ClassicsFest 2026
FOOD & FEASTING IN ANTIQUITY
Three days celebrating theatre, food, ideas and the ancient world
A collaboration between the Lit & Phil and the School of History, Classics & Archaeology at Newcastle University
Produced by Cinzia Hardy
Last weekend, ClassicsFest 2026 invited audiences across Newcastle to gather around one of humanity’s oldest shared experiences: food.
Over three days, theatres, museums, cinemas and community spaces became places of conversation, performance, tasting and discovery as this year’s festival explored Food & Feasting in Antiquity through the lens of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.
But this was never simply a festival about the past.
It was about hospitality and belonging. About storytelling and celebration. About who gets invited to the table - and why shared food continues to connect people across cultures, generations and communities.
Audiences joined us for theatre and poetry, Roman cookery and ancient wine tastings, debates and discussions, film screenings, workshops and creative collaborations developed with young people, students and refugee communities across the North East.
The result was a festival that felt intellectually ambitious, deeply welcoming and unmistakably alive.
As one audience member reflected:
“What an amazing event — full of rich and stimulating content and not snobby at all.
ClassicsFest 2026 In Numbers
ClassicsFest 2026 in Numbers
✨ 17 events over 3 days
✨ More than 1,000 tickets booked
✨ 950+ audience members welcomed
✨ 11 events hosted at the Lit & Phil
✨ 50 sixth form students involved through Classics for All North
✨ 20 participants from Seven Bridges Café and the North East Refugee Service
✨ 8 ancient Roman recipes sampled
✨ 7 ancient wines tasted
✨ 4 different types of garum sampled by adventurous audiences
CLASSICSFEST 2026 | What's ON
Theatre and performance were at the heart of this year's programme
Audiences embraced Trimalchio’s Dinner Party and Great Granda Apicius, two productions that brought classical stories vividly into the present day through humour, drama and contemporary relevance.
“Super engaging and well connected to modern day.”
“Loved the characters and how the actors melted into their roles. Very funny and lots of heart.”
Image: Stone relief in the Museum of Ostia, Italy
Celebrating Emerging Voices
The festival also celebrated emerging voices, with young writers and students contributing to projects developed over several months in collaboration with academics and theatre-makers.
One parent attending Reimagining Euripides’ Bacchae described it as:
“An amazing opportunity… and we learnt something new too.”
Image: The Genius of the Year surrounded by the four seasons. Museum of El Djem, Tunisia
Theatre and performance were at the heart of this year's programme
Audiences embraced Trimalchio’s Dinner Party and Great Granda Apicius, two productions that brought classical stories vividly into the present day through humour, drama and contemporary relevance.
“Super engaging and well connected to modern day.”
“Loved the characters and how the actors melted into their roles. Very funny and lots of heart.”
Image: Stone relief in the Museum of Ostia, Italy
Celebrating Emerging Voices
The festival also celebrated emerging voices, with young writers and students contributing to projects developed over several months in collaboration with academics and theatre-makers.
One parent attending Reimagining Euripides’ Bacchae described it as:
“An amazing opportunity… and we learnt something new too.”
Image: The Genius of the Year surrounded by the four seasons. Museum of El Djem, Tunisia
THANK YOU
ClassicsFest has been made possible by the generous support of The Community Foundation North East – Newcastle Culture Investment Fund; The David Family Foundation; The Leche Trust; Classics For All North; The Institute of Classical Studies;The Gillian Dickinson Trust; The Roman Society; The Classical Association; The Hellenic Society; Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust; The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Newcastle University and The Department of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University.
ClassicsFest 2025 highlights-
Cicero, politics & live performance
As we look forward to ClassicsFest 2026, this video looks back at ClassicsFest 2025: Why Cicero Matters. The 2025 festival (15–17 May) explored the ideas of Roman writer and speaker Cicero, with talks, performances, live readings, and interactive events. Highlights included a new modern version of one of the most notorious trials in Cicero’s career, written by Kirsten Luckins, readings from Imperium, discussions about politics, democracy, power, and social media, plus the ClassicsFest Competition Finale at Alphabetti Theatre.
ClassicsFest 2025 showed how the ancient world can still inspire and connect with people today.