Melbourne Is Getting a Free Dumpling Festival

Did you hear that? We think someone just said free dumplings and beer. Prepare to get all a-quiver because someone actually, absolutely did just say free dumplings and beer. In honour of the foodstuff that fuels drunken nights out across the country, 206 Bourke Street is hosting the first Melbourne Dumpling Festival, complete with a huge (free!) sit-down dumpling tasting event.

Dump dump wizards Tim Ho Wan, China Red, China Chilli and Dragon Boat are working with Brooklyn Brewery to bring you a night of dumpling indulgence. From 5-10pm on Friday, October 21, groups of 30 will be seated for 30 minutes to enjoy a gratis dumpling and beer pairing, including three serves of dumplings and three beer samples. Seems weird that it's totally free, but we won't question it. It goes without saying though that you can only sign up to one booking.

Tim Ho Wan will also be premiering their lava bomb dumpling, free to the first 200 people who rock up to the pop-up. The lava bomb, just FYI, is exactly what it sounds like - an explosive dumpling, filled with sweet gooey custard.

Here's a schedule of the dishes available so you can book accordingly:
Sitting one and two by Dragon Boat: Siu Mai dumpling (pork and prawn)
Sitting three and four by China Red: spicy Won Ton dumpling (pork dumplings with spicy Schezwan sauce)
Sitting five and six by Tim Ho Wan: wasabi prawn dumpling (prawn, crispy casing and wasabi mayonnaise)
Sitting seven and eight by China Chilli: Master Zhong's dumpling (mixed cabbage, pork and home-made sweet spicy sauce)

Aside from the dumpling pairing, the one-night festival will also hold a host of dumpling-making demos, calligraphy workshops and live music. You'll also be able to get dumps to eat in or take away. The event is being held at 206 Bourke Street, which is the retail precinct Tim Ho Wan is located in and connects Bourke Street with Chinatown.

The Melbourne Dumpling Festival will take place from 5-10pm on Friday, October 21. You can book your dump dump sesh here and check out all the other cool stuff happening at the festival website.