Sausage Festival to be staged in Newmarket later this month

Make a “Banger of a Day” in Newmarket, the home of British horse racing, which will be staging its 5th annual Sausage Festival later this month.

With a new, earlier date, the free annual event promises to be bigger and better than ever. 

Visitors can expect over 25 local artisan food and drink stalls, the Best Sausage Dog Competition, Sausage Pan Races, “Whack a Sausage”, Ride a Hot Dog Simulator, and Cookery Theatre.

New for 2026, the Cookery Theatre programme where chefs demonstrate imaginative and mouth-watering ways to cook with sausages. 

Highlights include sausage making by Musk’s Sausages, with Crown Catering expertly transforming them into their signature breakfast dish, the Crown Croissant Puk. 

There will be fresh pasta making by students from the Culinary Arts Academy at West Suffolk College, and Hintlesham Hall chef, Lee Cooper, will be showing how to turn the humble sausage into a restaurant-worthy dish. 

Jordan Ryan, the new executive head chef at Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa, in Newmarket, who will be demonstrating how to create the perfect sausage casserole at home. While Eighty-Six Friends will explain which rum pares perfectly with sausages.

Wilma, who won the title of Sausage Dog Star 2026 at the National Horseracing Museum’s Easter Pawty is the official mascot of the Sausage Dog competition, and will be judging the entrants from 11am. 

Owners are encouraged to bring their sausage dog to be in with a chance of winning a goody bag of prizes. 

Other returning highlights include a “Whack a Sausage” game and the sausage pan race aimed at younger visitors, presided over by the festival’s character, Mr Sausage.

Food enthusiasts will be keen to sample the tasty sausage casserole made by the chefs at the Heath Court Hotel, with a recipe card to take home, and a chance to win four slow cookers, perfect for recreating the dish at home. 

Sponsored by Musk’s, the Newmarket Sausage Festival has something for everyone from dedicated foodies to families seeking a fun day out with crafts galore.

It is taking place on Saturday, September 26, from 10am to 3pm in Market Square.