The Bundaberg Region will this year welcome an exciting new food event. The Taste Bundaberg Festival will be a four-month banquet, taking over from the highly successful Winterfeast.
Bundaberg is world famous as the home of Queensland iconic flavours, such as Bundaberg Rum and Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, and our reputation as a newly-discovered foodie paradise is growing fast.
Taste Bundaberg Festival will harness the strong brand already established by Bundaberg culinary icons, and will celebrate during four mini-festivals across autumn and winter.
The new-look event comes after extensive engagement with the Winterfeast stakeholders. It will give chefs, producers and the whole community even more opportunities to showcase what Australia’s foodies are fast discovering – that great grows in the Bundaberg region.
The first mini festival, taking place from Friday 3 to Monday 6 May, will maximise the long weekend with a spotlight on the rich heritage of the whole region, with food and drink experiences to encourage people to stay and play longer.
The second mini festival, from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June, will showcase our beautiful coastline and the Southern Great Barrier Reef with some exciting dining experiences being planned for our stunning waterside locations.
The third festival weekend of Friday 5 to Sunday 7 July will coincide with the arrival of an expected 5,000 people for the Confraternity Cup and QISSN Netball events, so will focus on family-friendly culinary experiences.
And the final celebrations will take place from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 August, as Bundaberg claims ownership of World Rum Day by putting the spotlight on all things drink related coming from the Bundaberg region. From our icons to our artisans, from Bargara to Childers, the region will shine for its award-winning burgeoning drinks industry.
Region built on agriculture
Katherine Reid, General Manager of Bundaberg Tourism, said: “We are a region built on the back of agriculture, supplying 25 per cent of Australia’s fresh produce, and Taste Bundaberg Festival is the focal point of an annual calendar of food tourism and community pride.”
“Winterfeast has seen around 20,000 people attending events each July and as the demand for food tourism experiences grows around the nation, Taste Bundaberg Festival will give locals and visitors more opportunities to immerse themselves in our region’s incredible culinary industry,” Ms Reid said.
“Taste Bundaberg Festival will operate like Winterfeast, with our businesses and community invited to put on events right across the region and Bundaberg Tourism undertaking the marketing and PR of the Festival to drive regional visitation.”
“The event is possible thanks to the support of our partners, including Bundaberg Regional Council, Bundaberg Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Events Queensland and all of our incredible tourism and foodie businesses who have been a part of the culinary tourism boom we’ve been seeing over recent years,” said Ms Reid.
Bundaberg Tourism is calling all venues and community groups to apply to be a part of Taste Bundaberg Festival.
While themes will guide the general marketing of each weekend, all foodie events will be considered for the curated calendar.
All communities of the Bundaberg Region are encouraged to work together to create events that showcase their culinary strengths and hospitality.
”Ideally, we would love to see businesses or community groups facilitating delicious events throughout the May-August season all over the region,” Ms Reid said.
“We hope to curate a program of experiences that highlights both the hinterland and coastal areas of the Bundaberg region and are looking forward to working with groups to develop the inaugural Taste Bundaberg Festival program.”
For details on how to apply, visit www.bundabergregion.org/taste-bundaberg-festival or contact Ellie Tonkin, Marketing Manager, Bundaberg Tourism on ellie.tonkin@bundabergregion.org.
This sounds like a great initiative to showcase our great food and beverages over an extended period of time. Hope everyone gets behind it.
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