M.Much like going to a local market or a trendy restaurant that claims to serve the providence of all ingredients, food festivals are a great opportunity to learn about produce and where it comes from.
They were hit hard by the pandemic, with bite-sized cheese cubes and small shot glasses of wine becoming potential Petri dishes.
However, many food fairs across Australia will be held again in 2023. From small towns to big cities, here are the best festivals to wine, dine and play chef every month.
January
Geelong’s Great Australian Beer Festival, Geelong, Victoria
January 20-21
Geelong’s happy, hoppy jamboree is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, celebrating over 200 craft beers and ciders with brewers and distilleries from across the country. There is also live music and plenty of food stalls serving dream bar his snacks such as smoked his meat, German sausage, and bao buns.
February
Meeniyan Garlic Festival, South Gippsland, Victoria
February 18th
For those of you who are the type to add 5 cloves of garlic when a recipe calls for it, it might be worth considering a trip to Meenyan on the road to picturesque Wilson’s Promontory. Alongside other local produce and live music, you’ll be able to see and taste the amazing variety of garlic varieties that can be grown in Australia. You’ll also learn how to grow your own Garlic thanks to a line-up of gurus from his Institute.
march
Herb and Chili Festival, Wundin, Yarra Valley, Victoria
March 18-19
Hot sauce has recently made a comeback. Tabasco is no longer tucked away on shelves, but is produced by many small-batch artisans, and Wandin’s annual festival of heat has been going on for over a decade. Next year’s 11th will see dozens of Chilean vendors and demonstrations again. There is also a chili-eating competition for the brave.
Orange FOOD week, Orange, NSW
March 24th – April 2nd
FOOD – Food of the Orange Quarter – is one of Australia’s longest running regional food festivals and will celebrate its 31st year in 2023. It is also one of the largest events with 10 days of workshops, tastings, vineyard visits, long lunches and markets. After a particularly indulgent experience, you can take the FOOD train from Sydney to Orange, like Ghan but shorter and tastier.
April
Robertson Potato Festival, Robertson NSW
April 29-30
Of all Australia’s big objects, Robertson’s Big Potato may be the most infamous. There are so many ways to make an object that is 10 meters tall and very brown look attractive. Still, it exerts a certain charm, much like the humble Spud itself. This is the heart of this nascent festival, now in its second year. We eat potatoes every way we know how, race potato bags, and hit the runway at the Hessian on the Field competition. Once complete, you can explore the Southern Highlands.
May
Narooma Oyster Festival, Narooma, NSW
May 5th – May 6th.
Batemans Bay on the south coast of New South Wales and the bright blue waters of Narooma near Moruya provide the backdrop for the Oyster Festival. The festival featured 70,000 fresh and cooked oysters consumed over the weekend, shucking competitions, a top-notch dining experience, and fireworks over the cove. If you get tired of slurping, you can also try different types of treats like abalone, sea urchin, and kelp.
Taste of Kakafrom, KakaDu National Park, Northern Territory
May 13th to May 21st
Most food festivals are pure bacchanal indulgences. This does not promise an experience as enlightening as it is edible. Located within the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, its vast bushlands serve as a backdrop for indigenous cuisine and bush tucker, outdoor painted food-themed art shows and local crafts. to demonstrate.
Die Cheese Festival, Brisbane, Queensland
May 12th to May 14th
Stinky cheese lovers rejoice: at last, a safe haven for all things sharp and pungent, held in four cities. The team behind the festival know their stuff. They also run a monthly subscription service that delivers cheese to your door.
After the show in Brisbane, Mold will be in Sydney from 30th June to 1st July and Melbourne from 2nd to 4th June. Also from August 25th to August 27th he is collaborating with the Perth wine festival Pinot His Palooza.
The Good Food and Wine Festival in Melbourne It will be held from May 19th to 21st.
June
MudgeeQue, Mudgee, NSW
June 3rd
One of the first food festivals to signal the start of winter, the atmosphere is in place. Barbecue-smoked meats, mulled wine in the crisp evening air, and Mudgee’s local wines, food and music will warm you up. Also warming up: a dance floor set up in the paddock where you can beat the cold.
truffle car fuffle, Manjimup, Western Australia
June 23-25
Manjimup accounts for 90% of Australia’s black truffle harvest, so it’s no surprise that the Truffle Festival is a little extravagant. Not only do you have the usual suspects – tastings, demonstrations and decadent meals – but you also get the chance to go on your own road trip with the best truffle dogs in the business. While you’re there, check out the Greater Vyderup National Park, known for its dramatic fog.
Sydney’s Good Food and Wine Festival will also take place in June 2023.
July
Huon Valley Midwinter Festival, Huonville, Tasmania
July 14-15
Tasmania’s Huon Valley is the perfect place for folk horror (Ari Aster, take note). Every July, the area celebrates its history by setting fire to giant wooden statues. At the heart of the Midwinter Festival is the Wassail Ceremony, in which participants sing and make noises to ward off evil spirits that haunt the orchards. In the midst of the festivities, you might forget that there is real food: apples, lots of apples and local cider.
Tushy Scallop Fiesta, Bridport, Tasmania
July 30th
For a very different and definitely non-cult Tasmanian experience, try this scallop festival in Bridport’s fishing village. From seafarers to market-goers, it coincides with the Tasmanian fishing season. In true Tassie style, we also include the Best Scallop Pie Judging and the highly anticipated Scallop Split Challenge.
Perth’s Good Food and Wine Festival runs from July 21st to July 23rd.
August
Baconfest, Kingroy, Queensland
August 18-20
Bacon’s heyday on the internet may be long gone, but is it really going away? Not at Kingroy’s Baconfest, three hours from Brisbane. Bacon fries and bacon ice cream take center stage in this three-day charcuterie celebration of his, with plenty of opportunities on offer.
Sausage Festival, Griffith, NSW
August, undecided
The sausage festival, as its name means in Italian, honors a particular sausage: salami. Known as Australia’s Food Bowl due to its bountiful farming, Griffith brings meat lovers together for his one giant race, pitting salami maker against salami maker until only the best cold cuts remain. Last year he had 150 applicants, all of whom enjoyed a long lunch of homemade Italian food. Griffith also hosts his October Springfest, famous for his citrus carvings.
September
Redfest Strawberry Festival, Cleveland, Queensland
September 2-3
A strawberry-eating competition might not be as impressive as, say, a chili-chopping battle. You may think that berries are too tasty and easy to eat. That’s true, but Redfest’s strawberry contest is still spectacular. Mainly because young participants have to squeeze into a plate of strawberries and cream. no hands. After your kids have embarrassed themselves on stage, you can eat yourself some strawberries and watch the nightly fireworks display.
October
Oyster Festival, seduna, south australia
September 30th to October 1st
A more lavish end to the proceedings is this Labor Day festival in Ceduna on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula. You can enjoy the oysters of Ceduna also has a unique twist on his Kilpatrick recipe that adds grated cheese to the traditional topping of bacon and Worcestershire sauce.
Brisbane’s Good Food and Wine Festival will also take place in October 2023.
November
Stanthorpe Berry Festival, Stanthorpe, Queensland
November 18th
New to the festival scene, the Stanthorpe Berry Festival kicks off in 2021. Although the focus is on strawberries (and their famous strawberry ice cream), there are bunets of every berry on offer, and you’ll have the chance to explore the surrounding mountains of the Great Divide. range. For some inexplicable reason, last year also included a chicken wing-eating competition, but who’s complaining?
December
National Cherry Festival, Yonge, NSW
December 1-3
Two hours from Canberra, Young is Australia’s cherry capital. Its Cherry Festival proves to be 74 years old. The festival kicks off Young’s cherry harvest season each summer, with hut door sales and “pick your own” orchards throughout the area.
It is also the site of the coronation of the town’s famous Cherry King and Queen. It is a time-honored community tradition of appointing young ambassadors from the region to participate in fundraising and local events for the following year.