An evening of food, drink and live music will be among the highlights of this year’s Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival.

The festival, the seventh, takes place at the Villa Marina Gardens this Saturday and Sunday (19th/20th September).

For the first time, the festival – supported by Shoprite, the Island’s leading food retailer – will be open until 9pm on Saturday.

There will be street food on sale and a bar, plus entertainment from local band The Fecktones from 7pm to 8.30pm and a DJ set either side of this.

In the Manx Food Theatre marquee, The Courthouse will host a cocktail masterclass from 6pm to 7pm and the Hooded Ram brewery will host food and beer pairing from 7pm to 8pm.

Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘The festival is growing in popularity and attracts thousands of visitors and it makes sense to extend it into the evening to offer something a bit different.’

Admission to the festival is just ?3 a day, or ?5 for a weekend pass, for adults, with under-16s admitted free.

‘Holders of daytime tickets will be readmitted free in the evening, making it a bargain evening out,’ the Minister added.

Tickets for the family-friendly festival are on sale via www.villagaiety.com or can be purchased at the gate.

Among highlights of the festival are demonstrations by Manx-born chef Colin Clague, who has worked in some of the world’s leading restaurants, a cook-off between Roy Macfarlane of Macfarlane’s restaurant and Michael Murphy of L’Experience, and the finals of the Isle of Man Chef of the Year and Isle of Man Student Chef of the Year competitions, sponsored by Robinson’s.

The festival opens at 10am both days and closes at 5pm on Sunday. Visit www.gov.im/food for the full programme.