The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (1-17 March) will rediscover its roots with earth-inspired events for the whole family. Over 17 days, foodies of all ages can enjoy an array of edible entertainment including hands-on events, world food markets and regional fare for kids and grown-ups alike.
Over the Opening Weekend (2 – 3 March) gather the family and head to Como House and Garden to discover the best of regional Victoria at Put Victoria on Your Table: Cellar Door and Artisan Market, with free admission for little ones under 12. Meander through the gardens sampling artisan produce and Victorian wine then settle in for the afternoon with a picnic on the lawn while enjoying live music and cooking demonstrations. Budding foodies can even create their own masterpieces at KitchenAid Kids Classes.
Elsewhere over Opening Weekend, Family Foodie Weekend: Garden Pizzeria at Queensbridge Square will give little hands the chance to create a pizza from scratch. A free event for all ages, pluck fresh tomatoes and basil from the veggie patch, mill the flour for pizza dough and discover how mozzarella is made, before enjoying a wood-fired pizza.
Enjoy food traditions from across the world at family friendly fairs. Slurp up noodle soup and watch Kung Fu Panda on the big screen at Oodles of Noodles (Footscray Community Art Centre), discover global cuisines, cultures and entertainment at Dandenong World Fare (Dandenong Market), a celebration of diverse tastes and aromas; or enjoy international street food at Queen Victoria Market’s World Street Food Festival.
Kids can combine creativity with a love of food at events across the city. Draw a meal directly on the plate at Plate It Up (ArtPlay, Birrarung Marr); create chocolate ‘art’ at Mini Chocolate Maestros (Arts Centre Melbourne); or learn the art of pizza making at Let’s Make Pizza (Grosvenor Hotel, St Kilda East).
Over Regional Closing Weekend (15 – 17 March) Victoria comes alive with more than 80 events across the state. In the Yarra Valley, create your own chocolate animal in the ‘parent-free zone’ at Become a Junior Chocolatier (Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamy, Yarra Glen); watch food-flavoured films and enjoy seasonal produce at Station Cinema Foodie Films (Wodonga Railway Station); and milk goats among other farm activities at Spoils of the Soil (Mansfield Median Reserve, Mansfield).
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival presented by Bank of Melbourne | 1 – 17 March, 2013.
The full festival program can be viewed from 1 February at melbournefoodandwine.com.au
Tickets on sale 1 February 2013 at melbournefoodandwine.com.au
