Our First Hollyfest: What We Served and What We Learned

Why we joined Hollyfest

Hollyfest is the annual summer festival run by Hollyfield PTA in support of The Hollyfield School in Surbiton. It has grown from a small community day into a full music festival, attracting families from across Kingston, Surbiton and the wider KT5/KT6 area — many of whom are already Jaflong customers. When the PTA invited food operators to take part, it felt like a natural community fit.

What we served

We designed an inclusive event menu suitable for the family audience the PTA was expecting. The line-up included curries from our most popular restaurant dishes, a vegetable curry, a vegan option, rice and bread, with mild and medium spice levels for younger guests. Meat and poultry were sourced from suppliers providing halal-certified products, and allergen information was handled at the stall on request.

How the day went

Hollyfield PTA later told us this was the best-attended Hollyfest they had held, with more than 2,000 visitors across the day. Demand at our stall remained strong from the early afternoon through to the evening programme, and we sold through the food we had prepared for the event. We don't claim to have been the highest-selling vendor or everyone's favourite — only that the response from visitors and PTA volunteers was warm and constructive.

What we learned

After the event, our team and the PTA exchanged practical operational feedback. These lessons informed our planning for 2026:

• Pitch and access: a level pitch and a clear loading/restocking route between the rear gate and the stall make a meaningful difference to service speed.
• Trolley access: trolley-friendly routes from the kitchen restock vehicle to the stall meant we could replenish chafing units faster.
• Queue management: family events skew toward peaks at the start and around the headline acts — better signage and a separate "vegetarian / vegan" queue would speed things up.
• Stock planning: we now have a clearer picture of how a 2,000+ visitor day breaks down across our event menu items.

The PTA was open, organised and easy to work with. Their willingness to take feedback constructively is one of the reasons we agreed to return.

Returning for 2026

Jaflong is confirmed as a returning food stall for Hollyfest 2026 on Saturday 4 July 2026. We hope this will continue as a long-term community relationship, while making no claim to be a permanent official partner, exclusive supplier or formally contracted long-term caterer — that's not what the relationship is, and we'd rather describe it honestly.

Run a school or PTA event?

If you're planning a school fair, PTA fundraiser or community event in Surbiton, Kingston, Richmond or Ham, our school and community event catering page explains what we can offer and how to start an enquiry.