Communities Come Together Through Food and Culture at Rowallane Winter Feast
Saintfield’s Rowallane Garden is hosting the final event in a community programme
bringing people together through food, storytelling, heritage and shared cultural experiences on Sunday, 29 November between 1pm and 4pm.
The Winter Feast is part of the Shared Table: Tastes & Traditions of Rowallane and Beyond programme delivered by ArtsEkta and made possible by PEACEPLUS funding secured by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
The project is part of the Council’s Local Action Plan’s Thriving Together initiative, supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The free event follows the cancellation of the originally planned Harvest Feast on 24 October at Rowallane due to severe weather, with the rescheduled event reimagined as a welcoming winter gathering, retaining the focus on food, cultural exchange and community connections.
Through food and storytelling workshops, cultural recipe sharing, local food heritage activities, creative experiences and visits exploring food and nature, programme participants from different community and cultural backgrounds have been discovering traditions from County Down alongside foods and customs from around the world.
The programme encourages people to share their own experiences while discovering what different communities have in common, from recipes passed through generations to the importance of food in family life, hospitality and celebration.
Set against the winter surroundings of Rowallane Garden, The Winter Feast celebrates warming seasonal flavours and food traditions from near and far through live music, storytelling, artisan producers, creative workshops and cultural experiences.
Visitors can look forward to live entertainment alongside three food demonstration and sampling stations exploring local food heritage, seasonal dishes and flavours from around the world. A curated artisan food market will showcase independent producers and food businesses, while hands-on winter and nature-inspired workshops will offer opportunities for visitors of different ages to get creative.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Glyn Hanna said, “Shared Table is a wonderful opportunity for people from across the Rowallane area to come together, meet others and celebrate the rich food traditions and cultures that exist within our communities.
“Food has a unique ability to bring people together, and through PEACEPLUS we are creating opportunities for residents to share experiences, learn from one another and build new connections. I look forward to The Winter Feast at Rowallane Garden, which promises to be a fantastic celebration for the whole community.”
Tickets for The Winter Feast will be released at 9am on Monday 2 November 2026 and
advance booking is essential. To book visit: https://artsekta.org.uk/events/the-winter-feast/
Shared Table: Tastes & Traditions of Rowallane and Beyond is funded by PEACEPLUS, a cross-border funding programme supported by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland administration.
A PEACEPLUS newsletter is published every two months, highlighting projects being delivered throughout the district as part of the Co-Designed Action Plan. To receive future newsletters, email peace@nmandd.org and ask to be placed on the PEACEPLUS database.
For information on SEUPB, visit the PEACEPLUS website.
