you can park at any of the council car parks listed on the City of York Council's website.

It’s important to note coaches are not permitted inside the city walls.

For those who don’t know, the festival is a not-for-profit organisation and any money generated from ticket sales goes back into the festival to improve it “year after year”.