Best food festivals in regional NSW

Spring  

Once a small community event, Flavours of Mudgee (free entry) is now one of NSW’s biggest celebrations of food and wine. Every September Mudgee’s streets are lined with stalls doling out hearty meals, cheese samples, olives and preserves plus the region’s best big reds and bright chardonnays. 

In the same month the Hunter Valley hosts the D’Vine Festival (free entry), a week-long lineup of barrel tastings, wine-paired banquets and barbecues, all highlighting the stellar producers that helped put the region on the map. In between bites, try ticketed activities like axe-throwing, segway tours, archery and clay target shooting. 

Flavours of Mudgee - Credit: Mid-Western Regional Council

Ettalong on the Central Coast is home to the latest instalment of Naturellement (ticketed entry), a roving, annual celebration of the region’s food and natural wine. Sample low-intervention wines, craft beer and small-batch spirits during an epic three-hour tasting with stalls hosted by the makers. Then feast on dishes by the region’s top chefs and book yourself into a natural wine masterclass.  

On the North Coast, spring is an explosion of flavour. The village of Bangalow hosts the annual Sample Food Festival (ticketed entry) in September, where you can try signature dishes from pop-up stalls by local restaurants, attend cooking demonstrations, learn how to forage and ferment, and get tips on wine pairings. In the same month Woolgoolga celebrates its local Punjabi community with more than 100 stalls at Curryfest (ticketed entry). In October, Savour the Tweed (free entry) offers a packed five-day program of food tastings, markets, author talks, communal dinners and the Fire to Fork Feast, a menu of fire-kissed dishes. 

Sample Food Festival, Bangalow - Credit: Natalie Grono

In the Riverina, the Griffith Spring Fest (free entry) celebrates spring harvest and spring gardens. Check out the October event’s unique citrus sculptures and stunning open gardens, either on foot or on a bus tour, then find food stalls and stage performances celebrating the region’s diverse cultures, as well as gardening workshops, wine tastings and food trucks before joining street party among the fruity sculptures. 

Bowral’s two-day Horizontal Festival (ticketed entry) highlights the charming region’s excellent food and wine. Each product gets its moment to shine at curated events: sparkling wines are paired with oysters and classical music; tasting flights feature at rosé masterclasses; the full spectrum of cheeses, from soft to hard, delicately scented to pungent are available at tastings. The October celebration also features music concerts and art installations all set against the stunning backdrop of the Southern Highlands.  

Griffith Spring Fest - Credit: Andrew McLean | Griffith Tourism

Summer 

Held at the height of the Southern Tablelands’ picking season in December, the The 75th National Cherry Festival (free entry) takes over Young. The three-day festival is a chance to gorge yourself on cherry pies, compete in quirky games like pip spitting, see live music and a lively street parade. Kids can join the fashion parade and jump on thrilling carnival rides. 

In the New England area, the Guyra Lamb and Potato Festival (free entry) celebrates exactly what it promises in addition to live music, antiques and a craft market in the new year – stop by on the way to the Country Music Festival Tamworth.  

The 75th National Cherry Festival - Credit: Hilltops Council

Autumn

A highlight on the Sapphire Coast’s culinary calendar is the Eat Festival (free entry), a four-day festival featuring farm-to-table oyster tastings and bespoke events presented by the region’s best bakers, chefs and drink makers. Join in March for a day of sunset oyster cruises by kayak, long lunches and picnics. Further north, the South Coast hosts Narooma Oyster Festival (free entry) on the first weekend of May. Learn how to shuck oysters, watch cooking demonstrations and tour oyster farms to meet farmers… then eat some more.  

Narooma Oyster Festival, Narooma  - Credit: Narooma Rocks

A June long weekend mainstay on any food and music lover’s diary is the Glenworth Grazing Festival (ticketed entry) in the picturesque Glenworth Valley on the Central Coast. Two days of live music are the backdrop to an enormous food offering with over 100 local vendors serving everything from fresh oysters to okonomiyaki. 

Orange FOOD Week (ticketed entry) is Australia’s longest-running regional food festival, with locals and visitors celebrating the wine region since 1991. The 10-day event (held during the autumn grape harvest), is a raucous mix of night markets, workshops, foraging expeditions, vineyard tours and long lunches that take over the city streets.   

Glenworth Grazing - Credit: Glenworth Valley Horse Riding Pty Ltd

One of NSW’s biggest autumn festivals is Newcastle Food Month (free entry), a 30-day calendar of pop-up restaurants, masterclasses, markets and bespoke restaurant events. Further north, the New England area hosts two autumn festivals: Taste Tamworth Festival (ticketed entry) and Moree on a Plate (ticketed entry). The former is a 10-day smorgasbord of craft beer tastings, pizza-making classes, farm-to-table dinners in the regional capital. The latter sees 50 local producers showcase their best during a long lunch and a festival marketplace.  

 Newcastle Food Month, Newcastle - Credit: Newcastle Food Month

Drive the winding Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains to Oberon for Field to Forest (free entry), a month-long showcase of the region’s wild and cultivated produce. Hop on a 4WD foraging tour to seek out mushrooms; join one of the idyllic forest lunches; or explore the town’s beautiful open gardens. The showstopper event is on the final night: The Producers Table Dinner hosted by local growers and backed by live classical music.  

Head north to Casino, the self-proclaimed ‘beef capital of Australia’, for the 10-day-long Casino Beef Week (free entry). Tour farms and learn about the paddock-to-plate process; enjoy markets, music and competitions; and get stuck into a juicy steak.  

Casino Beef Week - Credit: Jess George

Winter

Discover the bucolic countryside of the Central Coast hinterland at the Harvest Festival (free entry) over two days in June. The curated event trail loops in local farms, country markets, pick-your-own-produce experiences, scavenger hunts and more. 

Harvest Festival, Central Coast

Winter hosts the Hunter Valley’s Broke BBQ Festival (ticketed entry), a weekend-long low-and-slow meat feast that comes with boutique beer and wine tastings, market stalls, kids activity zone and strong man and woman competitions. 

One of NSW’s most unique festivals is the South Coast’s Fungi Feastival (ticketed events), a month-long exploration of science, truffle hunting, tastings and mushroom-related art. While the south is celebrating a cool mushroom season the north coast takes on the heat with the Sawtell Chilli Festival (ticketed event) on the first Saturday of July. Stroll the main street where 100 exhibitors and food vendors sling chilli-infused dishes, or catch the live chilli-eating challenge where champions compete for a spot in the World Chilli Championship.  

Fungi Feastival - Credit: Stephen Axford | Fungi Feastival Association Incorporated

Griffith celebrates 90 years of Italian migrant history with two winter festivals. A Taste of Italy - Griffith (ticketed entry) is a week-long exploration of traditional Italian cooking and eating, ending in the lively salami competition and banquet Festa delle Salsicce (Festival of the Sausage).   

A Taste of Italy, Griffith - Credit: Visit Griffith

Inspired by the age-old tradition of bonfires, Orange Region Fire Festival (free entry) delivers an authentic country experience under the August stars, catered by the region’s best producers, artists and chefs. The showpiece is the festival’s multiple Fireside Feasts where dinner comes from a woodfired oven or live flame, and your drinks from a martini bar or mulled wine seller. 

Orange Winter Fire Festival, Orange - Credit: Orange Winter Fire Festival