In 2025, treat your taste buds to Australia’s best food festivals, featuring everything from truffle hunts to seafood feasts. Photo / 123rf
In 2025, treat your taste buds to Australia’s best food festivals, featuring everything from truffle hunts to seafood feasts. Photo / 123rf
Where should you travel to in 2025 to keep your taste buds happy? Alex Mitcheson takes a look at Australia’s best food festivals
When it comes to reasons to cross The Ditch— weather aside —one motive might stand out more than the rest: Food, glorious food.Australia’s ability to harvest and cultivate incredible produce across its diverse states and territories is undeniable. And when you couple this with an increased craving for local experiences wherever Kiwis are flocking, you inadvertently pencil a Venn diagram where food festivals sit clearly in the middle.
Be it a coastal region renowned for seafood, orchard-abundant territory, or celebrated wine country, there’s a discernible hunger for urban and countryside multi-day culinary events. Fortunately, the Lucky Country has the geography, passion, and hunger to keep them going all year long.
Hobart’s waterfront comes to life every week between Christmas and New Year when moods are high and the good weather - usually - comes into play. The Apple Isle prides itself on being one of Australia’s cool-climate natural larders with pristine landscapes and waters, allowing producers, farmers, distillers, and fishermen to conjure up delectable results. The event brings this cornucopia of goods to a metropolitan setting and allows attendees to wander the vast site, tasting delicious things while learning from the people behind them.
Nearby wine regions, the Derwent and Coal River Valleys, are bestowed with ideal conditions for premium chardonnay and pinot noir. It’s a slice of Burgundy in Australia —without the jet lag.
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival -Melbourne, Victoria
March 14-23, 2025 (estimated date)
With over 30 years under the belt, this metropolitan smorgasbord of gourmand attractions is one of the country’s eminent food festivals. Four hundred events spread across Melbourne and satellite sites around Victoria are a testament to this. International hospitality luminaries, the best Victorian produce, and contemporary event setups form the backbone of an early autumn spectacle foodies do not want to miss. Melbourne is a city you could eat your way around — and then some. There’s also ample wine country nearby with the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, and Geelong day-trip possibilities.
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival features over 400 events, making it one of Australia’s largest food festivals. Photo / Tourism Australia
Orange Food Week - Orange, New South Wales
March 28-April 6, 2025
Provenance and sustainability are integral to Australia’s longest-running food festival. Mix balmy autumn days with some of the friendliest locals, and you have several days of gourmet magic (10 days to be precise - Orange folk are generous in every way). Often referred to as “the food basket of New South Wales,” Orange has an impressive depth of produce, including apples, cherries, charcuterie, mushrooms, and everyone’s favourite — wine. Take your pick from more than 100 happenings.
A little over three hours from Sydney, you can road trip through bucolic New South Wales, including the Blue Mountains.
Orange, NSW, is known as the “food basket of New South Wales” thanks to its diverse local produce. Photo / Taste Orange
April
Wild Seafood Harvest - Mallacoota, Victoria
Dates TBC
Sequestered in a pristine corner of Victoria, Mallacoota’s raw, natural coastline has been pulling travellers to its shores and tucked-away lake system for decades. Life is slow here, and seafood is king. Once a year, the community spirit of this small town peaks across a weekend of thriving workshops, rock pool rambles, live music, and a giant paella picnic, which is the highlight. Expect appetising abalone, sea urchins, oysters, and much more.
Gippsland is big vineyard and dairy territory; any trip to this part of the world should quite rightly include some adjacent wine and cheese tastings.
South Australia is a state with serious culinary prowess but often too self-effacing to let the rest of us know. Thankfully, over 10 days, Adelaide’s Victoria Square transforms into a buzzing festival hub for an incredible line-up of street food, tastings, and masterclasses. However, the real drawcard is the curated regional events where artisanal producers riff with some of the country’s most talented chefs in exquisite settings. Fantastic from start to finish.
Feeling adventurous? McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley are both very accessible and have plenty to offer, making either a perfect add-on for a trip to the Festival State.
As one of Australia’s largest national parks between billions of years’ worth of geology and the world’s oldest living culture, Kakadu is a remarkable place. Guests are welcome to stay bushside and enjoy several events throughout a long weekend, such as Bowali Under the Stars – a four-course dinner prepared by renowned bush-food chefs Paul Iskov of Fervor and Ben Tyler of Kakadu Kitchen, using seasonal foraged ingredients to share their connection to Country.
Set aside as much time as possible when you come here: the Northern Territory is a nature lover’s/adventurist’s playground.
Kakadu National Park’s Taste of Kakadu features a four-course dinner under the stars, using ingredients foraged from the park. Photo / Tourism NT
Caper Food & Culture Festival - Byron Bay, New South Wales
Dates TBC
After a sold-out first year amid a barrage of talented people making mouth-watering things, this Northern Rivers newcomer should be a consideration the next time you pass over the Tasman Sea. This part of the world is blessed with year-round sunshine and fertile volcanic soils, including the bountiful Pacific Ocean right on its doorstep. Abundance and positive vibes are rife across a jam-packed 10-day itinerary. How does an eclectic dinner and show, interstate dinner collaboration, or fun-filled tiki party take your fancy?
Byron Bay is famous for beachside sojourns. But try the lesser-known townships - like Mullumbimby and Bangalow - dotted around the nearby hinterland for another perspective of the Northern Rivers.
Scenic Rim Eat Local Month - Scenic Rim, Queensland
June 1-30, 2025
The incredible geography of Queensland’s Scenic Rim has been home to the Yugambeh, Mununjali, and Wangerriburra, who have cared for the beautiful land they have lived on for thousands of years. Today, it is a mecca for high-quality produce, much of which finds its way all over the East Coast. Once a week-long affair and now a month-long, the breadth of the programme caters for everyone. Kids included! Long lunch beside a vineyard one day, pick edible flowers and decorate cupcakes the next.
The Scenic Rim in Queensland, home to Eat Local Month, features six national parks and is a major hub for high-quality Australian produce. Photo / Tourism Australia
The allure of black truffles in Western Australia is real. Centred around one of the most decadent ingredients in cooking, Manjimup can claim to cultivate up to 90% of the country’s entire supply. Celebrated chefs fly in for the three days and do not hold back with high levels of indulgence across a signature dining series. They then peel back the veil and educate with bespoke Chef’s Cabin events, and wine lovers can learn about the Great Southern with hands-on wine masterclasses.
Stay a while in this part of Western Australia, where off-road cycling, wineries, and deserted white sand beaches should keep you occupied.
Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival - Huon Valley, Tasmania
Dates TBC
Be prepared for dark and macabre traditions. Tasmania is often best enjoyed in winter when days are short and fires crackle — but how about bonfires, storytelling, and pagan customs to ward off the evil spirits from the orchard and bring on a bumper crop of apples? Cider drinking, feasting, costume competitions, and live music are what you can expect from this light-hearted and rustic outdoor spectacle.
The Huon Valley is a cold climate farming marvel and offers those hungry and thirsty plenty. Within easy reach of Hobart, spare time for the state’s capital and relish the burgeoning hospitality scene.
The Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival in Tasmania includes pagan customs to encourage a bumper apple harvest. Photo / 123rf
August
Taste Port Douglas - Port Douglas, Queensland
Dates TBC
Among swaying palm trees and glistening waters, Port Douglas is an attractive holiday prospect. Add to the equation world-class cooking talent and quality North Queensland tropical produce — such as mud crab, cassava, finger lime, and Skull Island Prawns — and the temptation to visit this one-off weekend turns right up. It’s not all eating, though, as experts hold cooking demonstrations and panel discussions provide insight behind all the flavours.
At 180 million years old, the Daintree Rainforest is a 1.5 drive away and is one of Earth’s oldest and most impressive natural wonders that should not be missed.
Port Douglas’s Taste Port Douglas Festival celebrates North Queensland’s tropical produce, including mud crabs and Skull Island prawns. Photo / Supplied
Nestled along the Burnett River, Bundaberg is a charming city in Queensland, Australia renowned for its lush farmland, pristine beaches and vibrant marine life. Because of its location, Bundaberg has a lot to offer foodies all year round.
Taste Bundaberg Festival brings the region’s rich culinary scene to life with 10 days of mouthwatering experiences. This highly anticipated festival brings the community together to celebrate its flavours, creativity, and seasonal produce. Of course, you’ll enjoy unique dining experiences, taste trails, and master classes, but on top of that, you’ll experience more than just food— connect with the people, stories, and landscapes that make Bundaberg special.
Fans of authentic Italian food should add Norton Street Italian Festa to their 2025 calendars because this event brings a genuine Italian experience to Australia. Located in the heart of Sydney’s “Little Italy,” the festa is a staple for Italians who have moved to Sydney, and for locals who want to experience the “dolce vita” in NSW. Expect a fun day out with friends and family, with zero cost for entry. Go on your own food tour and meet hundreds of stallholders showcasing the best food, drinks, and products, from Italian souvenirs to sweet gelato.
Are you in for a berry awesome time? Nothing says summer time more than the bounty harvest of strawberries in Stanthorpe. Known for its cool climate and rich soils, the Granite Belt produces some of the juiciest strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in Australia.
This event revolves around celebrating the flavours of the berries via fun events, lively master classes, and workshops. Guests can wander through lush berry fields, picking their own fruit and connecting with the agricultural roots of the region. Families enjoy kid-friendly activities, from face painting to games, while foodies delight in cooking demonstrations that showcase creative ways to enjoy the season’s harvest. Don’t miss local berry experts competing in the iconic Jam and Chutney competition.
