East Sussex · England
Festival & event paella in Hastings Old Town, East Sussex
Something for every guest: meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan pans side by side. Paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events for events in Hastings Old Town.
- Music and food festivals
- Farmers’ and Christmas markets
- Sports clubs and race days
Planning an event in Hastings Old Town?
Should I cook it myself?
Cooking paella for a crowd yourself is possible, but it’s harder than it looks. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Read how to cook paella for a crowd.
Hiring a pan and burner is one option, but there’s shopping, prep and hours of cooking. We take care of all of it.
Festival paella catering for your event in Hastings Old Town
We arrive with our equipment and follow the site rules, including arrival and waste arrangements. Typical bookings include summer fairs and fêtes and VIP and hospitality areas, serving vegan paella, giant-pan paella and seafood paella.
In Hastings Old Town, one trader covering most diets keeps it simple. A paella stall does that. All the cooking equipment comes with us, and we clear our cooking area away afterwards.
- Where
- Hastings Old Town (TN34, TN35)
- Area hub
- East Sussex
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Extras
- Tapas, churros, sangria, crockery
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Why choose festival paella catering in Hastings Old Town?
It handles peak times well, because it’s served from big pans.
Whatever you are celebrating in Hastings Old Town, live paella can be the centrepiece. We often cook for:
- Open days
- Summer fairs and fêtes
- Music and food festivals
- Country shows
If your event is in Linton Gardens, the organiser will need the landowner’s permission; we’ll supply our paperwork.
What to look for in a quote
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- Who provides the crockery
- The wet-weather plan
- Whether travel is included
What happens on the day
We arrive in good time before you want to eat, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Guests typically gather round to watch while it cooks. For an evening event in Hastings Old Town, sunset is about 8:45pm in late May and 9:15pm in late June; after dark, we need a lit pitch.
- We check your dates.
- We agree what we’ll serve and where.
- We set up our burners and pans.
- The first pans are ready as visitors arrive.
- We serve, then pack down.
Preparing for the day
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Arrange parking near the cooking spot
Getting a price
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we’ll confirm whether we are available that day.
Planning help
Organising for someone else?
For repeat events, such as annual staff parties or seasonal fairs, let us know your dates early, so we can hold the date.
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We will provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Catering for every guest
With a little notice, every diet is easy. Our advice:
- Check how many portions traders can serve
- Check every diet is covered by the line-up
- Send traders one clear trader pack
- Feed crew and volunteers at set times
Allergen information is available at the stall, and each pan is labelled.
Tapas and churros can be added to a stall menu.
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Most street food is cooked one order at a time. Paella is batch-cooked and served fast, so queues move quickly. Premium seafood costs more than chicken or vegetables, so the menu you choose affects the price. We will suggest options to suit your budget.
Why us?
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- Catering across East Sussex, including Hastings Old Town
- Add tapas, canapés and Spanish desserts
- Sangria and bar staff available
Read How we price Or The cost guide.
Hastings Old Town events: pitches and permissions
Hastings Old Town is about 1 mile south-east of Hastings, in East Sussex. From the centre of Hastings Old Town to the outskirts, festival paella catering works the same way: live cooking, separate pans for every diet and a clear price. Hastings Old Town is one of 289 towns and villages in East Sussex where we cook. We cook right across the region, from Hastings Old Town to Brighton (32 miles away).
For visitors coming by rail, the nearest station is Hastings station, about 0.7 miles west. For a church fête or fundraiser, at a church such as Church of St Clement, a paella stall adds a hot meal to the cakes and tombola. With the sea within about a mile, we plan shelter from the wind for coastal events, and seafood paella sells well by the sea.
Festival paella catering in TN34 and TN35 is planned around your venue. Local streets include Crown Lane, Croft Road and Manor Road; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. Other places close to Hastings Old Town for festival paella catering include Rock-a-Nore (1 mile south-east), Belmont (1 mile north), America Ground (1 mile west), Blacklands (1 mile north-west) and St Helen's (1 mile north-west). Larger places within reach include Eastbourne (14 miles west), Bexhill-on-Sea (6 miles west), Hailsham (15 miles west), Polegate (15 miles west), Old Town (15 miles west) and Upper Horsebridge (15 miles west).
Well-known places in the area include Priory Meadow Shopping Centre (0.5 miles west) and Hastings Castle (less than half a mile west). Open spaces near Hastings Old Town include Church Wood and Robsack Wood.
- Nearby schools include University School (0.9 miles west) and William Parker Sports College (1.7 miles north-west)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Royal Standard Public House (within half a mile south)
Prices and what affects them
Each event is quoted on its own, and the price depends on a few things:
- How many courses
- Travel, parking and access
- How many staff you need
- How long we’re needed on site
Got a budget? Let us know, and we will put together a menu that fits. Even a simple menu can be a feast.
Details that help
These details help us quote quickly:
- A picture of the cooking space, if it is a garden or field
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Expected numbers
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
Send us the date, your venue or TN34 postcode and guest numbers, plus any dietary needs, and you’ll get a menu idea and a price. To get started, use our quote form.
Dishes our guests love
Chicken & chorizo paella
Popular with families.
Seafood paella
Seafood paella is always popular.
Hastings Old Town questions
What about events near the coast?
Yes, as long as we can shelter from the wind. Sea breezes cool the pan, so a windbreak, building or gazebo helps.
Which station should guests use for Hastings Old Town?
The closest is Hastings station, roughly 0.7 miles away.
Can you cater for crew and volunteers?
We can. We can cook for crew, volunteers or a hospitality area as well as, or instead of, a public stall.
Do you take everything away?
We clear our cooking area away when service is finished. Waiting staff can clear tables if you book them.
Can you do sangria?
Sangria, yes. For other drinks, we can provide bar staff to serve what you buy.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Let us know about coeliac guests in advance so we take the right care.
Do you cater for young children?
Children are welcome. Tell us how many and roughly how old, and we will plan a pan with them in mind.
Do you offer halal options?
Yes. Halal paella is cooked with halal chicken and no pork or alcohol, in its own pan.
Also near Hastings Old Town
More for events in Hastings Old Town
- Cooked live in giant pans at your event
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options
- Paella, tapas, canapés and desserts
- Sangria, bar staff, crockery and waiting staff