Mould — A Cheese Festival 2023
Brisbane's huge cheese festival is back for three dairy-fuelled days — over wine, beer, whisky, vodka and gin and sake, of course.
Overview
For cheese fiends, there's only one suitable way to tuck into the beloved dairy product: all the time, or at least as much as possible. That's an idea that Australian cheese festival Mould not only understands but encourages, and has since 2017. In 2023, those cheese dreams will be continuing as well.
Because you can never have too many occasions to eat cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette or whatever other cheese takes your fancy, Mould is back for another year, letting dairy lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. The event hails from Bruny Island Cheese Co cheesemaker Nick Haddow and the organisers of Pinot Palooza, and will hit up the John Reed Pavilion at Brisbane Showgrounds from Friday, May 12–Sunday, May 14.
There won't just be a few cheeses on the menu. In 2023, more than 100 artisan cheeses from around the country will be ready and waiting for you to devour, spanning dairy from 25-plus producers. This year's lineup includes Grandvewe, Section 28, Coal River, La Cantara, Long Paddock Cheese and Vannella — and Bruny Island Cheese Co is usually involved, naturally.
Also, past years have featured Milawa Cheese, Yarra Valley Dairy and Stone & Crow, as well as Red Cow Organics, Nimbin Valley Cheese, Dreaming Goat and Second Mouse Cheese.
Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you — the fest features cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks. 2023's fest will span Mount Zero olives, artisan honey from Bee One Third, and small-batch preserves from Women's Work to sample, too.
And it wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, vodka, gin, beer, cider, cocktails and sake, all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Archie Rose, Hartshorn Distillery and Brick Lane Beer will all be doing the honours, as will a Pinot Palooza Wine Bar — and the Picolo Bar for no- and low-alcohol options.
Unsurprisingly, Mould is mighty popular. In 2022, 10,000-plus attendees tucked into a six tonnes of artisanal dairy across the fest's three cities. So, if this the kind of event that your cheese dreams are made of, you'll want to nab a ticket ASAP.
Sessions run from 5–9pm on the Friday, 11am–3pm and 4–8pm on the Saturday, and 11am–3pm on Sunday.
Updated March 10.