Cheers to Melbourne’s 2024 Food and Wine Festival

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival presented by La Trobe Financial and supported by Visit Victoria will take over the city between March 15 and 24, celebrating Melbourne’s unique eating and drinking culture. 

With more than 430 events on offer throughout the 10-day program, Melburnians can enjoy a variety of food and drink offerings from some of the city’s most well-known “culinary luminaries”, focusing on the “diversity and breadth of the Melbourne food scene”.

One of the festival’s “signature events” is The World’s Longest Lunch, with up to 1700 diners set to feast from 600 metres of “beautifully dressed dining tables” on the edge of the Botanic Gardens in Kings Domain.

Designing this year’s menu is Andrew McConnell, chef and owner of popular Melbourne venues including Gimlet at Cavendish House, Supernormal, Cutler & Co., and the newly opened Apollo Inn.

“In years past we have had menus designed for the event by bold-faced names including Ben Shewry and Alla Wolf-Tasker,” Food and Drink Victoria CEO, Anthea Loucas Bosha said.

“This year, Andrew McConnell takes the reins for a very special event celebrating one of Melbourne’s culinary icons.”

The 2024 program will also host The World’s Longest Brunch presented by Cocobella, a new addition to the franchise “celebrating Melbourne’s famed café culture”.

“This year we turn the dial up on flavour with three of the leading talents in new wave Indian food, Harry Mangat, Helly Raichura and Mischa Tropp, for a three-course menu filled with their unique takes on what brunching Indian-style looks like,” Ms Loucas Bosha told CBD News.

As well as ticketed events, the festival will also include a weekend take-over of Fed Square on March 23 and 24, “celebrating everything that makes our city delicious”.

“The return of Celebrity Sausage, presented by Bakers Delight, brings together stars of the stage, screen, track and beyond as they design their dream sausages – the Mighty Baker’s Dozen is also back with 13 of Melbourne’s most sought-after cakers and bakers bringing their creations to the square,” Ms Loucas Bosha said.

“The jewel in the crown is Dan’s Diner, a reboot of the classic American diner presented by Dan Murphy’s, which will be on the edge of Fed Square on Swanston Street for the duration of the festival. All of the food is designed by chefs called Dan, including Dan Hunter, Dan Puskas and Dan Wilson.”

As Australia’s food and wine capital, the festival is an important platform to showcase “Victoria’s peerless food produce and food and drink products”.

“It brings people together, and also allows Melbourne’s hospitality talents the opportunity to stretch their wings and deliver a one-off event which may scratch a creative itch or see them collaborating with some of the world and Australia’s best food talent – all under the banner of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.” •