By Emma Ryan
A PHENOMENAL rise in the cost of the running the popular ‘A Taste of Donegal Food Festival’ has led to organisers cancelling the event this year.
The three day event is usually held at the Pier car park in Donegal Town during the last weekend of August, however, the committee has now confirmed the festival will not proceed this year.
The festival played host to a great line-up of local and celebrity chefs as well as quality local food and drink products from all over the county for people to sample and buy.
Committee member Mary McGettigan told the Donegal News the festival cost around €165,000 to run in 2019 but the cost of this year’s festival would have increased to over €200,000.
She said canceling the festival was not a decision that was taken lightly.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for the committee to make.
“We are all extremely passionate about the festival and have been doing it for such a long time but we were left without a choice this year.
“The festival was last run fully in 2019 and it cost around €165,000 however, for this year’s festival, costs were going to reach around €200,000, probably more.
“Previously, we would have entered each year with a surplus budget from the year before but unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we were starting from nothing at all.
“We are a voluntary group and we could not take the risk of getting into debt,” said Ms McGettigan.
The festival which was hit with two cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic was held last year but at a smaller scale than pre-pandemic levels.
Ms McGettigan said the festival is usually supported by hotels and restaurants from across Donegal but many of those have not returned to pre-pandemic levels and are unable to commit to having a stand at the event.
“We wanted to put local Donegal businesses and products in the spotlight at the festival and we usually were extremely well supported by local hotels and businesses.
“However, a lot of those businesses are not at full staff capacity or operations after the pandemic and were not able to commit to the festival.
“So it would be a huge risk going ahead with the event,” said Ms McGettigan.
The food festival put Donegal on the map for foodies and attracted thousands of people each year from all over the country and world.
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