List
By Danielle Reckless
While we might be best known for our reef and endless coastline, there’s more than meets the eye in Queensland. Sure, we have plenty of sunshine in the Sunshine State. But we also have some of the country’s most diverse produce and freshest seafood. You can find hatted restaurants and home-grown culinary talent from our cities and our sleepy beach towns.
Your best chance to taste the state on your plate is at one of the many Queensland food festivals scheduled for the year ahead.
We’ve saved you a seat at the table – so dig in.
When: 13 - 16 February 2025
Get amongst the all the action at the ‘melon capital’ of Australia, Chinchilla. The festival held biennially, is unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Where else in the world can you ski on watermelons (no, that’s not a typo), attempt a melon bungee and or take on the melon tossing challenge? The packed itinerary also includes markets, live entertainment, free concerts, arts and crafts, food stalls and a colourful street parade.
When: TBC May 2025
Nestled amongst some of SE Queensland’s picturesque countryside, Goomeri hosts a yearly festival that celebrates all things Pumpkins. Time to learn a thing or two about pumpkins and raise money for the local Goomeri community in the process.
When: 1 - 31 May 2025
Running through May, GourMay Mary Valley is a festival to celebrate the region's farmers, producers and creators that grow, produce and prepare food in Mary Valley Country. Check out the events calendar to find a series of 'satellite' events across the Mary Valley, which concludes with a Gala Dinner.
When: 29 May - 1 June 2025
Noosa Eat & Drink Festival, Sunshine Coast
Sip the day away at Noosa Eat & Drink Festival, returning from May 2025 for four delectable days and over 75 events. After a brief hiatus, the Festival returns bigger and better than ever to present a new-look Festival Village, a long lunch destination, beach events and restaurant events in every corner of the region.
When: TBC June 2025
Relish has got the chill factor that a Jack Johnson song brings to a Sunday afternoon. Set along the Mary River, explore the variety of food and wine stalls, join a cooking demonstration, and meet talented chefs who provide the unmistakable stamp of the region in every dish.
Whether you’re chomping down K'gari (Fraser Island) prawns or relaxing with a beer and live entertainment, you’re sure to find more than a few local gems.
When: 1 - 30 June 2025
Scenic Rim Eat Local Month is your backstage pass to the farms, wineries and food stories of this southern region.
Spread over the course of June, Eat Local Month showcases producers and chefs around the Scenic Rim. With multiple free and low-cost options, you can take the family on farm tours and meet producers of cheese, coffee and goat and camel milk, or pull on the gumboots and harvest your own carrots. Don't miss the finale and signature event, Winter Harvest Festival, and grab your seat at the long table lunch. Get a taste of the area, then come back to complete your own food trail itinerary.
When: TBC September 2025
Hervey Bay will be the place to be as the highly anticipated Fraser Coast Flavours head to the bay in 2025. Fraser Coast Flavours will include 2x live music stages featuring a line-up of both local and Queensland artists, two festival bars with Queensland breweries and distilleries, street food and market vendors, all-day activities and a selection of curated ticketed events to keep attendees pleased while soaking up the fabulous Hervey Bay sunshine.
When: TBC September 2025
If you're visiting the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, make sure you book tickets for the accompanying Food and Wine Festival. The 2025 program hasn’t been announced yet, but when it does be sure to make this event a must-do on your Carnival itinerary. You can treat yourself to incredible flavours, produce and wine fresh from the bountiful pastures, orchards, and wine vineyards of the Queensland Country region.
When: 25 July - 3 August 2025
Saltwater Eco Tours, Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast's premier culinary festival, The Curated Plate is a 10-day home-grown festival showcasing the region's local produce, producers and chefs.
Get to know the local restaurants, tourism attractions, breweries and distilleries and farms, offering the best of the Sunshine Coast’s local food and beverage scene.
When: TBC August 2025
Kingaroy BaconFest
The three-day sizzling food festival Kingaroy Baconfest celebrates the joy of bacon in serene South Burnett, with Australian pork taking centre stage.
Punters can try chocolate-dipped bacon at the food market or learn sizzling secrets at master classes. Must-do items on the agenda include the Miss Baconfest pinup pageant, a bacon eating competition, Beard of Baconfest contest, the 24-hour SunPork Smoke-off competition; 'Wine and Swine' on Friday night, showcasing local wine and produce; and a 'Long Table Breakfast' on Sunday morning.
When: 22 - 24 August 2025.
Tickets on sale May 2025
Photo by @visitmoretonbayregion
Moreton Bay Food & Wine Festival is giving us even more reasons to spend our weekend by the water. This is where foodies come to discover what’s on the menu in the Moreton Bay Region. With the bay as its stunning backdrop, this free festival precinct winds its way along Redcliffe Parade where you’ll enjoy bites and sips, along with a flavour-packed program of entertainment. Expect plenty of workshops, events, and special menus at venues across the region too.
When: TBC September 2025
Taste Bundaberg Festival | Queensland food festivals
Taste Bundaberg is your invitation to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, pile plates high and leave glasses empty as you feast your way through the best produce and flavours from across the region. Taste Queensland's iconic flavours from Bundaberg Rum to Ginger Beer, and the freshest food grown right here.
When: TBC September 2025
Photo by @redfeststrawberryfestival
The sweetest annual event on the Redlands Coast, RedFest Strawberry Festival is as delicious as they come. Pig out on strawberry in all forms: jams, ice cream, wine, scones and more (but save room for the famous strawberry eating competition), seek thrills at sideshow alley, and catch the latest Aussie entertainment.
Following the culinary festival's successful debut in 2019, The Curated Plate is returning to the Sunshine Coast and serving up incredible food and beverage experiences across a ten-day period. Settle in and enjoy a jam-packed program featuring the vast array of producers, chefs, restaurants, cafes, tourism and event experiences and farm-gate activities from the Sunny Coast!
When: 7 - 10 August 2025
The ultimate way to celebrate the food culture and lifestyle of Queensland's tropical north, Taste Port Douglas brings together world-class chefs and mouthwatering food and beverage experiences in one of Australia’s favourite gourmet destinations.
Nestled between World Heritage wonders the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, Port Douglas provides a food festival backdrop like no other in the world.
When: TBC September 2025
Capricorn Food and Wine Festival is a premier event for Central Queensland, showcasing all things food, wine, beer, spirits and live music. Set against the backdrop of the mighty Fitzroy River, this year's Capricorn Food and Wine Festival will see a table of top chef demonstrations, local musicians and a menu of entertainment to enjoy.
When: TBC September 2025
The humble avocado has become a mainstay on the plates of Aussies, so head to Blackbutt to celebrate with the sweetest locally grown avocadoes you'll ever taste. Learn to cook with and grow avocadoes, enjoy live music, street entertainment and historical tours around town while you're here - and compete in the Avo Roll for a chance to win $1,000.
When: TBC September 2025
Raise your glass to the Gold Coast’s biggest brew-fest, Crafted Beer & Cider Festival, as it pulls into Broadbeach for another round in 2024. The perfect time to kick off your craft beer crawl, Crafted will celebrate over 40 breweries and 200+ beers and ciders from your Gold Coast faves, as well as interstate and international drops. There'll also be live music and plenty of gourmet food trucks to sink your teeth into. Check out this ultimate guide to the Crafted Festival.
When: 15th November 2025
Stanthorpe Berry Festival
Satisfy your sweet tooth with nature’s lollies at the Stanthorpe Berry Festival. Devour punnets of freshly picked berries, indulge in the festival’s iconic strawberry ice cream, learn a thing or two at the cooking demonstrations, tuck into the tasty food stalls and kick back to live music at this action-packed festival. BYO a picnic blanket and settle in for a tasty day out in the Granite Belt.
Looking for more culinary delights? Feed your body and soul with the best food experiences in Queensland.