Delight your tastebuds at the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

When: TBC September 2025

Where: An official Festival Grounds will be created at the Rockhampton Riverfront Precinct on Quay Street in Rockhampton, but events will pop up right across the Capricorn Coast including Great Keppel Island.

Tickets: From $36.10 and you can splurge on signature events too (more info below).

Local foodies and interstate gourmands converge on the Capricorn Coast once a year for the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival, now renowned as North Queensland’s largest food and wine celebration.

Marking its 12th orbit around the sun in 2024, the festival pays tribute to its local food heroes, restaurants, bars, musical talents and glorious culinary produce. Think the famed beef and barramundi that put its central city, Rockhampton, on the food map plus seafood and farm-bred superstars.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival.

What you need to know about the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

The Capricorn Food and Wine Festival is Central Queensland’s premier event for all things delicious, with a dazzling backdrop to boot. Its central Festival Grounds (which operate as a mini festival over two of the four days) are set right up against Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River.

More than 15 signature events spanning fancy degustations, wine masterclasses, cooking demonstrations and cocktail parties, shine a light on the region’s blossoming hospitality and foodie scene. The bottom line? It’s the ultimate spot to load your belly with exquisite treats you won’t find anywhere else.

There’s also the Festival Grounds on Friday evening and all-day Saturday, where a sea of food, craft beer, wine and cocktail vendors set up shop to kick the waterfront venue into top gear. Performances from big-name musical acts (Birds of Tokyo on Friday and The Potbelleez on Saturday) are also there to provide a memorable weekend soundtrack.

It’s worth noting that the Festival Grounds also serve as a host venue to a handful of those signature events across the four days. Learn more about the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival’s signature events just below.

How to purchase tickets to the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

Tickets to the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival are on sale via the website now and you are also invited to purchase tickets at the door.

You can score General Admission Day passes to enter the Festival Grounds on Friday, 6 September (from $75 each) and Saturday, 7 September (from $36.10 each). These tickets include those big-name musical performances each evening.

Capricorn Food and Wine Festival’s signature events, which commence on Thursday, 5 September, are individually ticketed. Visit the website for prices.

If you’re grabbing a day pass to the Festival Grounds, you can also add a Grazing Box for 2 from $46.50, and the team can tailor it to your dietary requirements. It’s a handy option if you’re keen to avoid vendor queues and just keep grooving.

What you should see at the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

There’s so much to soak up. If you’re there to dance like nobody’s watching, grab a day pass to the Festival Grounds for obvious reasons. Celebrations swing long into the evening and its open-air dance floors are renowned for giddy good vibes.

On Friday, 6 September, there’s also the Sportsman’s Lunch on Great Keppel Island where you’ll hop on a ferry to catch sporting legends Jimmy Maher, Sam Kekovich and Darren Lehmann offer pearls of wisdom and industry insight over a delicious feast. Tickets cost $199.

Back Friday up by snagging a seat at the exclusive Local Tide Seafood Lunch on Saturday, 7 September, at the Festival Grounds. You’ll wash down a four-course menu with cocktails from Reef Distillers, plus your ticket includes day pass entry to the Festival Grounds. Tickets cost $179.

Fancy a sleep-in? Consider Saturday’s Archer Cottage Cheese Masterclass instead, staged at the Festival Grounds from 2pm. You’ll be schooled on the origins of cheese and how it’s made before a range of mouthwatering varieties send you to cloud nine. Tickets cost $57.50.

On Sunday, 8 September, don’t miss The Long Lunch on Great Keppel Island, featuring a four-course meal, boutique vino selections and the region’s best craft beer. When they say long, they mean it — the ferry leaves at 11am and you won’t be back until 5.30pm. What a dream. Tickets cost $195.

Additionally, there’s an Espresso Martini Masterclass, a Brazilian BBQ with a side of group trivia, the Sparkling Splendours and Rose Revelations wine masterclasses, a Rump & Rum celebration hosted by Noosa chef Shane Bailey, and more.     

How to get to the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

The Capricorn Food and Wine Festival is spun off its Festival Grounds at Rockhampton’s Riverside Precinct, in the heart of the CBD.  

If you’re gearing up to road trip it, it’s a seven-hour drive north of Brisbane. If you’re coming from the Queensland capital but without your own wheels, there are also regular train services on the high-speed Tilt Train through Queensland Rail Travel. Once you arrive, the Festival Grounds are about a four-minute walk from Rockhampton’s railway station.

If you’re living interstate, Rockhampton Airport is located just five minutes via car from the CBD. Heading in on foot? Punch Quay Street into Maps, on the banks of the Fitzroy River, and zero in on the stretch just before the north becomes Victoria Parade and the south reaches South Street.

What to do while you’re in town for the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

Thanks to its central location, there’s wonderful ways to kill time between each of your Capricorn Food and Wine Festival pit stops. We’ve even created a list of the 10 best things to do in Rockhampton for you to peruse at your leisure.

The non-negotiables? Conquering Mount Archer in the Mount Archer National Park for unapparelled photo moments. Marvel in views that stretch across the city and as far as the countryside that elegantly envelopes it, thanks to the Nurim Circuit Elevated Boardwalk.

If you love the great outdoors, there’s also plenty to do on the Fitzroy River. Fishing fanatics can throw a line out (it’s renowned for its barramundi), while lazier folk will prefer a cruise along the stretch with River Cruises CQ.

Culture vultures can score their fix through Rockhampton’s collection of art galleries, including the standout Rockhampton Museum of Art, the Archer Rail Park Museum, and the historic Customs House.

Where to eat and drink near the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

The Capricorn Food and Wine Festival will obviously sort the bulk of your meals but there are also incredible restaurants, cafes and bars to uncover while you’re in town.

Don’t miss the magnificent Riverston Tea Rooms for a spot of high tea overlooking the Fitzroy River, or make your way to St Aubins Village - a historic house offering garden teas, picnics and heritage tours. There’s also The Boathouse, a Rockhampton dining institution right on the river again. It’s hosting the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival’s sold-out bottomless brunch, but you can still experience its beauty by visiting at your own pace.

When the sun sinks, the party starts at The Criterion Hotel, home to live bands, great pub grub and go-all-night vibes.

For a comprehensive look at the best flavours in town, check out our guide to Rockhampton’s top restaurants.

Where to stay during the Capricorn Food and Wine Festival

Comfortable and quality stays don’t have to break the bank in Rockhampton as a string of conveniently located hotels are on offer. Choose from the likes of Rockhampton Riverside Central, situated within walking distance from the Festival Grounds, Citywalk Motor Inn Rockhampton, located one block away from the Bruce Highway, and the Coffee House Apartment Motel, a budget-friendly spot in the thick of the action. Edge Apartment Hotel also offers lovely stays right on the river.

For the latest and greatest, consider the Empire Apartment Hotel right in the Riverside Precinct. Featuring 120 rooms and panoramic river views, it’s the ultimate spot to recharge those batteries in style.

For more food and drink events and festivals across Queensland this spring, see here.