The best Australian food and drink festivals being held in 2024-2025 include everything from A Taste of the Kakadu, a celebration of Indigenous bush foods, and the Good Food and Wine Show, Australia’s longest-running food and wine event, to quirkier niche festivals, such as the Truffle Kerfuffle in Western Australia and the Darwin International Laksa Festival in the Northern Territory.
In much of the northern hemisphere, especially in Europe, summer is festival season. The best food and wine festivals take place in spring and summer – it’s far too cold to venture out in autumn (fall for our American readers) and winter – but here in the land down under most of the best Australian food and drink festivals are held in autumn and winter. I’m Australian and I can’t explain it.
There are half a dozen delicious festivals in Australia that have just ended (Darwin’s Top End Gin Festival), are underway (New South Wales’ Byron Bay Caper Food and Culture Festival and Taste of Kakadu in Kakadu National Park in the NT), or are taking place over coming days and weeks (from Queensland’s Noosa Eat And Drink Festival and Scenic Rim Eat Local Month to the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival in Tasmania).
We’ve had lots of festival lovers arriving here recently having searched for the Margaret River Gourmet Escape (sadly discontinued), Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (one of our favourites, but held in March!), Sydney’s Vivid Festival (a festival of light, music and ideas, which has a foodie component, and another of our faves), and World’s 50 Best Restaurants (which was once held in Melbourne and we loved it, but is on next in Las Vegas in June).
So we thought we’d compile a month-by-month calendar of the best Australian Food and Drink Festivals in 2024-25 for our readers as much as for our own convenience. We’ve long said that Australia is home to the world’s most delicious food and wine experiences, best food and wine road trips, and a contemporary Australian cuisine served up at fine dining restaurants that’s worth flying for!
Australia’s food and wine festivals are definitely worth planning a trip around, so if you’re a lover of food and wine, or any beverages, bookmark this post, as we’ll add listings to our Australian Food and Drink Festivals calendar as we get more info and can confirm event dates. If you have a favourite food and drink festival we’ve not yet included, please get in touch: festival organisers can email us and everyone else can leave tips in the comments below.
Australian Food and Drink Festivals 2024-2025 Month-By-Month Guide
These are the best Australian food and drink festivals being held in 2024-2025. Any we’ve missed? If you’re a festival organiser, please email us. Food and drink lovers, let us know if the comments at the end of the post.
May 2024
Karrimanjbekkan An-me Kakadu, A Taste of the Kakadu – 24-26 May
Karrimanjbekkan An-me Kakadu or a Taste of the Kakadu is a celebration of Indigenous bush foods and culture in Kakadu National Park and a chance to immerse yourself in the ancient food and traditions of the Bininj people. A highlight is the enchanting Bowali Under the Stars dinner by bush-food chefs Paul Iskov of Fervor and Ben Tyler of Kakadu Kitchen. The sumptuous 4-course feast infused with seasonal ingredients sourced from Kakadu is served under the starry sky. Activities include opportunities to engage with traditional owners as they impart their ancestral knowledge of local bush foods, ranger-guided bush tucker walks, ground-oven feasts, and cruises on the serene Yellow Water Billabong for a ‘croc and canapés’ excursion. There are also art exhibitions, musical performances, and guided tours of the rock art galleries at Nourlangie and Ubirr. Sample Taste of Kakadu, presented by Parks Australia, in this video. Programme and bookings here.
Top End Gin Festival – 25 May 2024
On May 25th, join the Top End Gin Festival, a celebration of gin and music in Darwin. Since 2020, this festival has grown into a vibrant event featuring botanical aromas, live music, and a tropical party atmosphere. Whether you’re a gin expert or a newcomer, raise your glass and enjoy the festivities.
Noosa Eat And Drink Festival – 30 May-2 June 2024
When it comes to drool-worthy locations, the Noosa Eat And Drink Festival takes the cake. Blessed with breathtaking beaches and an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, the Sunshine Coast haven of Noosa is Queensland’s premier food and wine destination. Noosa’s postcard-perfect locations tempt food lovers to sip and savour their way through dozens of events. The Festival sells out faster than hotcakes, so book your tickets now.
Good Food and Wine Show Melbourne – 31 May-2 June 2024
Australia’s longest-running food and wine show, celebrating its 23rd year, the Good Food and Wine Show kicks off in Melbourne in May before heading to Sydney (June), Perth (July) and Brisbane (October). With over 300 exhibitors showcasing the best of Australia’s culinary scene from artisanal goods to fine wines and spirits, this event promises to be a feast for foodies and wine enthusiasts alike. Sip, sample and shop from hundreds of local producers, meet celebrity chefs, and participate in interactive master-classes to refine your palate and expand your culinary horizons. Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
June
Scenic Rim Eat Local Month – 1-30 June 2024
Scenic Rim Eat Local Month offers a backstage pass to the farms, wineries and food stories of Southern Queensland’s Scenic Rim, just one hour from Brisbane. Eat your way around the region through a programme of festivals, farm-gate events and culinary experiences to suit foodies of all ages. Choose from a wide range of experiences, from long table lunches through to picking carrots at Queensland’s largest carrot farm. You can watch camels being milked; feed sheep, goats, pigs and chickens; gawk at cows being milked by robots; and taste lots of delicious fresh, local food.
Good Food & Wine Show Sydney – 21–23 June 2024
See the May Good Food and Wine Show Melbourne listing for more info.
Sydney International Convention Centre
July
Good Food and Wine Show Perth – 19–21 July 2024
See the May Good Food and Wine Show Melbourne listing for more info. Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Curated Plate – 28 Jul–6 Aug 2024
Celebrating the chef and the producer, The Curated Plate will bring together the region’s finest produce with the best chefs in the Australian and international dining scene. The Sunshine Coast food and drink festival offers an exciting programme bursting with exclusive culinary events that span the region, bringing to life the unique local artisanal culture. Experience the Sunshine Coast’s acclaimed produce and producers and immerse yourself in the flavours forged from organic and sustainable practices.
August
Taste Port Douglas – 8-11 Aug 2024
Taste Port Douglas is another of Queensland’s premier culinary events, showcasing the region’s best produce over an action-packed festival that celebrates nothing but world-class food, beverage and talent. From 10-13 August, food lovers can immerse themselves in a dynamic four-day programme curated by event founder and culinary director, chef Spencer Patrick, that includes a festival village with food stalls from iconic local restaurants, live cooking demonstrations, master classes, and live music.
Moreton Food and Wine Festival – 23–25 Aug 2024
More than 15,000 people are expected to attend the Moreton Food and Wine Festival, located on the Redcliffe Peninsula and including live music, cooking demonstrations, and the chance to chat with celebrity chefs.
Hervey Bay Seafood Festival – 31 Aug 2024
Join the locals who contribute to the region’s thriving seafood industry at Fisherman’s Park for the Hervey Bay Seafood Festival. This annual seafood festival hosts an array of food stalls offering freshly-caught local seafood and mouthwatering menu items such as Moreton Bay bugs, oysters, prawn cocktail burgers, and Hervey Bay scallop ceviche pots. If you really want to treat yourself, make a reservation for the signature event, Tastes of the Bay, a six-course meal with matched wines.
Taste Bundaberg Festival – 30 Aug–8 Sept 2024
Savour two warm weekends of delicious days at the Taste Bundaberg Festival, inspired by a passionate culinary community and celebrating the connection from farmer, distiller, brewer, grazier and fisherman to restaurateur and caterer, and you and your plate.
October
Darwin International Laksa Festival 31 Oct-3 Nov 2024
Darwin has become the irrefutable laksa capital of Australasia, where people eat this fragrant spicy noodle soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Darwin International Laksa Festival was established in 2019 to celebrate the Top End’s love affair with laksa, and now serves as a ‘laksa hall of fame’. Over four weeks, Territorians embark on a journey to discover different laksas and laksa-inspired creations across various market stalls, eateries and restaurants across the Top End, and vote for their favourite winners.
Good Food and Wine Show Brisbane – 25–27 Oct 2024
See the May Good Food and Wine Show Melbourne listing for more info. Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
November
Darwin Mango Madness Festival – Nov 2024 (TBC)
This unique and tropical-themed festival is a one-day celebration of all things’ mango, a popular Territorian icon. In fact, the Northern Territory is Australia’s largest grower of mangoes and mangoes are also Territory’s largest horticultural produce. Showcasing the best of Darwin’s mango-inspired food and drinks, the festival is now in its third year and has become an annual family event. Expect tasting stalls, the search for Darwin’s best mango beverage, cooking workshops, as well as games and entertainment, such as a mango-eating competition.
Have you been to any of our best Australian food and drink festivals? Any we’ve missed? If you have any favourites let us know what they are and why you love them in the Comments below.
