Plantain being prepared at Dodo Festival

Pillar one · Culture

Plantain, the one thing that brings everyone to the table.

A love letter to the fruit that travels across borders, kitchens and generations.

Why plantain

Fried, boiled, grilled, roasted—loved everywhere.

Dodo Festival UK is a new love letter to plantain, the golden thread tying African, Caribbean and Black British kitchens together.

Food gives us a delicious way into memory, identity and conversation. Around one shared ingredient, every city brings its own story to the table.

How we celebrate

Culture you can taste, hear and take home.

01

The Food Village

Cooks and food businesses bring recipes, regional traditions and bold new ideas into one generous space.

02

Cook-offs & games

Friendly competition turns the familiar into a moment of theatre, laughter and shared discovery.

03

Food as heritage

The story is bigger than a plate: plantain carries family history, movement and belonging across generations.

Food and games at Dodo Festival

Where we are going

A touring platform for Afro-Caribbean food culture.

Newcastle is next, with more UK cities to follow. Each stop creates room for local cooks, makers and cultural partners to shape the festival with us.

We are building collaborations carefully—city by city, kitchen by kitchen and one plantain at a time.

Bring your flavour

Cook, trade or collaborate with us.

Applications for vendors and cultural partners will open through the secure Get Involved form.

Continue the story Next: People Meet the community that turns a shared table into belonging. Get involved Back to the festival
Newcastle · 8 August Get tickets

For current and future event information, follow Dodo Festival UK on Instagram.