Review: Eat in the Park took place in Buxton in August 2023.

The weekend of Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August 2023 witnessed another Eat in the Park festival for Buxton. Could local heroes Jake and George and their team successfully repeat their formula of entertainment and of course food in the verdant embrace of the Pavilions Gardens for a third year in a row?

The first EITP in 2021 was surprisingly well conceived and not long out of the lockdown, most people were just glad to be doing anything. 2022’s iteration was kissed by a spell of rare sunshine and saw the event go from strength to strength. All the organisers had to do this year was repeat the recipe and keep their fingers crossed for half-decent weather. Apart from a brief shower or two on Saturday, the rain was merciful and Sunday afternoon was actually a bit like summer. Given the climate of July and most of August in Buxton this year, it seems that EITP is blessed.

Crowd watching the outdoor festival stage.

As with 2022, the music emanated from three locations within the festival; a main stage, a dance tent and from within the Buxton Brewery tent. The festival occupied part of Pavilion Gardens. The review noted some local objections to fencing off the park, the impact on lawns and the noise; it also argued that the festival brought life to the town. The advertised programme ended at 9pm each day. Let’s face it, it also livens the place up a bit! All the opera and ballet is very well and good but there comes a time when you just want a burger, a pint and some zig-a-zig-ah.

Some of the musical highlights are homegrown with reliable performances from Rose Amongst Thorns and The A’Ups on Saturday and Purple Cloud of Funk, Loxleigh and Cheap Shades on the Sunday. After seeing some of these bands umpteen times, you could be forgiven for thinking the novelty is wearing a little thin but you can depend on these guys to give the crowd the good time they’ve paid for. The Main Stage featured some outstanding tribute bands. The House Jammerz gave us some well known commercial house/dance classics which certainly got the crowd going. On the Sunday Vicky Jackson nailed it with her Pink tribute followed by another big crowd pleaser the Fillers (Killers tribute) who equally bought the house down.

Festivalgoers gathered inside a yellow music tent.It almost goes without saying that The Bootleg Beatles offered a throughly seasoned headline on Sunday night, a stone’s throw from where the original Beatles provoked hysterics in the 60s. Sixty years on and a little less screaming but their music is still timeless; young kids through to Beatles fans who’d remember Beatlemania sweeping the globe in the 60s were all enjoying themselves! Twist n Shout, Here Comes the Sun and the finale song Hey Jude were highlights amongst a string of Beatles hits and it was a superb feel good, 1.5 hour show from start to finish.

Crowd watching a stage displaying a Beatles sign.

The headliners from Saturday night, a reasonably competent Kings of Leon tribute act made the strange decision to knock out many of the band’s more sedate numbers, leaving the audience milling around and scratching their heads slightly. The throng did come alive for hit Sex on Fire but as fans, this marked the band drifting into more commercial territory. Each to their own. For the team who organised EITP, the line-up must have been a real quandary. Most people like something they can sing and dance along to. We were left speculating if they should charge more for the tickets and get some well-known originals? After all, The Y Not festival at Pikehall, near Matlock, started off small but their 2023 version was graced by the likes of Kasabian, Paul Weller and Royal Blood so in the future, this might not be so crazy. But we all love familiarity so who knows?

On both days, the Kids Zone was packed with activities throughout the afternoon. The area was tucked away just beyond the daisy lawn so grown-ups could still tap their feet to nearby music but it wasn’t overbearing. Eat in the Park is well and truly a family festival with something for everyone.

Children watching entertainers inside a canopy.

Despite feeling a little bit like an unwelcome gate crasher on the peripheries of the park, it was really good to see the dance tent back. Seasoned DJ Brendan Staden did what he does best with some classic house tunes. We didn’t participate much but as ageing old school ravers, but we did bob our heads to the banging beats during our gazillion trips to the portaloos. At one point, we gazed across the river Wye to see a Jungle set that was particularly lively, with a crowd bouncing around within its shadowy confines. The folks of Broad Walk and Burlington Road must love that Jungle.

It’s not all about the tunes, of course. As usual, there was a bewildering array of food and drink vendors, filling the air with tantalising aromas from every corner of the globe. We decided to try as much grub as we could eat. Urban Spice, Thai Food Van, Chef Stef and Fat Pig BBQ were all sampled and delivered reliable tasty fodder giving us necessary fuel to enjoy the full Weekend Pass. It would be have been good to find some gluten free pizza but the latter vendors all had good veggie and GF options.

Festivalgoers seated on the lawn near food stalls.

A hand holding a takeaway food tray at the festival.

The Buxton Brewery Bars were great as usual but the absence of the cocktail bar from last year was missed. Bizarrely, a cocktail vendor had decided to set up outside the festival at the bottom of The Slopes and it would have been nice to see that inside the event.

Our 2023 review reported that both days sold out, with about 5,000 people attending each day. As with previous years there were also plenty of visible event staff around the site, many continually keeping it clean and tidy and on hand with anything guests needed. The reviewer praised accessibility for visitors with limited mobility at the 2023 festival. And the layout of Pavilion Gardens really lends itself to hosting a micro-festival like this.

A crowd faces the outdoor stage under an evening sky.

EITP once again managed to be greater than the sum of its parts. Jake and George and their team deserved medals, we thought, for making Buxton a little less … Buxton! A Chesterfield edition had also taken place earlier in August 2023. We felt lucky with the weather at the 2022 and 2023 festivals. We hoped the festival would continue to grow.

Visit Peak District & Derbyshire says the festival took a break in 2026 and is expected to return in 2027, with dates to be confirmed. See the regional tourism listing for updates.

Can YOU see yourself?

Thank you to everyone who sent in and shared their pictures of EITP with us, here’s a gallery of the best ones, tag yourself in our Facebook post if you can spot your face!

A group of festivalgoers posing for a photograph.A group poses beside large colourful EITP letters. People at a sound desk under a colourful canopy.A crowd watches the brightly lit outdoor stage. A group of festivalgoers smiling near the stage at night.Two people posing for a photograph near the stage. Two festivalgoers posing together in the crowd. Children and costumed entertainers posing together.A child in a pirate hat sitting on an adult’s shoulders.Three festivalgoers take a selfie in the crowd. Two festivalgoers wearing glasses under a canopy. A group of festivalgoers holding drinks for a selfie. A child in a colourful visor sitting on an adult’s shoulders. Festivalgoers dancing together near the stage. Two festivalgoers smiling together with drinks.Visitors sitting and walking on the festival lawn.Two festivalgoers in colourful hats posing on the lawn. People sitting at picnic tables and walking among stalls.Two festivalgoers posing by a hair glitter stall. A child with face paint and brightly coloured braids. Children watching entertainers inside a canopy. A group of festivalgoers posing together while seated. A crowd faces the outdoor stage under an evening sky.A child sitting on an adult’s shoulders on the festival lawn. A red-haired festivalgoer takes a selfie with children in the crowd. Two festivalgoers in colourful hats posing while seated. Three festivalgoers wearing sunglasses pose together. A child sitting on an adult’s shoulders in the crowd.Two festivalgoers smiling together with drinks. A group of festivalgoers pose for a photograph with drinks. Festivalgoers in colourful hats and sunglasses take a selfie. A group takes a selfie with drinks among the crowd. A group of festivalgoers pose near the stage. A child sitting in a camping chair on the lawn. Two children together in front of festival seating. A group of festivalgoers pose together on the lawn. Two people, one in a high-visibility vest, pose near the stage. A collage of a child meeting costumed entertainers. A festivalgoer wearing a colourful hat and sunglasses. Three festivalgoers smiling for an outdoor selfie. Two festivalgoers wearing colourful headwear and sunglasses. A group takes a selfie in front of a large crowd. A group of festivalgoers pose together with drinks. Festivalgoers in bright hats and pink shirts pose together. Two festivalgoers pose together in front of the stage. Three festivalgoers smiling for a selfie. A group poses beside large colourful EITP letters. A group of festivalgoers pose together on the grass. A singer playing an electric guitar on stage. A cheering crowd inside a festival tent. A festivalgoer in a colourful outfit and headwear. A group of festivalgoers pose for a selfie with drinks. A child poses beside the colourful EITP letters. Children and an adult smiling together in the crowd. A group poses beside a large orange EITP letter. Festivalgoers and costumed characters pose near the stage. Children and costumed entertainers gather under a tree. Two people take a selfie with the festival stage behind them. An adult carrying a child on their shoulders near a tent. A child standing among the large colourful EITP letters. Two festivalgoers smiling and holding drinks. Large colourful EITP letters beside a festival tent. A festivalgoer dancing on the grass. Two festivalgoers posing together near the seating area. A child wrapped in a patterned blanket and wearing a hat. Children pose with a Hannah Banana party sign. Three festivalgoers smile for a selfie. A group of young festivalgoers pose in colourful glasses. Two festivalgoers smiling for a photograph.