West Sussex · England
Festival & event paella in Hickstead, West Sussex
Paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events in Hickstead: paella made from scratch in big, shallow pans, right in front of your guests, with tapas, desserts and drinks if you want them.
- Crew, volunteer and VIP catering
- Country shows
- Food and music festivals
Festival paella catering near Hickstead
How our festival paella catering works in Hickstead
We can trade as a stall or cook for crew, volunteers and VIP areas. We’re often asked to cater feeding crew and volunteers and village fêtes, serving chicken and chorizo paella, seafood paella and giant-pan paella.
A fête near Hickstead might be on a field with no mains power; tell us what’s available and we’ll plan around it. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
- Where
- Hickstead (RH17, BN6)
- County
- West Sussex
- Dietary options
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Add-ons
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quotes
- Ask us for a quote
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Planners, venues and businesses
For larger events, we plan the number of pans and serving points around your timings, so everyone eats promptly. Tell us how long you have for food.
Events in public spaces, like parks, usually need permission. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Where we can cook in Hickstead
Safety and good cooking both depend on the spot we use. We look for:
- Vehicle access before and after the event
- Your trader pack and site rules
- Clear information on power, water and waste
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we will say what we think.
Popular choices
- Seafood paella
- Churros
- Tapas
- Giant paella pans
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
Occasions we cook for in Hickstead
It feeds crew and volunteers well on a long day.
Live paella suits almost any gathering. In Hickstead, people book us for events such as:
- Agricultural and county shows
- Charity and school events
- Community events and open days
- Farmers’ and Christmas markets
For visitors coming by rail, Burgess Hill station is about 3.1 miles away.
Questions to ask before booking
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- A clear list of what’s included
- Travel and parking costs
- The deadline for final numbers
Paella compared with other options
If you want a trader that adds atmosphere, a paella pan delivers. The price depends on your guest numbers, the menu and how many courses you choose, plus any staff, crockery and travel. We quote for each event individually.
Why us?
- Starters and desserts to complete the menu
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- We cover Hickstead and the whole of West Sussex
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
See Our pricing Or The cost guide.
The menu, dish by dish
Seafood paella
The seafood pan is a festival favourite.
Giant paella pans
Huge pans of golden rice, cooking in full view.
Your questions about festival paella catering in Hickstead
Can you run a stall at a school fair in Hickstead?
Yes, if the school is happy for us to cook on site. Send us the date, pitch and expected numbers.
How far is Hickstead from London?
Roughly 37 miles from the centre of London, and well within our area.
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 do desserts?
We do. Churros, crema catalana and tarta de Santiago are popular choices, or you can serve your own cake.
When do you arrive?
That depends on your menu and numbers. We will agree arrival, cooking and serving times with you.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes, and meat eaters often go back for seconds. They have their own pans, stock and spoons.
Do you cover Hickstead?
We do. We cook at events in Hickstead and across West Sussex. Send us your date to check availability.
Can you do sangria?
Sangria, yes. We can also supply bar staff for your own drinks.
DIY paella versus live catering
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you’ll still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. Large pans need the right burners, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
Places near Hickstead
Other catering in Hickstead
What affects the price in Hickstead
The price comes down to a few factors:
- Parking and unloading
- How many courses
- The paellas you choose
- Whether you need crockery
There’s no one-size-fits-all price for live paella. A garden party lunch and a full wedding menu are very different jobs. Your quote spells it all out.
What to tell us
To speed things up, tell us:
- Diets and allergies you know about
- Where the event is
- Which courses you have in mind
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
Every quote is put together for your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Fairs, fêtes and events in Hickstead
Hickstead is about 3 miles west of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. For festival paella catering in Hickstead, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices. We cover 371 places in West Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is Brighton, about 10 miles away.
School fairs, for a school like Twineham CofE Primary School, are a natural fit for a paella stall. For a church fête or fundraiser, at a church such as The Parish Church of St Peter, a paella stall adds a hot meal to the cakes and tombola. Within about 5 miles is the South Downs National Park, where events may have extra rules on vehicles and waste; we work to the site rules.
Wherever your event is in RH17 and BN6, we can cook for your guests. Other places close to Hickstead for festival paella catering include Goddards Green (1 mile east), Sayers Common (1 mile south), Abbotsford (2 miles east), Ansty (2 miles north-east) and Hurstpierpoint (2 miles south). Further out, we also cater in Crawley (10 miles north), Horsham (9 miles north-west), Worthing (13 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (5 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (3 miles east) and East Grinstead (14 miles north-east).
A little further out are The Dene Hospital (1.3 miles east) and Clayton Castle (4.6 miles south-east). Open spaces near Hickstead include Wolstonbury Hill and Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve.
- Local schools include St Paul's Catholic College (1.8 miles east)
How the day works
It’s a relaxed, well-organised set-up. We agree arrival and serving times in advance, set up our cooking area, and cook and serve without fuss. Summer events in Hickstead have daylight until about 9:20pm at midsummer and about 7:05pm by late September, so evening trading generally finishes in daylight in high summer. Winter markets, dark by about 3:55pm, need a well-lit pitch.
- First, we check the dates.
- We agree what we will serve and where.
- We set up our burners and pans.
- Pans are cooking as gates open.
- We serve, then clear the pitch at the end.
Getting ready for the day
- Give us a contact for the day
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
Ask for a quote
Every event is quoted individually, so the price fits what you actually want. To ask for one, use our quote form.
Related guides
- 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