BIRKENHEAD Park will play host to a weekend of food, drink and music celebrations.

The Wirral Food & Drink Festival will take place on Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 and will see a host of celebrity chefs who will lead the ultimate gastronomic experience curated by chef Paul Askew.

This will be followed by musical performances from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday and Lightning Seeds headlining Sunday evening alongside The Christians and China Crisis.

Free from 11am to 5pm, the festival will include a family zone which will offer interactive activities for all ages while tickets for the evening concerts are available on the day from the Birkenhead Park Visitor Centre.

Among the chefs joining nationally renowned Paul Askew, chef patron of The Art School Restaurant, are Ellis Barrie and Tommy Heaney who will be providing chef demos between 12.30pm and 3.15pm both days.

In addition visitors can expect to find food traders specialising in fresh produce from Wirral and Liverpool City Region alongside global street food: Chip’d serving Dutch style chips, Joro Vegan Eatery, real dairy ice cream, independent wine retailers, sweet treats, home accessories, restaurants such as Thyme Oxton and local breweries including Brimstage Brewery and Wirral Gin.

Cllr Christine Spriggs, Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism said: “We’ve been waiting for this weekend and it’s finally here.

"This will be a weekend to remember and I hope everyone can come and sample the wonderful food and drink and enjoy the world class music which is going to be absolutely fantastic.”

All the events are part of Wirral's Borough of Culture celebrations.