Everything to know about the 2020 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
With 150 events in 10 days, foodies are set to unite at one of the world’s biggest celebrations of all things eating and drinking. This is what to expect at this year’s epic Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
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The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is a tasty adventure for anyone who likes to eat or drink, and it’s taking over the city in March.
Since 1993, MFWF has grown into one of the world’s great celebrations of food, covering everything from how the food is grown to its very last bite (or drop) at the table.
It’s about what, how, when are where we eat and drink — from breakfast to the middle of the night, on rooftops and in basements, gardens and laneways.
In 2020, MFWF becomes multiple festivals, with the arrival of a new winter festival in July and, in October, a festival all about regional Victoria (kicking off with a Regional World’s Longest Lunch).
Here’s your ultimate guide to the 2020 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
WHEN IS THE 2020 MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL?
The festival runs for 10 days from Friday, March 19, to Sunday, March 29.
This year’s new program — which features 150 events — will take place in Melbourne’s CBD and suburbs in March, with a dedicated festival for regional Victoria set to launch in spring.
WHERE IS THE 2020 MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL?
The festival’s feature events will be held at its new home, Queen Victoria Market.
Major events include The Big Spaghetti pasta party, Sichuan Snack Fair, ShedX Talks — a series of talks and demonstrations — The Mixed Grill, Maximum Chips and Welcome to the Jungle, a celebration of plant-based food.
“We invite you to choose your own adventure at Queen Victoria Market, whether it’s the spiciest Sichuan food outside Asia, or the city’s best plant-based eating and drinking. If pasta is your thing, bring the whole family to The Big Spaghetti, or feed your mind with talks from some of the biggest movers and shakers in the business,” said Food and Wine Victoria creative director Pat Nourse.
Other MFWF events will be held at venues, restaurants and bars dotted across Melbourne’s CBD and suburbs, including Dandenong Market, Crown Riverwalk, Docklands and NGV. The festival’s Eat Drink Westside program features 17 events across Melbourne’s western suburbs, from Williamstown to Werribee and everywhere in between.
2020 MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
WORLD’S LONGEST LUNCH
The much-loved Bank of Melbourne World’s Longest Lunch brings together Melbourne culinary masters Stephanie Alexander, Philippe Mouchel and Jacques Reymond to deliver an outdoor feast for more than 1600 guests in Melbourne’s Treasury Gardens, set against the backdrop of the city skyline.
Treasury Gardens, Friday 20 March (sold out).
TAKE THE CAKE
The year 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the first edition of one of the nation’s most-loved cookbooks, The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book. To celebrate, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and the NGV will bring the cakes to life in a captivating exhibition at the Ian Potter Centre for Melbourne Design Week. Take the Cake brings the swimming pool cake, Dolly Vardon, the caterpillar, the candy castle and (of course!) the train to life, complementing them Friday to Saturday with cake stalls, ice-your-own adventures and a tour from the book’s author, Pamela Clark.
NGV Australia. Wednesday 18 March – Wednesday 25 March, 10am-5pm, free entry.
MAXIMUM CHIPS
An ode to the humble chip in all its forms, Maximum Chips is a Friday night party that’s simply irresistible. With all-you-can-eat chips – crinkle-cut, shoestring, French fry and maybe the sneaky wedge – this fun and casual event does exactly what it says on the tin.
Queen Victoria Market, Friday 20 March, 5pm-10pm, tickets $35pp.
THE MIXED GRILL
The ultimate Middle Eastern feast cooked over fire by some of the hottest names in food including Lee Tiernan of London’s Black Axe Mangal, Israel’s most celebrated chef, Eyal Shani, Michael Solomonov of Philadelphia’s Zahav, Mat Lindsay of Sydney’s Shwarmama (and Ester and Poly) and Maha’s Shane Delia.
Queen Victoria Market, Saturday 21 March, 6pm-10pm, tickets $130pp.
SHED X
The home of Melbourne Food & Wine Festival at Queen Victoria Market, Shed X will be a hive of activity offering free talks and demonstrations. It’s SXSW meets TED meets MAD meets Melbourne’s 141-year old produce market. Festivalgoers can mingle with industry movers, shakers and trailblazers including Alison Roman, Fuchsia Dunlop, Michael Solomonov, Pamela Clark and Josh Niland.
Queen Victoria Market, March 20, 21, 28, 11am-4pm, free entry.
DANDENONG WORLD FARE
With food retailers peddling the wares and cuisines of countries as diverse as Vietnam and Iran, Pakistan and Poland, Dandenong Market is a multiethnic smorgasbord upon which to feast. As part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, the World Fare returns to the market, where more than 50 street traders will offer some of the world’s most unique dishes.
Dandenong Market, Sunday 22 March, 9am-4pm, free entry.
SICHUAN SNACK FAIR
It’s getting hot in here. Melbourne is the best place to eat Sichuan food outside Asia, so we’re making the most of it, with 10 of the city’s top restaurants paying tribute to China’s favourite spicy regional cuisine in a stand-up snack party on a grand scale. Get amongst it with Dainty Sichuan, Spice Temple, Lee Ho Fook, Super Ling and Supernormal, Sun Kitchen and Da Long Yi. Even Belles Hot Chicken is in on the act, doing its take on Chongqing wings, while international guest talent Fuchsia Dunlop jets in to stir up a cauldron of ma po tofu. Hot food, cold beer, can’t lose.
Queen Victoria Market, Sunday 22 March, 11am-5pm, free entry, with food to purchase.
THE NOTHING FANCY HOUSE PARTY
Best-selling author and bona-fide sensation Alison Roman brings the style, ease and good-time Brooklyn vibe of her new book Nothing Fancy to life with an intimate party to remember. There’ll be Martinis and snacks aplenty as Alison talks about maximum impact, minimum-stress food, and living for the moment.
Half Acre, South Melbourne, Sunday 22 March, 6pm, tickets $125pp (includes a copy of Alison’s new book, Nothing Fancy).
SAINT PETER AT CUMULUS INC
Josh Niland changed the seafood game when he opened his restaurant Saint Peter in Sydney. And now, with the publication of The Whole Fish Cookbook, he is bringing a new way of thinking about cooking to the world. Teaming up with his friend Andrew McConnell, Josh will present an inventive Sunday lunch comprising four courses with matched drinks. It’s part of the festival’s Global Dining Series.
Cumulus Inc, Sunday 22 March, 1pm, tickets $160pp.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 2.0
Part of the 2020 Crawl + Bite program, this is an opportunity to check out some of the city’s hottest new openings including Elektra, Pope Joan and Daughter in Law for some highly Instagrammable bites.
Monday 23 March, 6pm – 8pm and 8.30pm-10.30pm, tickets $78pp.
LANEWAY CRAWL
A meander through Melbourne’s laneways, calling in at Hazel, Marameo and MoVida Next Door.
Monday 23 March, 6pm – 8pm and 8.30pm-10.30pm, tickets $78pp.
HELEN GOH X NEIL PERRY AT ALFRED PLACE
Join Helen Goh – Ottolenghi chef, pastry virtuoso and co-author of the best-selling cookbook Sweet – in a culinary conversation with Neil Perry as part of MFWF’s Global Dining Series. It’s a one-off meeting of two great chefs from different food backgrounds who share a global outlook in their search for compelling and beautiful flavours.
Alfred Place, Monday 23 March, 6.30pm, tickets $150pp.
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
A sprawling celebration of plants, from the indoor variety to Melbourne’s best plant-based eating and drinking experiences. With the “Queen of Green” Shannon Martinez of Smith & Daughters at the helm and special guests Matt Wilkinson (Crofter), Jerry Mai (Annam) and more — including a vegan tattoo parlour — expect the unexpected and step into the jungle in the heart of the city.
Queen Victoria Market, Friday 27 March, 5pm-10pm, tickets $25pp.
THE BIG SPAGHETTI
Celebrate Melbourne’s Italian heritage with a dozen of the city’s pasta masters at this free, family-friendly street fair at Queen Victoria Market. The Big Spaghetti will bring together the city’s best Italian restaurants (plus the odd ring-in from out of town) to share the joy of one of the world’s favourite dishes. Each restaurant will create two pasta dishes, with origins spanning Italy’s north to south. Among them will be pasta masters from Tipo 00, Capitano, Rosetta, Marameo, Caterina’s and more. On stage, Matt Preston and Sam Pang will present the World’s Longest Cooking Demo where Preston shows how his bolognese sauce is made, blow by blow, in real time, over the course of the day. Live music will keep the whole family entertained. And for the big kids, there will be aperitivo drinks by Bar Americano, as well as wines by Italian wine importer Giorgio De Maria.
Queen Victoria Market, Saturday 28 March, 11am-8pm, free entry.
ATTICA PRESENTS
A day exploring the idea of hope – Australia’s most internationally celebrated chef, Ben Shewry, leads a day of music, performance and discussion around a key issue for hospitality and the wider community: hope. Talks will be interspersed with high-energy performances, followed by the opportunity to drink, mingle and chat afterwards.
Queen Victoria Market, Sunday 29 March, free entry.
See the full 2020 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival program.
SPECIAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS AT MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
Whether you’re vegan, gluten-free, or a committed carnivore, this year’s MFWF promises something for everyone.
Vegetarians and vegans can eat to their heart’s content at dedicated plant-based feature event Welcome to the Jungle, at Queen Victoria Market on Friday, March 27. It is among 54 vegetarian-friendly events on offer at MFWF.
There are also dozens of gluten free-friendly and dairy free-friendly options – check out the program for details.
If you have kids who tend to be fussy eaters, take your pick of the family-friendly offerings.
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HOW TO BUY 2020 MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased via the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival website.
There are also 10 free and family-friendly events, including The Big Spaghetti, Dandenong World Fare, Take the Cake exhibition, Sichuan Snack Fair, Flavours of St Albans Twilight Market and the Italian Festival.
HOW TO GET TO THE 2020 MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The best way to get to the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s hub at Queen Victoria Market is via public transport.
The market is a seven-minute walk from Flagstaff and Melbourne Central stations. Walk north along William Street or Elizabeth Street respectively.
Tram routes 19, 57, 58 or 59 stop outside the market.
For public transport options to other MFWF venues, check out the PTV journey planner.
CAR PARKING
For Queen Victoria Market events, parking is available on Queen Street between Therry and Victoria streets, as well as the market car park — enter via Franklin or Queen streets.