Pictured above: Gino D'Acampo who will be opening the Nottingham Food and Drink Festival on Thursday 23 September

Preparations for the second annual Nottingham Food and Drink Festival taking place between 23 and 26 September are underway with the organisers hoping to attract 25,000 visitors.

We Are Nottingham, which is the city's Business Improvement District (BID) representing all of the city centre's licensed premises, put on the successful inaugural event last year that saw tens of thousands of visitors flock to the city centre to take advantage of the entertainment. This year the city is aiming to entice a third more people to the festival.

Again, this year the festival is being organised and funded by local bar and restaurant owners. Different venues across the city are preparing a wide variety of food-related activities, and a line-up of celebrity chefs from Italy, India and the Caribbean have been booked.

Sylvia Manser, chief executive of We Are Nottingham, is excited about the wide range of activities and talents to be displayed this year:

"We are a young festival, but I believe that as the event is entirely organised by the local restaurants and bars, then we stay close to our core purpose of putting on entertainment which everyone will enjoy - and showcasing some great food and drink. We are hoping to attract thousands more visitors this year as we become an established event on the nation's culinary calendar."  

The festival will have live cook-offs, chef demonstrations, cookery masterclasses, and a host of tasting areas courtesy of local restaurants, bars and eateries, as well as a special food and drink market featuring local suppliers in Nottingham's central hub, Old Market Square. Venues around the city will also be playing host to a number of events around the city centre. 

Gino D'Acampo, the legendary Italian chef will be opening the Celebrity Chef's Theatre on the Thursday, whilst TV personality and Ready Steady Cook presenter Ainsley Harriott will be closing the festival on Sunday.

Caribbean soul food chef Momma Cherri and Michelin-starred chef and Great British Menu representatives Atul Kochhar will also be performing during the festival.   

Other highlights include a Ready Steady Cook style challenge, where members of the armed forces will be partnered with chefs from venues in the city to take part in a series of cook-offs in aid of the Help for Heroes charity. Local sports stars will also be competing at similar events during the four day festival, with a third of the money raised from ticket sales for each of the challenges going to a charity of the winner's choice.