Food festivals are a great place to pick up new ideas to experiment with your own home-cooking ventures. We all lead busy lives, so losing creative inspiration in the kitchen happens quite often. Thankfully, many of Australia’s major cities are full of a wide range of amazing food festivals, focusing on a diverse array of cuisines, food types and culinary experiences. If you’re someone who likes to experiment with different foods and recipes, here are several great food festivals you should check out this year!
The Food and Wine Festival (August 4)
Taking place in Mt Penang Gardens, The Food and Wine Festival features over 100 food and wine vendors. With free entry and more stalls than ever before, this should be the year that you finally check out this great festival. Over 6000 people attended the event in 2018, which featured Hunter Valley winery stalls, cooking demonstrations and gourmet food options. You’ll pick up some great healthy recipes, which you can test and experiment with in your own kitchen. You could find something like this delicious roast chickpea and cauliflower salad. If you think you hate cauliflower, well this recipe will certainly change your mind!
The Curated Plate (August 8-11)
Featuring some of Australia’s best and most acclaimed chefs, The Curated Plate is a new food festival based on the Sunshine Coast. In its debut year, the line-up will include chefs like Matt Stone, Clayton Wells, Nelly Robinson and Darren Robertson. With a focus on organic and locally-grown produce, The Curated Plate encourages visitors to immerse themselves in new and titillating culinary experiences, channelled through some of the best flavours from Australia’s best food artists.
South Coast Food and Wine Festival (September 13-15)
If you’re on the lookout for some of the South Coast’s best food and wine options, then this festival is a must. Featuring over 15 different events, the South Coast Festival will showcase a wide variety of cooking classes, tastings and demonstrations. If you love your wines, then sit back and relax with a nice glass of red from the South Coast vineyards, while zoning out to some live music. Coming in at $28 entry per person, this festival is worth well the entry fee.
Winterlight (July 5-21)
By the time you read this one, the event might be over. However, do not fret as there is always next year! While the Australian winter can get a bit chilly, it’s rare for us to see snow along the coast or the major cities. Fortunately, the Winterlight wonderland festival, hosted in Parramatta’s Prince Alfred Square, will immerse you in a winter wonderland, just like what you see in the movies. While Melbourne is often seen as the “foodie capital” of Australia, there is no doubt that Winterlight certainly rivals some of Melbourne’s best food festivals.
The festival is decked out with some of the best range of market stalls, featuring some scrumptious winter-warming treats. For $24 a head, the kids can try out the ice rink, while you can sit back and zone out to some locally-produced winter soundtracks. In its ninth year of operation, the organisers decided to do something a little different by introducing “themed nights.” One night was themed “date night”, featuring a free silent cinema for young couples, while another was called “neon night”, which saw the ice rink light up with vivid UV lights!
Love Food Fair (August 21)
Situated in Martin Place, the Love Food Fair is a public food festival that features some of the best vegan and vegetarian delicacies available in Sydney. The line-up includes 6 of Sydney’s most acclaimed green restaurants, offering up delicious lunch and dinner meals to those living by a plant-based diet. The festival is also plastic-free, and customers are encouraged to bring their own food containers and receive a discount on price.
