There’s something magical about watching a regional town transform into a bustling hub of food celebration. From the Grampians to Gippsland, Victoria’s food festival circuit has exploded in recent years, and it’s about far more than just good eating.
Last weekend, I found myself wandering through the Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival, paper plate in hand, sampling everything from locally-made cheeses to wood-fired sourdough. The atmosphere was electric. Families spread out on picnic blankets, children chasing each other between stalls, and the unmistakable hum of community connection filling the air.
“Ten years ago, we had maybe twenty stallholders,” one long-time organiser told me, gesturing at the sea of marquees stretching across the showgrounds. “Now we can barely fit everyone in.”
It’s a story being repeated across Regional Victoria. Food festivals have become the new town square, spaces where producers meet consumers face-to-face, where stories are shared over shared plates, and where regional identity is celebrated and strengthened.
More Than Just a Feed
What makes these festivals so special isn’t just the quality of the produce, though that’s certainly part of it. It’s the stories behind the food. The third-generation berry farmer explains her grandfather’s cultivation techniques. The young chef who left Melbourne to open a restaurant in her hometown. The community group is raising funds through jam sales.
Each transaction becomes a conversation, each taste a connection to the land and the people who work it.
The economic impact is significant, too. According to regional tourism bodies, food festivals can inject hundreds of thousands of dollars into local economies in a single weekend. Hotels fill up, cafes overflow, and suddenly the whole town benefits from the influx of visitors.
But talk to the organisers, and they’ll tell you it’s not primarily about the money. It’s about pride. It’s about showing off what makes their patch of Victoria special.
The Regional Events Fund (REF)
The Victorian Government has seen the magic that these events can have and has set up the Regional Events Fund (REF) to foster a robust and sustainable calendar of regional experiences year-round. This foundation supports diverse sectors, including food and drink, arts, culture, and sport. The explicit policy objective is to support events that bring thousands of visitors to regional Victoria, generating economic impact, creating jobs, and supporting local supply chains and businesses
Since its inception, the REF has supported over 350 events, successfully attracting “tens of thousands of visitors to our regions”. Critically, the investment has expanded as part of the Regional Tourism and Events Program, providing support for event proposals over the next four years. This shift from year-to-year contingency planning to a multi-year strategy signals deep confidence in the capacity of regional tourism to yield sustained returns. This prolonged governmental dedication moves regional events beyond being a post-pandemic stimulus effort, cementing their status as essential, long-term economic infrastructure requiring strategic planning equivalent to other foundational investments like transport.
The Artisan Revolution
Behind this festival boom is a broader shift in how we think about food. The artisan food movement has well and truly taken root in regional areas, with small-scale producers creating everything from craft gin to heritage-breed charcuterie.
These aren’t hobby projects; they’re serious businesses built on quality, authenticity, and connection to place. And food festivals have become their primary shopfront, the place where they can tell their story directly to consumers who increasingly care about where their food comes from.
“People want to know the person who made their cheese, who grew their garlic, who pressed their olive oil,” a Bendigo producer told me. “Festivals give us that face-to-face time that you just can’t get in a supermarket.”
Building Community, One Plate at a Time
Perhaps the most significant aspect of these festivals is their role in strengthening community bonds. In an era where regional towns face demographic challenges and young people often leave for the cities, food festivals have become powerful statements of place-based identity.
They bring people together, not just visitors from Melbourne or interstate, but locals who might not otherwise cross paths. The farmer talks to the accountant. The new resident meets the old-timer. Conversations spark, relationships form, and the social fabric of the community is reinforced.
Local councils have caught on too, increasingly viewing food festivals not just as tourism opportunities but as community development tools. They’re investing in infrastructure, providing grants, and recognising that a successful festival can do more for town morale than almost any other initiative.
The Road Ahead
As we move through 2025, the calendar of regional food festivals shows no sign of slowing down. If anything, it’s expanding. New festivals are popping up, existing ones are growing, and the diversity of offerings is impressive, from truffle festivals to garlic celebrations, from wine and cheese pairings to multicultural food fairs.
There are challenges, of course. Volunteer burnout is real. Insurance costs are climbing. Weather can make or break an event. And there’s always the question of how to maintain authenticity as festivals become more popular and commercial pressures increase.
But for now, the spirit remains strong. These festivals are more than events; they’re expressions of regional pride, celebrations of local culture, and powerful reminders that the best communities are built around shared tables.
So next time you see a poster advertising a regional food festival, don’t just scroll past. Make the trip. Taste the local produce. Chat with the makers. Support the community.
You might just discover that the best thing about regional Victoria isn’t the food itself, it’s the people behind it, and the communities they’re building, one festival at a time.
