Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is Australia’s most delicious party – and a huge one at that. But it’s not just one party: it’s a party made up of many smaller parties. Brazilian parties. Pinoy parties. Slumber parties with pizza and Nintendo. Beach parties with paella and pintxos. Farm parties with boot scootin’. With the Festival fast approaching, it’s now time for you to join the party – or parties; here’s 10 to get you started.
Gippsland Jersey’s On-Farm Hoe-Down
This Festival, Gippsland Jersey co-founder Steve Ronalds is opening up his farm in Jindivick, welcoming families in for a big ol’ hootenanny in the hay shed. If you like barn dancing, milkshakes, baked spuds and country hospitality, this is the knees-up for you.
Saturday 29 March, 335 Jindivick Main Rd, Jindivick
Brazilian Carnival
Carnival goes Collingwood this MFWF, when Latin hotspot Pincho Disco fires up the flavour train for a Festival party with South American bite. Barrel through Brazil with chef Diego Cardenas over a six-course tasting menu served with matched wines and live entertainment. Saúde!
Friday 28 March, Pincho Disco, 59 Cambridge St, Collingwood
The Ginger Prince Picnic Party
Do you enjoy breathtaking views of the Strathbogie Ranges? How about feasts of smoked meats served with delicious cool-climate wines? Fowles Wines is throwing a party in celebration of its Ginger Prince range, and you are the guest of honour. There will be games on the lawn, there will be music, there will be prizes – and we will all be dressed to the nines in pink, because why the heck not?
Saturday 29 March, 1175 Lambing Gully Rd, Avenel
Pinoy Party
The Serai crew is firing up the grill for a feast that transports you straight from MNL to MEL. Your ticket includes a Filipino-inspired cocktail on arrival, the zesty Calamansi Daiquiri, perhaps, plus delicious dishes – from vibrant kinilaw to a cheeky Filo-style hot dog and more – all cooked over fire on the Whitehart rooftop. Settle in and soak up live music from singer Kara Lee, with JPS from The Operatives on the decks and a special surprise guest keeping the vibes alive. Together, they’ll bring the bold tastes and sounds of the Philippines right to Melbourne’s laneway oasis. How better to farewell MFWF 2025?
Sunday 30 March, 22 Whitehart Ln, Melbourne
Swan Street Slumber Party
Regular parties are cool; slumber parties are mega cool. Arrive in your pyjamas, eat pizza, play Nintendo, watch ’90s movies, eat soft serve. Party of the year?
Sunday 23 March, 193 Swan St, Richmond
A Bougie Afternoon Gin Party
Leek croquettes with Bloody Mary aïoli. Calamari with skordalia. Lamb shoulder kalamaki. Wodonga is making a big play for the title of tastiest Murray River town this Festival, and that’s thanks to the delicious stylings of Nomad Events and their Bougie Afternoon Gin Party. The cocktails are flavoured with the likes of cumquat gin, mastika and olive leaf, the mezze prepared with love and aplomb. A great chance to check out what’s cooking in the state’s northeast. Up the Hume Highway with you, flavour seeker.
Saturday 22 March, Nomad Events, 4/19 South St, Wodonga
Pinch and Sip Party
The pinching is regarding the dumplings you’ll make, the sipping regarding the local spirits and wines you’ll enjoy. This is more than just a cooking class – it’s a celebration of food, culture, and good company. Discover the joy of making dumplings as you fold, fill, and pinch your way to a delicious dinner with new friends.
Friday 21-Sunday 30 March, OTAO Kitchen, 393 Victoria St, Abbotsford
Sebastian White Beach Party
You round up your besties, you dress each other in starched whites, you make for Williamstown beach, you put a pintxo in one hand and a bocadillo in the other and by Jorge you party until you can’t party no more. A Formentera-style party replete with great food, drinks, and music. ¡Vámonos!
Sunday 23 March, Sebastian, 26 Esplanade, Williamstown
Wildpie Party
Jo Barrett is an excellent chef. So when she announced that she’d be training her focus on the noble pursuit of game pies, naturally, the crowd went wild – wild like the protein at the centre of her pastries. “Our handmade Australian wild game pies are more than a meat pie,” says Barrett. “They’re pies with a purpose – to use invasive species that are free-range, organic and nutrient-dense.” Hosted by the beer barons of Footscray, Mr West, the party will run till late and will feature a range of pies with matched drinks from the High Country, along with a series of DJs to bring the vibes. Good food, good drinks, good tunes, good times!
Saturday 29 March, Mr West, 106 Nicholson St, Footscray
Big Bloody Gin Garden Party
Get in, we’re heading to bloody Healesville for a bloody good time. This Festival, the team at Four Pillars will be shaking, baking, pickling and curing all things Bloody Shiraz at their distillery in the Yarra Valley. A shared-style lunch will feature gin-cured salmon, Bloody Shiraz Gin Yarra Valley caviar, Stone and Crow Moonshine cheese, Bloody Shiraz Gin pâté, and Hunted and Gathered rare dry gin-botanical chocolate tarts. Add in live and local music, live and local wine thanks to Payten and Jones, and a live and local coach service from Federation Square to Healesville and you’ve got yourself a bloody good party.
Sunday 23 March, Four Pillars Gin, 2 Lilydale Rd, Healesville
By Frank Sweet