Festival-goers to the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival will be scattered around the region like confetti in celebration of this year’s reimagined event.
It’s the festival that Australian chefs love.
And while this year’s annual Noosa Eat & Drink Festival will look a little different, the event’s status as a cultural foodie phenomenon looks set to remain with culinary superstars such as Colin Fassnidge, Matt Moran, Anna Polyviou, Adam D’Sylva and Matt Sinclair just some of the headline acts at the four-day event.
Held from 10–13 June this year, Noosa’s signature event will be re-imagined thanks to government restrictions surrounding large-scale events.
But organisers can see the silver linings: they believe limiting the number of people to a maximum of 500 at any event will result in an altogether more personalised, intimate experience.
While in past years, the Festival Village was a focal point, this year’s program has been carved up into bite-sized pieces with everything from tutored tastings to ticketed events, interactive cooking classes, long harvest lunches and Sunday sessions designed to celebrate Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The four-day calendar of events will also include dinners and daytime tastings, as well as bespoke activations at top restaurants in and around Noosa that showcase the region’s chefs and beverage producers.
Following are four reasons foodies will be enticed to Noosa for the festival.
This year, there are now two long lunches. And while tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, the fact there is an additional long lunch means your chances of scoring a seat has effectively doubled.
The Long Lunch on Hastings Street is a hot favourite. Hosted by food critic Matt Preston and delicious. editor-in-chief, Kerrie McCallum, the Long Lunch held between 11:30am and 2:30pm on 11 June includes a Sunshine & Sons’ cocktail on arrival, beers by Stone & Wood, a three-course meal by one of Hastings Streets great restaurants with accompanying wines and an espresso martini by Mr Black.
The Hinterland Harvest Long Lunch, to be held on the same day at the same time, is presented by Black Ant Gourmet and includes a mead tasting from Amrita Park Meadery or a glass of bubbles from Dingo Creek Vineyard, and a harvest-inspired long-table lunch on a remote hilltop in the hinterland.
That great Australian idyll of enjoying a knock-your-socks-off shindig with your toes in the sand is the inspiration behind four iconic beachside events held during the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival. The Festival Opening Party on Noosa Main Beach held from 4pm–6:30pm on Friday 11 June is a highlight.
Hosted by Irish–Australian chef Colin Fassnidge, the party will feature canapes by chef Andrea Ravezzani, of Noosa Waterfront Restaurant, and a fab selection of drinks and party tunes by DJ Niki De Saint.
Enjoy a roaming tipple under the Noosa Main Beach Tipis atBlush + Bubbles, which includes pink-hued sparkling wine, rosé and a selection of cocktails. And it wouldn’t be a visit to Noosa without a Spritz and Seafood blitz; this Sunday Session under the tipis includes freshly shucked oysters, sashimi and prawns, and drinks served from beachside bars.
The tipis are also home to The Festival Sundowner event presented by Diablo, hosted by celebrity chef Alastair McLeod featuring a menu of small bites and accompanied by a range of killer cocktails created by Diablo Ginger Beer.
Those who like to let their appetite determine their dream holiday destination will be pleased to hear there are 20 celebrity chefs in town for the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival.
This year, the chefs have to be more organised than ever during their cooking demonstrations, which will free them up to answer questions post-presentation.
Those who have pencilled in a demonstration at The Chefs Kitchen will be pleased to know that those in attendance must be seated, making the events more intimate than ever.
Positioned in Noosa Woods, a pretty riverside parkland, The Chef’s Kitchen will include cameos by celebrity chefs such as Colin Fassnidge, Matt Preston and chocolatier and pastry chef Kirsten Tibballs.
This event is aimed squarely at those who would like to learn tips on artful entertaining and how to master a range of delectable dishes using ingredients they may or may not be familiar with.
This article was written by our Noosa-loving friends from Australian Traveller.
