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On a check table there are plates of shared food such as octopus skewers and anchovies
Photograph: Supplied/MFWF Carmen Zammit

The best things to do at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

Don't miss out on these stellar events and experiences featuring some of Melbourne's finest chefs, restaurants and winemakers

Jade Solomon
Written by
Jade Solomon
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The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival has announced its jam-packed program for 2023, which will run between March 24 and April 2, and showcase some of the world's best chefs as well as champion local Victorian hospitality legends. 

The challenging part? Arranging your calendar to try and fit in as many of the exciting events as possible. Check out Melbourne's premium bakers and pâtissiers at the Baker's Dozen, get saucy at Celebrity Sausage, snack on Middle-Eastern treats at the Festival Bar and check out the Convenient Store for Slurpee-inspired cocktails and banana bread ice cream. 

“If you’ve been looking to supercharge your visit to Melbourne, or just find a getaway that’ll charge up your batteries, fire up your tastebuds and leave you inspired, we’ve got the festival for you,” says creative director Pat Nourse. “Whether you’re coming from the other side of the globe or just the other side of town, there’s never been a better – or tastier – time to give yourself a big serve of Melbourne good times.”

Find all the details and tickets on the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival website

Explore more of Melbourne's best food experiences and work your way through Time Out's list of the 50 best restaurants in Melbourne

The 2023 MFWF events to watch out for

Celebrity Sausage
Photograph: Supplied/MFWF

Celebrity Sausage

There is no denying the collective Aussie love for a good sausage sizzle, and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is taking the standard sizzle to new heights in collaboration with some of Victoria's most beloved entertainers, performers and chefs. Eight celebs will battle it out to create their ultimate sausage combo, including Rhys Nicholson, Chrissie Swan and Christian Petracca. Expect cameos from some international heavyweights, too.

April 1-2, 10.30am-4pm. Free entry. 

Baker's Dozen
Photograph: Supplied/MFWF

Baker's Dozen

The Baker's Dozen event is set to showcase some of Melbourne's finest pâtissiers and bakers, who will be bringing limited-edition treats to an open-air market in Federation Square. Expect tarts, cakes, croissants and canelés from local favourites such as Lune Croissanterie, Baker Bleu, Holy Sugar, Bread Club, All Are Welcome, To Be Frank, Monforte and the Flour. Word on the street is that the soon-to-open Totti's at Lorne may also be making an appearance. 

April 1-2, from 10.30am. Free entry. 

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7-Eleven is once again teaming up with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival to showcase Victorian food and drink via a part-Brooklyn bodega, part-Japanese convenience store experience. Expect sandwiches from Victor Liong and Shannon Martinez, Slurpee-inspired cocktails, a 7-Eleven sandwich spread created by Tom Sarafian and a banana bread ice cream made by Luther’s Scoops. The Convenient Store will also be hosting daily events and happy hour

March 24-April 2, 8am-8pm. Free entry. 

The Festival Bar
Photograh: ANNIKA KAFCALOUDIS

The Festival Bar

The Festival Bar at Federation Square represents all that the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival represents: good food, considered drinks and a platform to mix and mingle with like-minded foodies. Tom Sarafian will be serving up modern Middle Eastern snacks, while cracking cocktails by Caretaker's Cottage, whiskies by Starward, Pizzini wines and beers from Brick Lane Brewing will all be flowing. The Festival Bar is the perfect meeting place before or after checking out one of the many events. 

March 31-April 2, various times. Free entry. 

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Signature Chef Series
Photograph: Supplied/MFWF

Signature Chef Series

The 2023 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will showcase international food talent in collaboration with some of Victoria's best chefs and restaurants. A highlight of the Signature Chef Series includes a Monk x Embla collab, which will see Yoshihiro Imai (the star of the most recent season of Chef's Table, and who brings the unlikely traditions of pizza and kaiseki together) stand side-by-side with Dave Verhul of Embla.

March 26-30, various times and prices.

The World's Longest Lunch
Photograph: Supplied/MFWF

The World's Longest Lunch

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will kick off with the World's Longest Lunch, headlined by Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary director of Daylesford’s award-winning Lake House. Tickets cover lunch, matched wines and entertainment while you feast. Melbourne cake celebrity, best-selling author and founder of Beatrix Bakes (which sadly closed earlier in 2022), Natalie Paull, will be headlining the World’s Longest Brunch, with a healthy balance of sweet and savoury dishes to keep everyone happy. 

March 24, 12-3.30pm. From $245. 

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Special Events Program
Photograph: Supplied/MFWF

Special Events Program

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is hosting more than 150 events across the city, with a special events program that showcases the diversity and innovation of food and drink in Victoria. Highlights include a collab between Florian Eatery and Julia Busuttil Nishimura, the Maker and Monger Cheese-a-Palooza event at Prahran Market, and an intimate cooking class with Enter Via Laundry's Helly Raichura. 

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