Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival 2024: What you can expect to see, full program guide

The popular Southern Downs fruitful event is fast approaching, with organisers anticipating around 100,000 attendees. See what’s new this year at Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival here.

Ambassador David McMahon promoting the Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival at Jan Power's Farmers Market, New Farm, Saturday, January 20, 2024 – Picture: Richard Walker

It’s arguably one of the Southern Downs region’s most popular events and is full steam ahead to kick off for 2024.

Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival will see the cold country’s streets amass with food, wine and a stack of events to keep all ages occupied.

The biannual event will begin on February 23 and run through until March 3, with a bundle of new events and things to do this time around.

Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival Young Ambassador Anna Henderson at Jan Power's Farmers Market, New Farm, Saturday, January 20, 2024 – Picture: Richard Walker

Festival president Russell Wantling said there’s been a great deal of interest, with tickets almost sold out for many of the paid events.

“We’ve only got 10 out of 270 tickets left for the public grape crushing event,” he said.

“Tickets have been selling quite quickly for our poets breakfast too which is a new event for the festival, we’ve sold about 80 already.”

Another new and exciting event on offer this year is the ‘Brush and Bubbles’ paint and sip, as well as the introduction of ‘glamping’ tents at Sheehan Oval to offer more accommodation options.

President Russell Wantling and Ambassador David McMahon promoting the Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival at Jan Power's Farmers Market, New Farm, Saturday, January 20, 2024 – Picture: Richard Walker

“We’ve got 18 local wineries this year which is our most amount ever,” Mr Wantling said.

“I don’t think you could get a better line up.”

Mr Wantling said given the great deal of interest received this year they’ve had to make a few logistic changes, which will see Railway St closed off to allow more room for stallholders.

“It will be a really good event, we’re predicting there could be up to 100,000 attendees this time with all of the interest we’ve been seeing,” he said.

“The Southern Downs seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment.”

See the full list of events on for all ages over the 10-day fruitful event below.

Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival grape crushing.

FREE EVENTS

• Decorated windows, Stanthorpe CBD, all week

• Street party and official opening, Farley St Piazza, February 23 from 6pm.

• Busking in the Streets, High St and Maryland St, February 24 from 9am-1pm.

• Farm to Fork cooking demonstrations, High St, all week from 11am-2pm.

• Variety Concert for seniors + morning tea, Civic Centre, February 27 from 9.30am-midday.

• Apple peeling and apple pie judging competitions, Farley St Piazza, 9am-1pm.

• Wall of fruit display, Civic Centre, February 28-March 6 from 10am-4pm.

• Market in the mountains, Civic Centre, March 2-3 from 8am-5pm.

• Rebel FM street carnival, High St, March 2 from 9am-late.

• Channel 7 grand parade, High St, March 2 from 2pm-3pm.

• Stanthorpe RSL bands parade, High St, March 2 from 11am-midday.

• The musical quiet hour by Granite Belt Choir, St Paul’s Anglican Church, March 2 from 4pm-5pm.

• Balancing Heart celebrity grape cush championship, High St, March 2 from 4pm-4.30pm.

• Stanthorpe Parkrun, Gleeson Park, March 2 from 7am-10am, register here.

• Sunday street carnival, Victoria St, March 3 from 10am-5pm.

Street performers at the Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival, Queensland

TICKETED EVENTS

• Apple Orchard experience at Nicoletti Orchards, tickets here.

• Heritage Estate Winery wine maker’s long lunch, tickets here.

• Open gardens, tickets here.

• Golf: The Apple and Grape Cup, register here.

• Dalveen international film festival, tickets here.

• Banchetto Italiano: Italian long, tickets here.

• Bus tours, tickets here.

• Brushes and Bubbles paint and sip, tickets here.

• Apple and Grape Harvest Ball, tickets here.

• Public grape crush event, tickets here.

• Mt Marlay challenge, register here.

• Poets breakfast, tickets here.

• Glamping at Sheehan Oval, book here.

Originally published as Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival 2024: What you can expect to see, full program guide