{"id":10566,"date":"2025-01-09T12:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T01:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/?p=10566"},"modified":"2025-07-23T14:38:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T04:38:14","slug":"best-australia-food-and-drink-festivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/best-australia-food-and-drink-festivals\/","title":{"rendered":"Grab Your Fork: 11 Aussie Food & Drink Festivals to Dine For"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Noodles made with fresh abalone, pizzas piled high with truffles and tropical delights from the far north, Australian food festivals highlight the best and brightest of our regional cuisines.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking shows the world over love to tell us how food brings people together, but that is particularly true of a good food festival. Lovers of food, wine and a good time flock to Australia\u2019s annual celebrations of good food from the chilly delights of Tasmania\u2019s Mid-Winter Fest<\/a> in the Huon Valley to the indigenous produce on offer in Kakadu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scroll on for a taster of the country\u2019s best food and wine gatherings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feastival Falls Creek, February 28-March 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Feast<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A feast for all the senses, this three-day get-together<\/a> in the Victorian High Country has paint and sip sessions, makers markets and brunch DJ sessions. But the centrepiece is the Feast de Resistance, a full day of music by some of Australia’s best-known names. The Feast will feature The Cat Empire, Slowly Slowly, Budjerah and Eliza and the Delusionals plus a heap of homegrown local musical talent. You can also laugh it up at the comedy nights with comedians like Lizzy Hoo and Sam Taunton. Special guest star of the festival: the incredible alpine beauty of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noosa Concours d’Elegance, July (Sunshine Coast)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary cuisine and classic cars make for fun bedfellows at the Noosa Concours d’Elegance<\/a>. Hasting Street is closed to all traffic to accommodate the spectacular Concours display of rare and classic cars like Aston Martins, Bentleys, Bugattis and McLarens. To accompany the cars Noosa puts on food events like exclusive wine dinners, degustation menus and tastings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, March 21-30 (Melbourne)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the biggest celebration of food and drink on the calendar in a city that knows a thing or two about wining and dining. The signature Melbourne Food & Wine Festival<\/a> event, World\u2019s Longest Lunch, is back with TV chef Curtis Stone. Famous London eatery St John will be taking over Melbourne’s French Saloon and Lona Misa will be celebrating So Cal cuisine with plant-based LA Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canberra Beer & Cider Festival, March 15 (Canberra)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You might find brewers like Jervis Bay Brewing Co, The Thirsty Devil Brewery and Stone Dog Meadery quenching the thirst of the capital\u2019s craft beer and cider lovers. Snacks are provided by a host of food truck partners like Nachos and Fried Goodness, Jacko\u2019s Pizza and Jono\u2019s Jerky. The festival<\/a> first started in 2008 and has been growing in popularity since to become one of Canberra\u2019s biggest foodie days out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feast of the Senses, March 30 (Innisfail, Queensland)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This festival has been the premier tropical food experience<\/a> for the past two decades putting exotic fruits, warm-weather herbs and meat and seafood on the plates of visitors since 2003. There is a banana feast with rare varieties, market stalls and a cooking stage. You can be guided on walks along the area\u2019s food trails and get a taste of local colour at Gone Troppo Trivia. The region truly is the home of tropical flavours in Australia and the festival is a sweet place to try them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karrimanjbekkan An-me Kakadu: Taste of Kakadu, May 23-25 (Kakadu, Northern Territory)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not many food festivals can claim a history harking back 65,000 years, but Taste of Kakadu<\/a> aims to shine a light on indigenous Australian flavours and produce from the Northern Territory. The program includes an open-air cooking class from famous foraging chef Paul Iskov from Fervor, food stalls at the Bowali Festival Hub and bark-painting and spear-making workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good Food & Wine Show, June 20-22 (Sydney)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sydney\u2019s celebration of food and wine<\/a> takes place under one roof with suppliers manning their stalls and offering a wealth of free samples and great deals for incredible local produce. Come for masterclasses in food and wine pairing, whisky tasting or cheese tastings. You can also find cooking demonstrations from celebrity chefs like Nagi Maehashi from Recipe Tin Eats in the Good Food Theatre where they whip up some of their favourite recipes for the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mid-Winter Fest, July 12-13 (Huon Valley, Tasmania)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Embracing the dark side of winter in Tasmania, Mid-Winter Fest takes place at the Apple Shed at Willie Smith\u2019s Cider House. The festival plays up the pagan aspects with a traditional wassail where you make a lot of noise to awaken the apples and scare away evil spirits. There is also feasting, folk music performances, barrel loads of cider and Big Willie Burns where an effigy is set alight to get the party started Wicker Man<\/em>-style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Curated Plate, July 25-August 3 (Sunshine Coast, Queensland)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
Mushroom farming. Source: Visit Sunshine Coast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heroing the fresh, flavours that Queensland is famous for \u2013 ginger, sugar cane, mangoes and more from volcanically rich local terrain \u2013 The Curated Plate<\/a> runs for 10 days and is packed with nearly 100 different foodie events. Expect unexpected lunch guests like local wildlife warrior Terri Irwin, events that educate you about the wealth of native ingredients and plenty of opportunities to meet the local farmers. Year round you can take part in the new Sunshine Pantry<\/a>, a guide to the over 900 producers and makers that also ramps up during the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manjimup Truffle and Wine Festival, June 23-25 (Manjimup, Western Australia)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This three-day fest<\/a> is one of the best ways to sample what many believe is one of the most luxurious produce offerings in the world. There are a variety of events that see the truffle region \u2013 Manjimup, Pemberton and Northcliffe \u2013 spring to life with truffle pizza nights, masterclass brunches in how to use truffles properly and truffle hunts organised by local farmers. The region is also home to boutique winemakers with plenty of cellar door activity over the festival weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tasmania\u2019s Taste of Summer, December-January, (Hobart)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Taking place on Hobart\u2019s famous Salamanca waterfront, Tasmania\u2019s Taste of Summer<\/a> brings the top picks of the Apple Isle all to one place. Stroll the stalls and taste produce from Tasmanian Oyster Co, Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co and Fork It Farm. Make sure your glass is never empty with a Gillespie\u2019s ginger beer, Plenty Cider or a craft brew from Shambles Brewery. You can also enjoy a meal from local favourites like Tummy Thai, Queen Sheba Ethiopian or Turkish and Iraqi wraps from Tantuni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild Harvest Seafood Festival, Returning 2026 (Mallacoota, Victoria)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A blue net full of abalone in the waters of Mallacoota. Source: Wild Harvest Seafood Festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Making the most of the wild coastland of far-flung \u2018Coota, the Wild Harvest Seafood Festival<\/a> celebrates the lesser-known bounty of the sea with a focus on the abalone that the Gippsland region is famous for. The opening night Whelk-om dinner challenges celebrity chefs like Stefano di Pieri to put their spin on the local marine life, local restaurants like Lucy\u2019s get in on the act and the popular market will be selling fabulously fresh produce straight out of the water. You might even see, or learn, a sea shanty or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for more foodie inspiration?<\/strong> Find out What to Do in Melbourne: 48 Delicious Hours in the CBD<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Noodles made with fresh abalone, pizzas piled high with truffles and tropical delights from the far north, Australian food festivals highlight the best and brightest of our regional cuisines. Cooking shows the world over love to tell us how food brings people together, but that is particularly true of a good food festival. Lovers of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":10583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,11],"tags":[7,13],"location":[],"customertype":[],"class_list":["post-10566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explore","category-australia","tag-food-wine","tag-outdoor-adventure"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/SHOTBYTHOM23-1030544-Copy.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"lux_id":10566,"lux_link":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/best-australia-food-and-drink-festivals\/","lux_title":"Grab Your Fork: 11 Aussie Food & Drink Festivals to Dine For","lux_excerpt":"Noodles made with fresh abalone, pizzas piled high with truffles and tropical delights from the far north, Australian food festivals highlight the best and brightest of our regional cuisines. Cooking shows the world over love to tell us how food brings people together, but that is particularly true of a good food festival. Lovers of [\u2026]","lux_excerpt_trimmed":"Noodles made with fresh abalone, pizzas piled high with truffles and tropical delights from the far north, Australian food festivals highlight the best and brightest of our regional cuisines. Cooking","lux_image_url":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/SHOTBYTHOM23-1030544-Copy.jpg","lux_image_url_medium":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/SHOTBYTHOM23-1030544-Copy-350x233.jpg","lux_image_url_large":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/SHOTBYTHOM23-1030544-Copy-1024x683.jpg","lux_image_url_square":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/SHOTBYTHOM23-1030544-Copy-500x500.jpg","lux_categories":[{"label":"Explore","link":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/explore\/"},{"label":"Australia","link":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/destinations\/australia\/"}],"lux_tags":[{"label":"Food & Wine","link":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/tag\/food-wine\/"},{"label":"Outdoor & Adventure","link":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/tag\/outdoor-adventure\/"}],"lux_locations":[],"lux_customer_types":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10566"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39815,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10566\/revisions\/39815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10566"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=10566"},{"taxonomy":"customertype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuryescapes.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/customertype?post=10566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}