The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival has unveiled its first Winter Edition, open for 10 days and nights between August 20 and 29.
“The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is Australia’s premier celebration of food and drink and the new Winter Edition will add an enticing new dimension to a much-loved Victorian institution,” minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming people from around the state and the country to Melbourne to enjoy the festival and rediscover the delights of the CBD.”
Supported by the Victorian state government, the Winter Edition will include more than 150 scheduled events across the city, centred around the new home of the festival – the Queen Victoria Market.
Queen Victoria Market will host a range of ticketed and free events, workshops and demonstrations, including “The Remixed Grill.” This will be a day of fire-fuelled eating and drinking, featuring leading chefs such as Shane Delia, Jerry Mai, Tina Li and Tom Sarafian, as well as campfire stories and cool-climate wines.
“I’m always chuffed when I’m asked to collaborate with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and I’m pumped about the Winter Edition program this year,” Delia said.
“With more than 150 events to choose from there’s something to suit every taste and budget.”
Program highlights for the Winter Edition also include a family-friendly pasta festa, an epic celebration of hot chips, a jungle adventure of plant-based eating and drinking and a signature chef series.
Its 29th year, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is a mainstay in Melbourne’s major events calendar that strengthens Melbourne and Victoria’s brand as a premium food and wine destination.
The 2021 Winter Edition will support Melbourne CBD’s ongoing recovery, encouraging people to experience the culinary delights on offer throughout the city.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing our core Melbourne Food and Wine Festival programming to winter, and our festival home to Queen Victoria Market,” Food and Drink Victoria chief executive Anthea Loucas Bosha said.
The 2021 festival will run throughout the year, with the inaugural World’s Longest Brunch delivered as part of the March Edition and the Regional Edition to be held later in the year.
The festival is supported by the Victorian government’s Major Events Fund, which was boosted by $152 million in the November Budget to provide an annual pool of $100 million. This ensures Victoria continues to secure the best cultural and sporting events.
Tickets for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival go on sale at 10:00am on Thursday 15 July.
For full program details and ticket sales, visit mfwf.com.au.