Bakers, confectioners, creators and crafters from across the UK are expected to flock to the Lake District later this year for The Gingerbread House Festival – a national celebration and reimagining of a centuries-old culinary and cultural tradition.
Endorsed by Cumbria Tourism, the event will be held at the Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa at Windermere from November 20 to November 22.
It was the brainchild of Grasmere Gingerbread co-director Joanne Hunter.
She said: “As The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop is the best-known, real life gingerbread house in the country, our Lake District home is the natural location for a national celebration of gingerbread house creations.”
Entrants are encouraged to let their imagination go wild.
From traditional country cottages, elegant stately homes and global cultural landmarks to famous pieces of brutalist architecture, iconic modes of transport or even emergency’ accommodation, The Gingerbread House Festival will shine a spotlight on all kinds of designs.
Mark Needham, general manager of Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, added: “The Gingerbread House Festival will bring together families, friends and visitors in the Lake District in a pre-Christmas gathering to celebrate exceptional British imagination, craftsmanship and creativity.”
Gill Haigh, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, said: “As Grasmere Gingerbread is synonymous with the Lake District, it is fitting that, together with Low Wood Bay, it will host the inaugural Gingerbread House Festival this November.
“I am already looking forward to entrants using our inspirational landscape and scenery to create magical gingerbread houses in the heart of Cumbria.”
The Gingerbread House Festival will involve fabulous prizes, a celebrity judge and the best entry will win the accolade National Gingerbread House of the Year 2026.
To enter and find out more about The Gingerbread House Festival, visit www.thegingerbreadhousefestival.com
