Jane's Midlife Journey

Christchurch Cheese & Chilli Festival is a two day event which brings together foodies, chefs and artisans from across the south west. It takes place annually (unless there’s a pandemic or something equally disastrous) on a field next to Bournemouth Airport. A popular fixture on the local calendar, with record crowds of around 10,000 visitors last year, 2025 saw the festival reach its eleventh year.

There are a variety of attractions; mainly cheese and chilli themed (obviously), but also other food and drink stalls, catering, cooking demonstrations, chilli eating competitions, music and plenty of other entertainment for both adults and children alike.

How to get to Christchurch Cheese & Chilli Festival

The venue is in East Parley, around 5 miles north of central Bournemouth, just off the A338. It is easily accessible by car, although the event’s popularity can lead to congestion on surrounding roads.

By Bus

Being next to the airport, you’d think it would be easy to reach by public transport. You’d be wrong. The airport bus does not run on weekends. The nearest operational bus stop is Parley Cross Roads, which is 2.5 miles away. Christchurch Station is 3.5 miles away. There is no bus from here either.

Parking

There is ample car parking in a field adjoining the festival. Parking is free. Note: Although we have never had any problems with parking, it is in a field, so could be problematic if the ground is wet.

Times

The event takes place over a weekend in May. In 2025, the dates were:

• Saturday 17th May from 10 am until 6 pm
• Sunday 18th May from 10 am until 5 pm

2026 dates are yet to be announced.

Prices

In 2025, adult day tickets cost £9 in advance (plus a booking fee) or £12 on the door. Concessions and weekend tickets are also available. Children under 16 years old are free.

Stalls & Traders

Cheese lovers will be in their element, as the festival showcases an impressive array of local cheeses. From tangy Cheddars to creamy blues (with all manner of added ingredients) there’s a cheese for every palate. Cheese makers proudly display their offerings, allowing visitors to sample their wares to aid in that all important decision making process. Last year, my favourite was Drunken Monk – Cheddar with Caramelised Onion and Red Wine. While this year’s winner was Cheddar with ginger and figs.

Chilli enthusiasts are in for a treat as well. The festival embraces the heat and intensity of chili peppers in all their forms. From mild jalapeños to scorching habaneros, there’s a huge range of chilli sauces, jams, dips, pickles, rubs, oils, biscuits, plants, even chocolate on offer. Pictured below: The Chilli Alchemist with this year’s festival favourite – Chilli Salted Caramel. It sounds wrong, but it works!

We tackled the arena methodically, walking the length of the site along the right hand site, stopping for lunch and to watch some of the musical entertainment. Then back to the exit along the other side, which was also the right hand site, as we were facing the other direction.

Pretty much all of the stallholders give you the opportunity to try samples before you make a purchase. We ate a lot of cheese! And came away with a lot of cheese (surprise, surprise), chutneys, a chilli plant as well as some gin and a jar of amazing Turkish Delight curd. Engaging with the passionate individuals behind the products adds an extra layer of appreciation. Recommendations, advice and recipes were all on offer.

Food Village

With such an array of choice (Mexican, Paella, burgers, seafood, Indian…) it took us ages to make up our mind up between all the mouth watering offerings encircling us in the Food Village. But in the end we went for loaded fries, which were delicious.

All washed down nicely with a pint of Thatchers. To be more environmentally responsible, the festival has introduced refillable cups.

Music Stage

We ate lunch sitting in front of the Music Stage. There is a full programme of live music throughout the day.

Cooking Theatre

After lunch, we headed for the Cooking Theatre. Here, you can watch cooking demonstrations where renowned chefs share their expertise in creating mouth-watering dishes that incorporate chilli and cheese into every bite (this year, the menu included spicy cheese fondu, chilli cheese dogs and chilli cheese stuffed peppers).

In addition, there is a Chilli Eating Competition, where brave members of the public volunteered/were coerced by friends and family to race to eat a cup of popcorn coated in a potent chilli ‘suicide sauce’, cheered on by the crowd and carefully watched over by a paramedic!

Taste Tent

Our last stop was at the Taste Tent, where you can taste a variety of sauces (68 to be precise) and vote for your favourites. Now I love chilli, but at this point, we considered ourselves all chillied out.

Note: One of the entrants in this year’s competition contains peanuts, which isn’t readily apparent. If you have an allergy, beware.

Wrestling

New for 2024 – wrestling. Not sure what that has to do with either cheese or chilli? Well, you can guess whether the winner will come from the Cheese Corner or the Chilli Corner. A bit like Ready Steady Cook only with less cooking and more violence. We didn’t bother watching the wrestling, departing instead with our festival haul.

Christchurch Cheese & Chilli Festival for Children

As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the festival. But children are very well catered for too, with dedicated areas offering entertainment and activities to keep them engaged throughout the day. As well as walkabout musicians and stilt walkers and a Treasure Hunt. All presided over by the festival’s mascot (Katie the Koala – no idea what that has to do with chillies. Or cheese.)

Fun Fair

A small Fun Fair contains fairground rides and a bouncy castle to keep kids entertained. Although several children seemed more intent on stamping on the air dancing chillies!

Family Zone

In the Family Zone are a range of activities to suit children of all ages. This year, activities included:

• Crazy golf
• Punch & Judy
• Story teller
• Face painting
• Henna tattoos
• Axe throwing

There is also timetable of entertainment ranging from bubble parties, to puppet shows to meeting ponies.

• Updated: May 2025

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my other ideas for ‘101 Things to do in Bournemouth’ here.