Taking place from Friday, May 31, to Sunday, June 2, the festival will serve up a feat of culinary delights in the beautiful setting of the town’s Victoria Park

Merseyside’s biggest bus operator Arriva is the headline sponsor for this year’s Southport Food and Drink Festival.

Taking place from Friday, May 31, to Sunday, June 2, the festival will serve up a feat of culinary delights in the beautiful setting of the town’s Victoria Park. It is a free event and includes plenty of entertainment taking place alongside an “eclectic mix” of food and drink and live music.

There’s an array of street food stalls to choose from serving lots of savoury and sweet dishes, an international flavour and healthy as well as vegetarian options. There will also be food and drink producers from the region, showcasing the very best creations imaginable; from Posh Pots to Retro Shots, herbs and spices, to pies and puddings.

Arriva’s sponsorship of the festival comes as part of the company’s wider community work across Southport. Last year, local residents were actively encouraged to start using public transport to travel to and from matches at Southport FC as part of an ongoing partnership between the football club and the bus company.

The special Southport FC Arriva bus, One Port, will also be present at the festival over the weekend, giving people the chance to find out more about the partnership and match day travel options.

Tourism service manager, Mark Catherall, said ‘We have worked closely with Arriva North West to promote Southport for many years. The sponsorship will not only give Arriva a great platform to promote their routes into and around Southport but is also an excellent addition to partnership working.”

Sefton Council and Arriva hope the sponsorship will encourage people to leave their cars at home and get to and from the festival on public transport. Arriva North West’s head of marketing, Lisa Pearson, said: “We are always looking for ways to support the local community.

“Our services offer the people of Southport a convenient and comfortable journey, allowing them to relax and enjoy everything the day has to offer.”

Arriva has recently updated its services in Southport to include contactless payments and its services throughout the rest of Merseyside will be contactless by June 2.