Get the mix right
A good food line-up covers different cuisines, price points and diets, without three traders selling the same thing. Live-cooking traders, like a giant paella pan, add theatre and draw people into the food area.
What to ask every trader
- Pitch size, including any gazebo and serving area
- Power, water and gas needs
- The documents your event requires, such as insurance, food hygiene details and gas safety
- Menu, prices and dietary options
- Arrival, set-up and break-down times
- How they handle waste and grey water
Queues and service speed
Long queues spoil the day. Ask traders how many portions they can serve at peak times. Paella is cooked in advance of service in big batches and served straight from the pan, so it handles lunchtime rushes well.
Diets
Make sure the line-up includes properly vegan and gluten-free options, and that allergen information is available at each stall.
Crew, volunteers and VIPs
Feeding crew and volunteers well keeps them happy over a long day. A trader can often cook for crew or a hospitality area at set times, alongside or instead of a public stall.
Pitch layout
Group food traders together with seating nearby, and leave space for queues that don’t block walkways. Live-cooking stalls like to face the crowd so people can see the cooking. Keep gas-fuelled stalls well spaced and away from tents and structures.
Paperwork checklist
Most events ask traders for public liability insurance, food business registration and hygiene information, gas safety records for appliances, and risk assessments. Your local authority and event safety adviser can tell you what your event needs.
Waste and sustainability
Ask traders about compostable or recyclable packaging, how they’ll handle food waste and grey water, and whether they can serve into reusable bowls if your event uses them.
Communicating with traders
Send one clear trader pack: arrival times and routes, pitch map, power and water, waste, contacts on the day and break-down rules. It saves dozens of emails.
Choosing traders
Look for traders whose food suits your audience and price point, who can serve at the speed you need, and who will bring the paperwork without chasing. Ask other organisers for recommendations, and check traders’ menus include proper options for vegetarians, vegans and people avoiding gluten.
Trader fees and terms
Events charge traders in different ways: a fixed pitch fee, a percentage of takings, or a mix. Be clear about fees, cancellation terms and what’s included (power, water, waste) in your trader pack.
After the event
Ask traders for feedback on the layout, access and footfall. It helps next year’s planning, and good traders appreciate organisers who listen.
Feeding volunteers well
Volunteers and crew often work long shifts with little time to eat. Offering them a hot, filling meal at a set time is one of the cheapest ways to keep morale high. A paella pan can be timed for a crew break, served quickly, and covers different diets with separate pans. Agree the numbers and timing with the trader in advance, and tell volunteers where and when to collect their food.
Planning for rain
Outdoor events need a wet-weather plan for traders as well as visitors. Make sure pitches are on ground that won’t turn to mud, that traders can still get vehicles off site after rain, and that there is some covered seating near the food area. See our guide to outdoor catering in the rain.
Balancing the food line-up
Think about your audience and the length of the event. A family fun day needs simple, affordable food and plenty of choice for children. A music festival needs food that can be eaten standing up, served late into the evening. A food festival needs variety and quality, because the food is the main attraction. Map out what each trader offers and look for gaps: is there a hearty hot meal, a vegan option, something sweet, a good coffee?
A live-cooking trader such as a paella stall adds theatre and covers several diets at once, which makes it a strong anchor for the food area.
Health and safety basics
Food traders need to be registered with their local authority and follow food hygiene law. Gas appliances should be safely installed and checked. Your event safety plan should cover where traders are placed, fire safety, access for emergency vehicles and how waste is handled. Your local authority and an event safety adviser can tell you what applies to your event.
A simple trader timeline
Several months before: decide how many food traders you need and what kinds of food, then invite applications or approach traders directly. A couple of months before: confirm traders, pitch fees and requirements, and collect their documents. A few weeks before: send the trader pack with the site map, arrival times, access routes, power and water details and contacts for the day. The week before: confirm final arrangements and the weather plan. On the day: have one person responsible for traders, so questions get answered quickly. Afterwards: ask traders and visitors for feedback, and note what to change next year.
It sounds like a lot, but most of it is a simple checklist that you can reuse every year.
Good traders want your event to succeed as much as you do. Treat them as partners, communicate clearly and early, and they’ll help make the food area one of the highlights of the day.
Booking a paella stall
Send us your event name, dates, expected visitor numbers and pitch details, and we’ll let you know our availability, what we would serve and what we need on site.
Talk to us
See festival paella catering and send us your event details.
Quick answers
Can you trade at a small village fête?
Ask us with the details; it depends on numbers and the date.
Can you feed crew at set times?
Yes, we can cook for crew or volunteers at agreed times.
Do you need power?
Tell us what’s available at the pitch and we’ll confirm what we need.
Planning an event? Tell us about it and we’ll suggest a menu and send a quote.