A NEW food and drink festival with a range of eating competitions to please foodies from proved a success, even if the weather wasn’t all that agreeable.

The Big Grill Festival UK in Burrs Country Park, Bury brought a mix of food and music to the borough last weekend.

Set among epic scale barbecues, meat smokers, sizzling street food vendors, craft ale and quirky cocktail bars, willing participants were able to indulge in the festival’s Eats To The Beats food challenges.

Several artists performed around the venue on acoustic and electronic music stages and inside a DJ tent.

Organiser Jools Taylor, who also organises the popular tribute festival Festwich, in Prestwich, said: “All in all, the weekend went really well, even with the weather not being all that kind.

“We had decent numbers attending on both days with around 2000 people coming along on Saturday and about 1000 on Sunday.

“We were absolutely delighted to bring The Big Grill UK to Burrs County Park.

“The park is an ideal site for the festival and after the initial success we will definitely be looking to build on it and turn it into an annual event.

A host of bands including Off The Edge, Dirty Bare Feet, Blank Cheque and TU OD all appeared at the two day festival, which had an electric stage, an acoustic tent and a DJ tent on site.

The Phonics, a tribute to The Stereophonics, headlined on Saturday night, before Kings Ov Leon tribute brought the festival to a crescendo on Sunday night.

Mr Taylor said: “Everyone was raving about The Case, a band who played on Saturday night but all in all it was just a great weekend.

Vendors offered meat and sweet treats, including vegetarian options, from around the world for guests to feast on while enjoying the beats.

A Lord of the Flames competition, where competitors wowed the crowd with different culinary treats, was also held with £500 on offer for the winner.

The winners, Taking the Brisket, took the top prize after their chocolate pudding on a BBQ number.

There was also a chilli, hotdog, wings and corn on the cob eating competition over the course of the weekend.