Seven Regional Events Around NSW to Travel to This Spring

Experience all the wine Murrumbateman has to offer during the Canberra Wine House Murrumbateman Moving Feast, a weekend-long, roving degustation celebrating local drops and producers. Presented by the Makers of Murrumbateman, the feast will take over the best vineyards around town over the October long weekend from Saturday, September 30 to Monday, October 2. Each winery along the trail will offer signature tasting menus, with each dish paired with a curated fine wine. Plus, throughout the weekend, visitors will have the chance to meet the makers behind these nationally and internationally recognised bottles, all while taking in the gorgeous rolling views around the region.

The Taste Riverina Festival sees the region’s producers come together in a month-long celebration of local food. The curated program spans agricultural tours, cooking demonstrations, food treks and beer and wine tastings, along with your requisite degustation dinners, farmers markets and cafe specials available around town. The region’s plentiful vineyards will be offering up cellar door tastings paired with music and food to boot. There will be whole meals dedicated to salami and the Ploughman’s Lunch, along with a food and art fusion exhibition. Bush tucker tours, pool parties and pub crawls round out the jam-packed program that is sure to leave your belly satisfied.

The annual Orange Wine Festival is back for its 11th run, with ten days of events highlighting the region’s sophisticated winemaking from October 13 through to October 22. Patrons can expect wine shows, tastings, dinners and educational workshops, all of which showcase the rich diversity of Orange’s rich culinary culture.The region is known for its cool climate which creates wines with bright fruit and deep, balanced flavours, making them some of the best drops in the country. And this year’s packed-out program includes over 90 events, which are open to all wine lovers, from the connoisseurs to those still getting to know their palate.

The oldest floral festival in Australia, the Grafton Jacaranda Festival focuses on the hundreds of lilac-blossomed trees that line the town’s streets. First held in 1935, the festival brings together art exhibitions, live music, markets and parades for a week-long celebration. While the jacaranda blooms are of course the main attraction, it’s by no means the only event you’ll have to look forward to during the festival — think a 30-team dragon boat race and a Venetian-style circus and carnival, along with buskers, fireworks and stallholders aplenty. While in town, visit ‘The Gorge’, a tree which measures at a massive 30 metres high with a six-metre circumference. It deserves a nice big hug, we reckon.

Sculpture in the Vineyards brings an artistic bend to the Hunter Valley with its annual arts and cultural festival, held throughout four independent vineyards in the Wollombi Valley. The celebration combines large-scale sculptures with art, food and, of course, wine, with tastings happening at each of the vineyard cellar doors. Visitors can also take guided tours, attend artist talks and workshops, learn about local Aboriginal history and feast at a wine and food degustation. Events will also take place at the nearby historic Wollombi Village. And what’s more, entry into the exhibitions along the Wollombi Valley Wine Trail is completely free.

Australians really love prawns — and Ballina Prawn Festival knows it. In fact, they’ve dedicated an entire day in honour of everyone’s favourite crustacean. Set in Ballina’s Missingham Park on the banks of the Richmond River, the day will be marked by parades, music, rides and all the prawns you can eat. The festival stalls will be sizzling prawns of all sizes, while events happen in every direction, including a prawn shelling competition and a signature dish competition. There will also be a boat parade celebrating the prawn industry, fireworks, amusement rides, live music and sand castle building. Yeah, it’ll be the truest form of an Aussie-as day.

Just steps from North Wollongong beach, this festival brings live music and food lovers together for one big ol’ party that will satisfy both your belly and your soul. Themed ‘Space Fantasy’, the festival encourages attendees to come in fancy dress as whatever their space fantasy may be. Astronauts, martians, space cowboys, alien unicorns — whichever costume you choose, you could win $2,000 for best dressed, $1,000 for second and $500 for third best dressed. Plus you’ll look awesome. With past acts including Savage, PACES, Tigerlily and DJ Steve Aoki, you can expect an even bigger roster of local and international acts this year. Plus, in between sets, fill up on a range of eats from food vendors from the region, along with a few Sydney imports expected to dish out some top-notch barbecue, burgers and pizzas.

Visit our Beyond Sydney hub, and discover even more events around NSW with our Regional Event Generator.

Words: Marissa Ciampi and Jonathan Ford.