Melbourne 2020 Food & Wine Festival program launches

Melbourne 2020 Food & Wine Festival program launches

The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, paired with principal partner Bank of Melbourne, will take place from 19 to 29 March 2020, with an interesting roster of local and international names in food and drink descending on the city for 10 days.

The new program will take place exclusively in Melbourne in March, with a dedicated festival in regional Victoria set to launch in spring 2020, showcasing best of the state’s food and drink on offer.

Food and Wine Victoria CEO Anthea Loucas Bosha said, “This year we’re bringing the Festival fun to the Queen Victoria Market – the new home of the festival’s feature events in 2020”.

“We’re excited for festivalgoers to join us in celebrating all that’s great about this city’s food and drink culture at Melbourne’s much-loved marketplace.”

Food and Wine Victoria creative director Pat Nourse added, “We invite you to choose your own adventure at Queen Victoria Market, whether it’s the spiciest Sichuan food outside Asia, or the city’s best plant-based eating and drinking. If pasta is your thing, bring the whole family to The Big Spaghetti, or feed your mind with talks from some of the biggest movers and shakers in the business.”

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said, “The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is the best celebration of its kind in the country and one of the reasons is that the program continues to be fresh and innovative”.

“We’re proud to be backing the festival to grow at its new home at the Queen Victoria Market in March, and look forward to the first regional festival to be held later in the year.”

The Bank of Melbourne World’s Longest Lunch returns on Friday 20 March, bringing together three of Melbourne’s culinary masters, Stephanie Alexander, Philippe Mouchel and Jacques Reymond, to deliver an outdoor feast for more than 1,600 guests in Melbourne’s Treasury Gardens.

Bank of Melbourne advisory board chairman, Elizabeth Proust AO, said, “The Bank of Melbourne World’s Longest Lunch is always a highlight on the Melbourne calendar and Stephanie, Philippe and Jacques are the perfect chefs to deliver an unforgettable event that celebrates our local produce and draws guests from all over the world”.