West Sussex · England
Festival & event paella in Sidlesham, West Sussex
Paella for every guest: separate pans for meat, seafood and vegetarian or vegan guests. Paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events in Sidlesham.
- Music and food festivals
- Village fêtes and summer fairs
- School fairs and fundraisers
Planning an event in Sidlesham?
Dietary needs and planning tips
Allergies and diets are taken seriously. Here’s how you can help:
- Ask traders about serving speed at peak times
- Feed crew and volunteers at set times
- Ask for allergen information at each stall
- Check every diet is covered by the line-up
Crew meals are served at set times.
Bowls and forks for eating on the go.
Festival paella catering in Sidlesham, made fresh on the day
We arrive with our equipment and follow the site rules, including arrival and waste arrangements. Typical bookings include farmers’ and Christmas markets and community events and open days, serving giant-pan paella, seafood paella and chicken and chorizo paella.
For a village fête or field event near Sidlesham, a paella stall brings a hot, filling meal to a rural site. Tell us about the ground and access. We bring everything we need to cook, and pack down our cooking area when service is finished.
- Where
- Sidlesham (PO20)
- Area hub
- West Sussex
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Also available
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Why choose live paella in Sidlesham?
Burger stalls are common. Paella adds something different in a food line-up. Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you only pay for what you want.
What you get with us
- A quote that spells everything out
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Fast service from the pan
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
Common questions in Sidlesham
Is Sidlesham close to London?
Roughly 58 miles from the centre of London.
What’s the nearest station to Sidlesham for guests?
Chichester station, about 3.9 miles north of the centre.
When should we book?
The sooner the better. Popular dates book up first, so it pays to ask early.
Do you do crew catering?
We can. We can cook for crew, volunteers or a hospitality area as well as, or instead of, a public stall.
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 can plan it carefully.
How much does festival paella catering cost in Sidlesham?
The price depends on numbers, menu, courses, staff and travel. Tell us about your event and we will send a quote.
What do you need at the venue?
Not a lot: a flat spot away from anything flammable, with space to serve. If in doubt, send a photo.
Can you serve drinks?
We can make sangria, and we can staff a bar with your drinks.
DIY paella versus live catering
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and handles separate pans for each diet.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right for dozens of people takes experience. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
The process
The paella is cooked in huge, shallow pans over gas burners. We need a level, ventilated spot, and we agree where that is before the day. Summer events in Sidlesham have daylight until about 9:20pm at midsummer and about 7:05pm by late September, which helps evening trading. Winter markets, dark by about 4:00pm, need a well-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.
Before we arrive
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
Get a quote
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can send us your details through our quote form.
Planning help
Event catering near Sidlesham
Sidlesham is about 3 miles north of Selsey, in West Sussex. Give us the address of your event in Sidlesham, and we will plan access and set-up before the day. We cater in 371 places across West Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. We cook right across the region, from Sidlesham to Southampton (28 miles away).
School fairs, for a school like Sidlesham Primary School, are a natural fit for a paella stall. For visitors coming by rail, Chichester station is about 3.9 miles away. With the sea within about 4 miles, we plan shelter from the wind for coastal events, and seafood paella sells well by the sea.
We cook at events all over PO20 and the streets around it. Local streets include Rookery Lane, Selsey Road and Manhood Lane; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. You will find Sidlesham on the B2145, so it is easy for us to reach with the van and pans. Other places close to Sidlesham for festival paella catering include Keynor Estate (1 mile south-west), Street End (1 mile north), Sidlesham Common (1 mile north), Fisher (2 miles north-east) and Church Norton (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Bognor Regis (4 miles east), Chichester (4 miles north), Selsey (3 miles south), Littlehampton (11 miles east), Emsworth (8 miles north-west) and Rustington (12 miles east).
A little further out are St Richard's Hospital (4.7 miles north) and Chichester Castle (4.4 miles north).
The menu, dish by dish
Giant paella pans
The huge pan is the star.
Chicken & chorizo paella
A hearty, smoky pan.
What affects the price in Sidlesham
The same guest numbers can mean different prices, because of:
- Timings and hours
- Whether you need crockery
- Extra courses such as canapés, tapas and dessert
- Guest numbers
The cost per head usually falls as numbers rise, since the set-up is much the same either way. Tell us your numbers for an accurate price.
What to tell us
To check availability and price, we need:
- A picture of where we’d cook
- The date and rough timings
- Anything your venue supplies
- The courses you’d like
Every event is quoted individually, so you only pay for what you need. For a quote, send us your details through our quote form.
Planning the cooking area
Every venue is different, so we ask about the space when you get in touch. Generally, we look for:
- Spacing from tents and other structures
- A level pitch on firm ground
- A pitch big enough for the pans, burners and serving table
If you’re unsure, send a picture of the space and we will say what we think.
Popular choices
- Churros
- Seafood paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegan paella
- Tapas
- Giant paella pans
Who books festival paella catering in Sidlesham?
It brings theatre to the food court.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Common bookings include:
- Sports clubs and race days
- Charity and school events
- Community events and open days
- Feeding crew and volunteers
For a church fête or fundraiser, at a church such as St Mary Our Lady Sidlesham, a paella stall adds a hot meal to the cakes and tombola.
Comparing caterers
- Whether VAT is included
- Who provides the crockery
- Space, access and power needs
- The deadline for final numbers
Towns and villages near Sidlesham
Other catering in Sidlesham
- 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