Alresford Watercress Festival

A free one-day street festival in Alresford celebrating the town's watercress, with stalls, cookery demos and the Watercress Eating Championship.

On the third Sunday in May the streets of Alresford, a Georgian town known for its watercress beds, are closed to traffic for this free festival. It opens with a cavalcade at 10am and closes at 4pm.

There are street markets, food and drink stalls, cookery demos by well-known chefs, the Hampshire Farmers' Market and a Kids Zone. The Watercress Eating Championship on the main stage, at 1pm, is the big draw. The festival is not-for-profit and gives its profits to local groups and charities.

Parking is in fields around the town for a charge, or at Ropley park and ride with a Watercress Line steam train into Alresford. The streets get very crowded, so think carefully before bringing a dog, and there is only one cash machine in town.