Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is a programme of events spread across the city and the state over ten days. It is run by Food + Drink Victoria, and the Victorian government describes it as “a mainstay of Melbourne’s major events calendar for more than 30 years”. Its home page introduced the “2026 Legends and Trailblazers” of the programme.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2026

The 2027 dates had not been published by the festival when this page was checked, on 6 October 2026.

What to eat and drink

• The long lunch. The 2026 headline event set a table of 600 metres winding through Kings Domain, the parkland by the Yarra, for 1,600 guests. The state government expected it to sell out fast: it is the event to book first.
• Victorian wine. The festival’s name puts wine next to food. The state’s vineyards run from the Yarra Valley to the Mornington Peninsula.
• Melbourne’s own food. Between events, try the city’s cafés, its laneway bars and its Italian, Greek, Vietnamese and Chinese neighbourhoods.

Practical tips

• Pick events, not days. With 200 events in 2026, the programme is a catalogue: choose two or three that fit your trip, then fill the gaps with the city.
• Book on release. Ticketed events can sell out. Buy as soon as the programme is out.
• Mind the venues. Events take place across Melbourne and regional Victoria: check each address before you plan two in one day.
• March weather. Late March is early autumn in Melbourne, often mild, but the weather can turn within a day, and events such as the long lunch are held outdoors.

Where to stay and budget

The city centre, between Flinders Street and the Queen Victoria Market, puts you close to the free tram zone and to Federation Square. The budget is the sum of the tickets you choose: check each event’s price on the festival’s site, then add accommodation and flights.

Planning for the next edition

The festival is a March event: in 2026, from 20 to 29 March. Two combinations work well. The Yarra Valley, east of the city, has cellar doors open to visitors. And for a longer food trip in Australia, Tasting Australia, in Adelaide, is announced from 30 April to 9 May in 2027.