The 22 best food and drink festivals in Australia

When: December 27, 2025 – January 3, 2026

Where: Hobart, TAS

It seems everyone’s talking about Tasmania these days. One way to get amongst the best of the Apple Isle is by attending the much-lauded (and free!) Taste of Summer festival, which takes over the Hobart waterfront each year. More than 100,000 visitors eat, drink and dance their way around the event, which is the oldest and largest food and drink festival in all of Oz. Along with fine dining events, cooking demos and masterclasses, there are also more than 100 market stalls showcasing 100 per cent Tasmanian delicacies like seafood, mushrooms, cheese, cool-climate wines and craft beers.

When: March 20-29, 2026

Where: Melbourne and regional Victoria

Need a good excuse for a culinary road trip? Mark your calendar for the end of March – that’s when Melbourne Food & Wine Festival returns with a ten-day celebration of eats and drinks across Melbourne and regional Victoria. What was already Australia’s biggest and most eagerly anticipated food-and-drink festival gets even juicier in 2026. The program features more than 200 events – from the ever-spectacular World’s Longest Lunch in Kings Domain (this year leaning into Melbourne’s booming Greek dining scene with a 600-metre table and multi-course feast) to innovative dinners, global chef pop-ups, street food parties, rooftop tastings and lively producer showcases across the city. You’ll find everything from Cake Picnic’s joyful dessert swap (making its Australian debut) to Baker’s Dozen, where Victoria’s best bakeries take over Fed Square; long-table feasts with luminaries like Helen Goh; buzzing tasting experiences like Sips & Snacks with panoramic Yarra views; and a slew of free events like Korean fried chicken celebrations and pizza giveaways that prove great food doesn’t always need a big ticket.  

When: March 20-29, 2026

Where: Orange, NSW

With its country charm, cool climate and boutique winemakers, Orange has risen through the ranks to claim its place as a go-to wine destination. Time your trip to coincide with one of the region’s popular events, Orange F.O.O.D Week. which is also Australia’s longest-running regional food festival. More than 10,000 meals are enjoyed and 6,000 bottles of wine are popped across 100 events each year, including at the Sampson Street Long Lunch, a four-kilometre forage to the most well-known Orange vineyards and F.O.O.D Week Night market.

When: April 1–30, 2026

Where: Newcastle, NSW

The idyllic coastal city of Newcastle comes alive in April each year for this epic month-long food and drink festival, with events and shenanigans happening every day of the week. From cheese and wine pairings to live gigs and schmick dinners held in secret locations, the line-up features events for food and wine lovers at all price points (and hunger levels). More than 70 feature events come to life throughout the festival, from fun-loving street parties to boozy long lunches, as well as 50 plate dates. Not sure what we’re on about? Plate date is where Newcastle’s cafés, restaurants and bars put their best foot forward, offering brekkie, lunch or dinner and a drink for $30. It’s a fab way to tick off the places on your hit list and revisit the OGs, all while doing a food tour of Newcastle.

When: April 10-12, 2026

Where: North and North West Tasmania

North West Tasmania’s famous self-drive food and drink trail launched a brand-new weekend-long feast in 2025 – and thanks to its roaring success, it's set to return in 2026. TrailGraze is basically like a treasure hunt for your taste buds, taking you beyond the farm gate to sample some of the state’s finest cheese, chocolate, seafood, confectionery, wine, beer, spirits, cider and more. While the trail is self-guided, you can join fellow foodies at the Friday night Gala Dinner (it sold out in 2025 so get your tickets early!), or take part in producer-led tastings, tours and workshops fit for the whole family. With  some of Tasmania’s most scenic landscapes as your backdrop, TrailGraze turns a regional road trip into a full-blown feast.

When: May 1-3, 2026

Where: The Grampians, Victoria

Tucked in the foothills of surrounding mountain ranges, the Grampians Grape Escape takes over the beloved regional town of Halls Gap with a weekend of world-class wines, gourmet food and live music. It all kicks off with a 'feel-good Friday' session before the festival fully opens on Saturday, featuring more than 90 wineries, food trucks, creators and makers. Expect a packed program of tastings, chef demos, masterclasses and live performances, all designed to showcase the region’s cool-climate wines and rich local produce. Past editions have featured appearances from much-loved Australian chefs and MasterChef alumni, alongside special events like charity wine auctions supporting the Grampians community.

When: May 5-8, 2026

Where: Great Southern region of WA, including Albany and Denmark

Peppered over Western Australia’s Great Southern region, this premier regional foodie festival fuses incredible flavours, fine wines and otherworldly landscapes. Dive into more than 30 culinary experiences from 20 world-class chefs, spread across 11 glorious days, with everything from lavish long lunches and gourmet degustations to premium pairing events and bustling community markets.

When: May 8-17, 2026

Where: Adelaide (festival hub), with regional events across South Australia

Prepare your palates for the country’s longest-running eating and drinking festival, which returns to South Australia every May. This ultimate gastronomic paradise spotlights the nation’s favourite culinary stars and local producers across 150 events in all 12 regions. From full-day degustations to regional pop-ups and hands-on cooking classes, this festival will be one your taste buds won't forget.

When: May 15-18, 2026

Where: Clare Valley, SA

Get to know one of the best vineyards in one of South Australia’s wine capitals at this boozy festival celebrating all things vinous. Running for more than 40 years, this is Australia's oldest food and wine festival, split across three stages. Taste the fanciest drops over the ‘Festival Weekend’ with gourmet wine lunches, meet the maker tasting sessions and cellar door degustations; partake in wine masterclasses, art classes and paddock-to-plate experiences during the ‘Breathe It In’ midweek program, and send it off in style on the final ‘Land of the Long Lunch’ weekend.

When: May 22 – June 13, 2026

Where: Sydney, NSW

Every year, Sydney becomes a sparkly city on steroids as the Southern Hemisphere's largest multi-platform festival lights up the sky for 23 nights in winter. While Vivid initially began as a light show, over the last few years, it’s transformed into so much more, with the introduction of Vivid Food. For a taste of what's to come, the 2025 line-up saw the triumphant return of the excellent, flame-fuelled Vivid Fire Kitchen, dreamy chef collabs, laneway parties and even a retro diner next to a pop-up rollerskating rink.

When: May 23, 2026

Where: Kakadu, NT

Kakadu – home to the world’s oldest living culture – hosts the ultimate Indigenous bush foods and culture festival, which has been 65,000 years in the making. Bowali Visitor Centre transforms into a hub for the festival, packed with arts and craft stalls, entertainment, reptile encounters, cooking demos, bush tucker workshops and more. The star of the show is Taste of Kakadu's signature Kinhkinh: Dinner Under The Stars – a four-course degustation created using seasonal ingredients foraged locally in Kakadu National Park. Prepare to sample new flavours, such as waterlilies, crocodile, bunya, cheeky yam, wild rosella and kakadu plum. 

When: May, July and August 

Where: Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth

This wildly popular hybrid event sees Australia's ultimate cheese festival, Mould, go back-to-back with the nation's biggest pinot party, Pinot Palooza, in one unmatched foodie tour. You’ll get to sample more than 50 world-class Australian artisan cheeses – from the creamiest to the stinkiest (and always the tastiest, of course) – all matched with some of the finest pinot noir in the land.

When: June 11-14, 2026

Where: Noosa, QLD

One of Australia’s most scenic food festivals returns to the Sunshine Coast for four delicious days, with Noosa Eat & Drink Festival once again turning the beachside town into a playground for food lovers. It’s been a firm Noosa favourite for more than 20 years, bringing some of Australia’s favourite celebrity chefs to the beachside town, including Josh Emett, Hayden Quinn, Warren Mendes and Reece Hignell. Local restaurants collaborate on the signature Long Lunch, which stretches end-to-end along Noosa Junction’s Arcadia Street. Meanwhile, rock star Aussie and international chefs put on a series of exclusive beach parties and sundowner sessions. The Festival Village buzzes day and night with live entertainment, so don’t forget your dancing shoes.

When: June 1-30, 2026

Where: Scenic Rim, QLD

From the small country village of Beechmont to the secluded hinterlands of Tamborine Mountain, this month-long food fiesta hosts more than 100 delicious events. It’s backed by some of the biggest names in the local hospo scene, who will cook up stellar paddock-to-plate experiences, including long lunches, guest chef degustations, food tours, farm adventures and growers’ markets. Get in quick if you want to attend the famous Kalfresh Carrot Day in Australia’s carrot-growing capital. The carrot ice cream from Moffatt’s Fresh Produce is a must-try.

When: June 2026 (dates TBC)

Where: Manjimup, WA

Celebrate winter's most delicious harvest at this three-day festival held in the heart of Australian truffle country, Manimup (a 3.5-hour drive south of Perth). Truffle Kerfuffle took a break in 2026, but will be back better than ever in 2026. Of course, truffles are at the centre of all weekend activities, including candlelit long table lunches laden with freshly harvested shavings of ‘black gold’, intimate fireside cooking masterclasses, truffle dog demonstrations and truffle hunts in orchards. However, the festival also celebrates 50 other kinds of the region's most prized produce with an undercover marketplace, free cooking demonstrations and wine tastings.

When: July 24 – August 2, 2026

Where: Sunshine Coast, QLD

The Sunshine Coast is good for more than just glittering beaches and tropical rainforests. It’s the stage for one of Queensland’s premier culinary festivals, The Curated Plate, which dishes up 90 food and drink events over ten days. For a hint of what's to come, the main courses for 2025 included a long table lunch hosted by Sunshine Coast Chamber Music Festival, a night food market at Matso's brewery, a First Nations cultural seafood experience on board Saltwater Eco Tour, a family-friendly picnic with Bluey and Bingo, and the return of the ever-popular Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival.

When: August 6-9, 2026

Where: Port Douglas, QLD

Four days of feasting by the beach with some of Australia’s leading celebrity chefs? Sounds like our type of holiday. For almost a decade, Taste Port Douglas has brought its foodie festivities from Port Douglas to Cairns with masterclasses, long seaside luncheons, cocktail soirees and tropical parties, all backdropped by the reefs and the rainforests of tropical Far North Queensland. The hottest ticket in town is always for ‘A Night of Fire’, which takes place under the flickering candlelights at Flames of the Forest, Australia’s only rainforest dining experience.

When: August 2026 (dates TBC)

Where: Moreton Bay, QLD

As one of the closest beaches to Brisbane, Moreton Bay offers more than just a day of sun, surf and sand. For seven years, this waterfront region has hosted a mega food and wine festival, featuring more than 180 exhibitors and 100 curated events. Festivalgoers can sip their way through Australia’s top wine regions from 20-plus wineries, catch celebrity chef masterclasses, enjoy golden hour concerts and stock up on the best local produce from Moreton Bay’s food bowl. A visit to The Dessert Corner is a must – just prepare to lose all self-control.

When: October (dates TBC)

Where: Tweed Shire, NSW 

Savour the Tweed is a celebration of Northern Rivers produce staged across its rolling farmland, riverbanks and some of the region's best kitchens. Each October, the festival strings together a week-long program spotlighting the restaurants and makers that have confidently put the Tweed on the national food map. You can expect chef-led paddock-to-plate dinners at places like Farm & Co, riverfront feasts at Tweed River House and bookings at cult favourites including Pipit, where the region’s produce-first philosophy is already famous. There are distillery events at Husk Farm Distillery, brewery sessions, guided farm walks and collaborative menus that spotlight Tweed prawns, local beef, regenerative farming and small-batch spirits. It's a festival that's more about where your food comes from than who’s cooking it, though the talent lineup delivers on both.

When: October 2026 (dates TBC)

Where: Adelaide

For more than 20 years, Australia’s biggest cheese celebration has brought a weekend of gooey delights to Rundle Park. With 100 artisan stalls, live cooking demos, free tastings, wine trails, music and more, CheeseFest is a feast for curd lovers and curious foodies alike – all set against the sunny Adelaide parklands. From raclette rivers to silky local cheddars (and plenty of bubbly to match), it's one of the most snackable weekends of the entire year.

When: October 2026

Where: Darwin, NT

If there’s one dish Darwin is famous for, it’s a steaming bowl of laksa. This might seem odd given the Territory’s year-round temperatures sit in the mid-30s, but the locals love it so much that they’ve dedicated an entire month to celebrating this spicy noodle soup. During the festival, you can slurp your way around the city, sampling everything from classic bowls of varying spice levels to laksa-flavoured ice cream, bagels, sausages, burgers and cocktails. The fiery festivities culminate at the Festival Finale, where awards for The Golden Bowl and Regional Best Laksa are handed out, alongside the People’s Choice awards, voted on by the locals themselves.

When: November 2026 (dates TBC)

Where: Margaret River, WA

Set amidst the rolling vineyards of Western Australia’s coastal wine region, Pair’d is a ‘wine first’ event, which uncorked its first festival in 2024. The boozy four-day affair showcases the South West’s world-class wines, paired with incredible culinary, music and cultural experiences. Vinophiles can sip wine in the sun at long table lunches, sample the region’s top wines and brush shoulders with Michelin-star chefs.