Taste of Summer: Festival organisers say 2023 biggest and best year yet, look to build on success for future

After wrapping up for another year, the 2023 Taste of Summer festival has been labelled the biggest and best yet and organisers are hoping to build on this success to ensure a bright future for the event.

Taste of Summer at PW1, Hobart. Picture: Linda Higginson

This year’s Taste of Summer has been labelled the biggest and best yet after almost 100,000 people flocked through the gates to enjoy some of the finest produce Tasmania has to offer.

For the third year in a row, the Taste has been organised by Pinpoint, a private consortium of Tasmanian business people.

The Hobart City Council voted in 2021 to divest itself of ownership and exclusive rights to the Taste of Tasmania, as it was previously known, due to rising costs of running the event.

As the festival site at PW1 was cleaned up on Sunday following another busy year, Taste of Summer chair Jarrod Nation said the event was “not what it used to be” and it had taken time for people to adjust to the new offering.

Taste of Summer chair Jarrod Nation and CEO Stephen McMullen pack up after the event. Picture: Chris Kidd

“From our point of view, [this] Taste has probably been our biggest that we’ve run,” he said. “Nearly 100,000 people [attended].”

“The great thing is the locals are back. We’re really proud of that.

“We think the Taste 2.0 versus 1.0 is very, very different. And it’s great that locals can come back from their shacks and experience the great things the stallholders put on.

“The stallholders are the show, let’s be honest. Without the stallholders and their great produce, this thing doesn’t operate.”

Mr Nation said the original Taste was “free and cluttered”, whereas the rejuvenated festival was ticketed and so organisers and the 90 stallholders had to be “better at produce and … better at what [we] do”.

Entrance to Taste of Summer festival 2023. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“People [can] … come here, walk freely, not be confronted with lines, everyone gets a seat, it’s a great family event,” he said. “So I think it takes a bit of time to educate locals that it’s not what it used to be.”

“We’re very proud that we’ve created an event that’s free-moving and open. And I think that is the model moving forward: less is more.”

The festival ran for a duration of nine days this year, beginning on December 27 and ending on January 6, after closing for a break on January 2 and 3.

“Whether nine days is the model moving forward really depends on a number of factors and they’ll be debated in the next few weeks,” Mr Nation said.

Project manager Rosie Dowie packs up after the Taste of Summer. Picture: Chris Kidd

“There’ll be changes [next year], there’ll be positives, there’ll be things we need to work on. That’s all part of it.”

The Rockliff government is providing $7.7 million over five years to ensure the Taste can continue, with the funding arrangement set to expire in 2026.

Stadia and Events Minister Nic Street said this year’s event had been “fantastic” and that 300 businesses across Tasmania had “benefited” from it.

Asked whether the festival would continue to receive government funding beyond 2026, Mr Street said it wasn’t “a given” but the government was in ongoing “conversations” with Pinpoint.

“We’ll continue to have those conversations going forward,” he said.