Ten events under $50: How to do Melbourne Food & Wine Festival on a budget

March 12, 2024

You don’t need to make bank to make the most of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, which runs from March 15 to 24.

If you want maximum deliciousness for minimum dollars, get around the festival hub in Fed Square, where most events and pop-ups have free entry, so you can just rock up.

Sate any lunch, dinner or drink desire during the festival at Dan’s Diner, a retro pop-up by four of hospitality’s most daring Dans: Dan Hunter (Brae), Daniel Puskas (Sixpenny), Daniel Wilson (Yakimono) and Dan Docherty (Commis). How could you turn down fried chicken and buttermilk waffles doused in togarashi maple syrup?

Crinkle-cut fries with jalapeno, mozzarella and basil at Dan’s Diner.Kristoffer Paulsen

For Baker’s Dozen (March 23-24, free entry), 13 of the city’s biggest names in baking – Falco, Baker Bleu, Monforte Viennoiserie and more – are converging on the Fed Square hub for a pastry-powered market (chilli honey, fennel pollen and sea salt croissant, anyone?).

Simultaneously, Celebrity Sausage (March 23-24, free entry) will see big Melbourne names such as musician Clare Bowditch, and footballers Charlie and Ed Curnow, sizzling their dream snags for you. And for The Pizza Sessions (March 23-24, free entry), Casey Wall of Carlton’s Capitano, Lucy Whitlow (Figlia, Brunswick East) and more top chefs will be throwing dough for pies with creative toppings.

Melbourne celebrities will be sharing their fantasy sausage sangers at Fed Square.Melissa Cowan

Elsewhere, some Sydney star power will be on show. There’ll be Middle Eastern magic as Paul Farag, from Sydney fine-diner Aalia, throws a Sunday Shawarma Party (March 17, $34) at Windsor charcoal chicken specialist Henrietta; while Merivale powerhouse Dan Hong (Mr Wong, Ms G’s and The Establishment) is bringing Salty Sweet (March 16, free entry) to Fitzroy dessert playhouse Pidapipo Laboratorio, serving cheeseburger spring rolls and next-level banana fritters.

Want to snack your way through Bali, Jakarta and beyond? Indonesian Street Food (March 16-17, $0-$48, limited sessions remaining) is a festival-within-a-festival at Queen Vic Market.

A sake-beer hybrid will be on tasting at Preston’s Tallboy and Moose during their March 16 event.Eliana Schoulal

How about sampling a one-off sake-beer hybrid? Head to Preston brewery Tallboy & Moose for the Sake and Beer Fusion Masterclass Tasting (March 16, $49).

Want to get arty – with a side of savoury doughnuts and music? The low-key Henry Party (March 17, $25, selling fast) at Carlton North wine bar Henry Sugar is for you.

And at Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters, the Fed Square sibling of Farmer’s Daughters, Life on the Terrace (March 22-23, $25) is a riverside celebration of all things regional Victoria, with fancy snacks and live music.