Food & wine festivals
Celebrate Victoria's flavoursome food, wine and beer by attending one of the many regular festivals held throughout the year.
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Apollo Bay Seafood & Produce Festival
www.apollobayseafoodfestival.com
February. The local fruits of the sea and forest are showcased at this free annual event on the Apollo Bay foreshore. There will be market and food stalls, cooking demonstrations, live music, dancing and roving performers. (Apollo Bay)
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Bacchus Marsh Harvest Festival
March. Meet the local growers, taste their produce, sample wines, tour local farms and enjoy a day of fun, music and entertainment for all ages. (Bacchus Marsh)
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Bendigo Craft Beer & Cider Festival
www.bendigocraftbeerfestival.com.au
March. An amazing range of award winning craft beers and ciders from all over the state and beyond are brought together for a fun-filled day of tastings, gourmet food, live music and entertainment for kids. It is held at the Tom Flood Sports Centre. (Bendigo)
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Budburst Festival
www.macedonrangeswineandfoodfest.com.au
November. Boutique wineries and restaurants in the Macedon Ranges open their doors for a springtime weekend celebrating the food, wine and lifestyle of this acclaimed region. There are wine tastings, delicious food and lots of entertainment. (Macedon Ranges)
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Good Beer Week
May. Good Beer Week celebrates all that is good about beer. There's hundreds of events during this festival at various venues throughout Melbourne and Victoria, showcasing some of the best local and international brewers. Enjoy fine food, great beers, music and entertainment.
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Grampians Grape Escape
www.grampiansgrapeescape.com.au
April / May. It is Victoria's longest running food and wine festival, held every year during autumn in the heart of the Grampians National Park. At this gastronomic spectacular there are over 100 food and wine artisans exhibiting their creations as well as cooking demonstrations, live music, performances and kids entertainment. (Halls Gap)
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Great Australian Beer Festival
February. This celebration of craft beers and ciders is held at Geelong Racecourse. Brewers will showcase over 200 craft beers and ciders which visitors can sample and indulge in while enjoying Australia's biggest alfresco beer and cider garden. There will also be food stalls, competitions, live music and lots of entertainment. (Geelong)
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Heathcote Wine & Food Festival
www.heathcotewinegrowers.com.au
October. Held at the Heathcote Showgrounds, this event showcases wines from the region with tastings, regional food, live music and entertainment (Heathcote)
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Kalorama Chestnut Festival
May. Held at the Kalorama Memorial Reserve, this colourful event features stalls of food including roasted chestnuts, craft stalls, fairground rides and music (Kalorama)
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Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
March. Experience and celebrate a world of gastronomy and wine at hundreds of vibrant events staged in Melbourne and throughout Victoria. Showcasing the best of Australian food and wine, there are outdoor food stalls, wine tasting, high teas, meals prepared by acclaimed chefs, cooking classes, demonstrations, and the signature event The World's Longest Lunch.
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Melbourne Salami Festival
October. Celebrate the garage-to-plate tradition of salami making with salami tastings and sales, demonstrations, workshops, market stalls showcasing artisan salumi producers, live music and entertainment. Held at the Northcote Town Hall.
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Metung Food & Wine Festival
www.metungfoodandwinefestival.com.au
June. Held on the Village Green overlooking Bancroft Bay, some of East Gippsland's finest gourmet food producers will have stalls set up, offer complimentary tastings of their products. (Metung)
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Peninsula VineHop Festival
November. Enjoy a weekend of beer, wine, cider, entertainment and food at a number of renowned wineries on the Mornington Peninsula. Catch up with friends, sample local brews, listen to live music and DJs, and indulge in delicious food from unique food trucks. Transport is provided between venues. (Mornington Peninsula)
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Produce Harvest Festival
April / May. Celebrate the food growers and chefs of the Daylesford & Macedon Ranges region at this festival. It is a food lover's delight with tastings, farm gate visits, chef's dinners, cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and live music within local towns in the region. (Macedon Ranges)
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Rutherglen Wine Show
September. With a history that goes back over a century, the Rutherglen Wine Show showcases wines from the region with exhibitions, public tastings and judging. (Rutherglen)
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Shortest Lunch
June. Visit the Yarra Valley's smaller boutique winemakers during the shortest weekend of the year for a moving feast of entree size meals. Enjoy a relaxed, family-oriented weekend of wine, expertly matched cuisine and music. (Yarra Valley)
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Swan Hill Food & Wine Festival
www.swanhillfoodandwine.com.au
March. Held in conjunction with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, this weekend event in Swan Hill features food tastings, entertainment, a farmers market and signature dinners at various restaurants (Swan Hill)
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Taste of Melbourne
November / December. Set on the lawns of Yarra Park, home to the MCG, this pop-up restaurant festival is a food lovers delight. Melbourne's best restaurants and chefs, along with over 100 gourmet food and drink exhibitors, will showcase samples of their creations to visitors. There are also interactive cooking demonstrations, wine masterclasses, an artisan producers market and live entertainment. (East Melbourne)
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Tastes of Rutherglen
March. Discover the Rutherglen region's best wine and produce during this progressive foodie feast weekend. Visit a number of wineries and sample the incredible flavours of local wines and food from celebrated regional chefs. Entertain those of all ages with masterclasses, workshops, tours, talks, live music, childrens activities and exclusive dinners. (Rutherglen)
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Tastes of the Goulburn
www.tastesofthegoulburn.org.au
October. Experience the finest food and wine from the Goulburn River Valley. Winemakers, brewers, restauranteurs and growers will showcase their finest produce and there will be celebrity chef demonstrations as well as food stalls. The entertainment stage will feature a diverse range of live music and there will be lots of activities for children. A vintage steam train will operate a return service to Seymour from Melbourne's Southern Cross Station on the day of the festival. (Seymour)
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Toast to the Coast
November. Showcasing the best wines and gourmet food from the Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast and Moorabool Valley. Visit a selection of award-winning wineries, sample their offerings in a picturesque vineyard setting, and enjoy live entertainment. (Geelong & The Bellarine)
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Wandiligong Nut Festival
April. Chestnuts, walnuts and hazelnuts fall in the orchards and laneways of Wandiligong. Celebrate the local nut harvest with music, food, tastings, cooking demonstrations and a produce market. (Wandiligong)
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Williamstown Beer & Cider Festival
November. Held at the Seaworks Maritime Precinct, there will be 25 beer, cider and wine makers at the event showcasing their creations, with many products available for sampling. Also live music, great entertainment and food stalls. (Williamstown)
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Winery Walkabout
June. Winery Walkabout has been held since 1974 and is one of the biggest annual wine festivals in Australia. Visit a selection of wineries and enjoy wine tastings, food, masterclasses, entertainment and tours. (Rutherglen)
