Are you ready to eat the dim sims of your dreams? Are you ready to dance in a barn with a milkshake in your hand? Are you ready to eat one of absolutely everything at Baker’s Dozen? Glad to hear it. Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is Australia’s favourite celebration of eating, drinking and culture, and it’s nothing if not a party for the whole family; here are eight events the fam will love.
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
BBQs of the World
It’s the United Nations of flame grilling, and you are the guest of honour. On the final weekend of MFWF 2025, BBQs of the World brings together the techniques and traditions of Latin America, Africa, Asia and everywhere in between, celebrating not only the flavours of the globe, but the rhythms and sounds that make them taste that bit brighter. A uniquely delicious way to visit the 157-year-old Dandenong Market and a shoutout to the soft-power potential of barbecued meat.
Sunday 30 March, Dandenong Market, 40 Cleeland St, Dandenong
Sweet As: Knafeh x Queen Victoria Market
This festival, Queen Victoria Market transforms into a dessert lover’s dream showcasing desserts from around the globe at Sweet As. Leading the charge are the Bearded Bakers, Ameer and Joey El-Issa, bringing everyone’s favourite sweet treat to the party with Knafeh Bakery. From 9am to 4pm, the market sheds will buzz with live music, cooking demos, and a world of sweet deliciousness. Start with flaky, syrup-drenched baklava, move on to cinnamon-dusted churros with rich chocolate sauce, or indulge in freshly made crêpes, fluffy doughnuts, and artisanal gelato in flavours such as pistachio and dark chocolate.
Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March, Queen Victoria Market, Queen and Elizabeth streets, Melbourne
Spice Up Your World: Indonesian Street Food Festival
Enjoy the diversity of flavours that Indonesia has to offer, including cultural performances, art workshops, and culinary delights, all at the Queen Victoria Market. Entry to the festival is free, with an option to purchase a traditional Indonesian lunch box packed with signature dishes from the islands of Indonesia, including beef rendang, crunchy fried chicken, rice, dessert and a drink.
Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 March, Queen Victoria Market, Queen St, Melbourne
Mountain Spirits and Smoky Feasts
Take part in a feast of slow-cooked meats, flavour-packed sides and winning vegetarian options, all prepared by expert pitmasters. Enjoy bottomless cocktails on tap, crafted by the award-winning Mountain Distillery. Meet the distillers, try their creations, and learn about the craft behind the cocktails. With live music, panoramic views and a relaxed atmosphere, this event offers a perfect escape for food and drink lovers, and kids are most welcome to join in on the fun.
Lancemore Macedon Ranges, 1030 Kilmore-Lancefield Rd, Lancefield
Baker’s Dozen
Right, time to come clean. It’s not really a baker’s dozen. It was a baker’s dozen, but due to your insatiable appetite and the barnstorming success of this, Australia’s favourite baking conference, Baker’s Dozen had no choice but to rise beyond its nominal 13 bakeries. Truth told, in this, its third year, we’re adding 10 bakers to the party for a total of 23. And it’s not just Victorian bakers, either – this year we’re inviting bakers from interstate and abroad. It’s going to be outrageously delicious, I’m just so sorry we fibbed.
Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March, Fed Square, Swanston and Flinders streets, Melbourne
Dim City
News flash: we’re giving away hundreds of dim sims. But not just any old dimmie. We’ve enlisted the help of superstar chefs Rosheen Kaul, John Rivera and Eun Hee An to each remix the humble bain marie snack into something potentially even more extraordinary. Best of all, we’re giving them away for free, and there’ll be prizes to be won from the likes of Marimekko and Le Creuset, too.
Friday 28 February, Emporium, Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
Something Saucy
Slip into a perfect Melbourne laneway and slide into an Italian alternative reality this Festival as Leggo’s brings you Something Saucy, a sultry interlude that’s about as tasty as a Tuesday lunch can legally be. For a brief and beautiful moment this March, Marco Salzano and Luca Muscato, the radical creative Southern Italian talents behind cult Carlton carb merchants Super Norma, will transform a sliver of the CBD into a pasta paradise. They’ll be serving up their pasta alla Norma remixed with Leggo’s Gourmet Rich Passata into a pasta al forno to go, and Leggo’s is coming to the party, giving away jars of their stellar Australian passata for you to take the good times home with you. How much does it cost? Why, it’s free!
Tuesday 25 March, a secret laneway, Melbourne
By Frank Sweet