Australia's best food and drink festivals
Experience the flavours of Australia with a wide range of festivals featuring local produce, wine, craft beer and spirits.
In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some events in Australia have been postponed for 2020. We encourage travellers to visit the individual event websites for the most up-to-date information.
In a land as large and diverse as Australia, your tastebuds can go on a wonderful journey, from the ripe mangoes of the tropical north to the wild whisky trails of Tasmania. Locals welcome any excuse to take to the streets at festival time. The result is a fusion of food and frivolity.
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Melbourne, Victoria
World's Longest Lunch, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Melbourne, Victoria © Daniel Mahon
More than 200 events take place in the giant Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, not only throughout the city of Melbourne but across the entire state of Victoria. Take a long lunch in the surrounds of the Australian bush, feed the mind with one of the many food and drink masterclasses on offer, and check out the events, drinks and art at the House of Food and Wine laneway venue in the city. That’s just for starters.
Orange F.O.O.D Week, Orange, New South Wales
Orange FOOD Week, Orange, New South Wales © Taste Orange
Orange F.O.O.D Week is Australia’s longest running regional food festival. It takes place in the food bowl around the town of Orange (FOOD stands for Food of Orange District), just over a three-hour drive north-west of Sydney. Celebrate cool-climate wines, a 100-mile dinner under the stars, day and night markets, and the much-loved Forage event, in which you walk through vineyards with food and wine tastings every 500 metres. Catch the F.O.O.D train from Sydney for the weekend, which includes breakfast onboard on the way.
Tasting Australia, Adelaide, South Australia
Tasting Australia, Coffin Bay, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia © Tasting Australia
Tasting Australia boasts over 100 events, lunches, dinners and tasting classes featuring the very best South Australia has to offer. Feast your way through South Australia’s most stunning locations, as the program of events takes you across Adelaide and iconic regions such as the Barossa, McLaren Vale, the Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, Flinders Ranges and Kangaroo Island.
The Grampians Grape Escape, Halls Gap, Victoria
The Grampians Grape Escape, Grampians, Victoria © Tony Evans
Celebrate the best gastronomic makers and producers of the Grampians regions when you visit this long-running regional food, wine and music festival. Nestled in the foothills of magnificent Mount Williams, The Grampians Grape Escape is a weekend party where you can do masterclasses with celebrity chefs, get involved with the hotly contested Barrique Auction or just grab a spot on the lawn to watch live bands while you taste the best food, wine and beer from the area. With over 120 stalls to discover, the Grampians Grape Escape is the ultimate experience for any wine, food and music lover.
Noosa Food and Wine Festival, Noosa, Queensland
Noosa Food and Wine Festival, Noosa, Queensland © Sam Frysteen Photography, Tourism Noosa
Join dozens of Australian winemakers and chefs and 10,000 guests at the three festival villages across the stylish beach town of Noosa, a 90-minute drive north of Brisbane. The Noosa Food and Wine Festival runs for three days and offers events from casual, sand-on-your-feet barbecues, beach tipis, street carnivals and markets, to chef-hosted dinners.
The Truffle Festival, Canberra region, Australian Capital Territory
The Truffle Festival, Canberra Region, Australian Capital Territory © VisitCanberra
Few ingredients are so highly prized as the truffle. Its distinct aroma, rich flavour and intriguing harvest are all reasons foodies and chefs alike adore these culinary gems. Each year, Canberra hosts a festival that celebrates the truffle with thrilling hunts, markets and recipes that hero the tasty fungus. Follow clever truffle dogs as they sniff out the ‘black diamonds,’ which grow under trees and brush. Learn to master the truffle at cooking classes, or simply sit back and sample the local creations from truffle pizza to truffle beer. Head to The Truffle Festival to satisfy your culinary curiosity – and your appetite.
Tasmanian Whisky Week, Hobart, Tasmania
Whisky tasting at Old Kempton Distillery, Kempton, Tasmania © Tourism Tasmania
Jump on the whisky wagon to Tasmania, where you will have the chance to experience more then just some of Australia’s finest whiskies. Tasmanian Whisky Week is a seven-day long event, where you can go behind-the-scenes at one of the many distilleries, taste the yet-to-be released vintages or dine at restaurants offering up the best local produce to accompany your fine dram.
Western Australia Gourmet Escape, Perth, Swan Valley and Margaret River
Western Australia Gourmet Escape, Margaret River, Western Australia © Western Australia Gourmet Escape
Ten days of extraordinary events taking place across the Swan Valley, Perth and Margaret River regions, showcasing Western Australia's premium produce and wine, with celebrated international and Australian culinary talent. Let your senses be the guide at the Western Australia Gourmet Escape, where you can learn to cook from some of the world’s best chefs, visit gourmet villages and feast on fresh produce that will have you inspired and satisfied. Events range from wine tastings and tea parties to private dinners and masterclasses, there’s something for every foodie at this renowned festival.