East Sussex · England
Festival & event paella in Wilmington, East Sussex
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: paella street food for festivals, fairs, markets and community events for events in Wilmington and across East Sussex.
- Village fêtes
- Music and food festivals
- Race days and sports events
Festival paella catering near Wilmington
Fairs, fêtes and events in Wilmington
Wilmington is about 4 miles south-west of Hailsham, in East Sussex. From the centre of Wilmington to the outskirts, we offer the same service: paella cooked live, every diet catered for and a clear quote. We cook in all 289 towns and villages across East Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. Our events stretch from Wilmington to Brighton (14 miles away).
If you’re organising a summer fair or fundraiser for a school such as Willingdon Community School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser. For a church fête or fundraiser, at a church such as St Mary and St Peter's Church, a paella stall adds a hot meal to the cakes and tombola. Within about 2 miles is the South Downs National Park, where events may have extra rules on vehicles and waste; we work to the site rules. With the sea within about 6 miles, we plan shelter from the wind for coastal events.
Here we cover the BN26 postcode area, so your event can be anywhere in it. Whether your event is on The Street and Ades Field or anywhere nearby, we will bring the pans to you. For events just outside Wilmington, we cover Milton Street (1 mile south-west), Winton (2 miles west), Arlington (2 miles north), Berwick (2 miles north-west) and Lullington (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Eastbourne (5 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (12 miles east), Seaford (5 miles south-west), Lewes (9 miles north-west), Hailsham (4 miles north-east) and Uckfield (11 miles north).
Nearby you’ll also find Agricultural Museum (less than half a mile south) and Burlough Castle (1 mile west). Open spaces near Wilmington include Combe Hill.
- Pubs nearby include The Sussex Ox pub (0.9 miles south-west)
Festival paella catering in Wilmington, made fresh on the day
We bring the pans and burners and work to your site rules, from arrival times to waste. Typical bookings include sports club events and summer fairs and fêtes, serving chicken and chorizo paella, giant-pan paella and seafood paella.
A fête near Wilmington might be on a field with no mains power; tell us what’s available and we’ll plan around it. Timings are planned around your event, so the paella is ready when you want to eat.
- Location
- Wilmington (BN26)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Extras
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Planners, venues and businesses
Organising a club, school or community event in Wilmington? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Give us the details and we will suggest a plan.
If your event is in a public space, such as a park, check what permission you need first. We’ll provide any information the landowner or council asks for.
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. Common mistakes are mismatched pans and burners, overfilling and stirring. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
Who books festival paella catering in Wilmington?
It suits outdoor events of all sizes.
Live paella works for big and small events alike. Common bookings include:
- Christmas and farmers’ markets
- County and country shows
- School fairs and fundraisers
- Sports club events
For visitors coming by rail, Berwick (Sussex) station is about 1.8 miles away.
Comparing caterers
- When final numbers are due
- How dietary needs and allergies are handled
- How long the team stays
- What the caterer needs from your venue
Is live paella right for your event?
Most stalls cook to order. Paella is batch-cooked and served fast, keeping queues short. Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you only pay for what you want.
Why book with us
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
- Paella cooked from scratch on site
- Served hot, straight from the pan
- Tapas, canapés and desserts if you want them
Wilmington: your questions answered
Which station should guests use for Wilmington?
The closest is Berwick (Sussex) station, roughly 1.8 miles away.
Is Wilmington too small for live paella?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Can you serve tapas as well?
Yes, it is the classic pairing. Tapas first, paella to follow.
What do you need at the venue?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, in the open air or a ventilated covered area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
Where do you cater?
We cover London and the South East, including East Sussex. See all areas.
Can you handle a lunchtime rush?
Paella is cooked in big batches and served from the pan, so service is quick.
Who clears up?
We pack down our cooking area after service. Clearing guests’ plates and tables can be added with waiting staff.
What documents can you send?
Tell us what the event needs and we’ll send it with our application.
What affects the price in Wilmington
Every event is priced individually, based on a few main things:
- Crockery and cutlery, or disposables
- Staff: cooks, waiting staff and bar staff
- How many courses
- Travel, parking and access
The cost per head normally falls as numbers rise, since the set-up is much the same either way. Give us your numbers and we will quote.
Getting an accurate quote
You don’t need everything decided to ask for a quote, but these help:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- Where the event is
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
Send us the date, your venue or BN26 postcode and guest numbers, along with any dietary needs, and you will get a menu idea and a price. Just use our quote form.
What happens on the day
When the rice goes in, it is left alone. That’s how the grains cook evenly and the toasted base, the socarrat, forms. Your guests will smell it before they see it. Evening events in Wilmington have light until about 9:15pm at midsummer; after dark, we need a lit pitch.
- We check your dates.
- We agree what we’ll serve and where.
- Burners and pans go up.
- Pans are cooking as gates open.
- We serve, then pack down.
Before we arrive
- Confirm numbers and diets before the day
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Share the running order, including any speeches
Get a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to fill in our quote form. Give us the details of your event, and we’ll put together a menu and price.
Read more
Nearby places to Wilmington
What else we do in Wilmington
About the dishes
Giant paella pans
A pan the size of a cartwheel, full of saffron rice, cooking in full view.
Seafood paella
Seafood paella is always popular.
Before you choose a spot
Before the day, we will agree where we cook. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- Clear information on power, water and waste
- Firm, level ground
- Room for our cooking and serving area
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we’ll say what we think before booking.
What we offer
- Seafood paella
- Tapas
- Giant paella pans
- Vegan paella
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Churros
- 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