The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Returns in March with Restaurant Takeovers and the World's Longest Lunch Led by Andrew McConnell

The silly season has come and gone, and people are already flocking back to work, but that doesn't mean the fun has ended. Especially as one of the city's biggest food and drink events returns in just over two months — the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.

And this one is going to be a doozy. The organisers have packed a whopping 300 events into the ten-day festival, running from Friday, March 15 until Sunday, March 24.

Plenty of international chefs will be participating in this year's festivities, but local talent is front and centre. Most prestigiously, Andrew McConnell (Gimlet, Cutler & Co, Supernormal, Builders Arms Hotel, Marion) is taking the reins of the annual World's Longest Lunch, creating a bespoke three-course meal for those lucky enough to nab a ticket.

Shelley Horan

The World's Longest Lunch has been around for more than three decades, always hosted by a different chef. This year's iteration will see diners feasting along a huge 600-metre table that winds through Kings Domain.

It will be followed up the next day by The World's Longest Brunch. This dining experience will take place at the same location, but the food offerings will be entirely different. Heroes of contemporary Indian cuisine, Harry Mangat, Helly Raichura and Mischa Tropp, will be running the show for this one, each creating a dish for the three-course brunch. Coffee and sparkling wine will also be on hand throughout the event.

Stacks of the city's top restaurants will also be participating in the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival's Global Dining Series. This collection of collaborations sees local eateries open up their kitchens to international chefs, giving us Melbourne foodies the chance to try some outstanding food that we'd normally have to jump on a plane to try.

All up, there are 25 separate collaborations and takeovers to choose from. Here's a few of the highlights:

Wine lovers best check out the Noble Rot and Marion mash-up, taking place on Wednesday, March 20. The two teams have curated a wine list full of unique drops that will pair perfectly with eats made just for the night.

We're also pumped to try Kanji Kobayashi's vegetable-forward feast at Atria up at the new Ritz-Carlton. Kobayashi's cooking has won Villa Aida two Michelin stars with his cooking, so this dining experience really shouldn't be missed. It runs from Tuesday, March 19 until Saturday, March 23.

Rockpool Bar & Grill will also give control of its kitchen to alumni of the National Indigenous Culinary Institute on Sunday, March 17, for a lunch showcasing a new generation of First Nations chefs.

Melissa Cowan

Fed Square will once again be a hub for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in 2024, hosting a bunch of special events. Folks can join pizza parties, watch celebrity sausage-making workshops and see some of the city's top bakers and pastry chefs create works of delicious art.

The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is going to be huge this year, so you best start planning how you're going to spend the ten days now.

Melissa Cowan

Atria at Ritz-Carlton

Melissa Cowan

The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival will run across Melbourne from Friday, March 15 until Sunday, March 24. Tickets will go on sale Thursday, February 1 to the general public, with a pre-sale on Monday, January 29 for Melbourne Food & Wine Festival subscribers. Check out the festival's website for more details.