18 May 2026
Thousands of people attended Sunday’s second free St Albans Spring Festival, a celebration of food, community spirit and sustainability which showcased the district’s hospitality businesses and tourism offering.
Among the many attractions were live music, arts and crafts, street performers and around 100 stalls selling takeaway food, drink and other produce, including cuisine from Korea, the Caribbean, the Himalayas, Thailand, Turkey and Nigeria.
There were also opportunities to learn, play and create with fun activities including an impromptu salsa dance party and Bollywood taster sessions, sheep rodeo, wooden games, and stalls hosted by community environmental initiatives such as St Albans Fixers and St Albans Greenhouse.
St Peter’s Street, Chequer Street and High Street were closed to traffic to create a safe environment.
The event was organised by SADC and sponsored by St Albans Code Ninjas and St Albans and Harpenden Specsavers.
Lead for events Cllr Edgar Hill, who was spotted enjoying the day outside The Boot pub, said: “I was one of the many thousands of people who took a trip to the city centre for the Spring Festival and saw with my own eyes how hugely successful it was.
“There were many exciting attractions and it was thrilling to see so many residents and visitors out and about enjoying themselves.
“The Festival was an age-friendly event and significant efforts were made to ensure it was accessible to everyone, so no one missed out. I would like to thank our events team and our sponsors for making this wonderful event possible and bringing it back for a second year. The crowds show there is certainly a demand for it.”
Photos by John Andrews. More pictures in this week’s St Albans Times.
