Tasmania’s top food and festivals this summer

With rich soils, pure seas and the world’s cleanest air, it’s little wonder Tasmania's food is as fresh as it gets.

Whether it’s seafood, honey or truffles, Tasmania knows how to catch it, cook it and celebrate it in a full calendar of food festivals. Seek out the following Tasmania food festivals to flavour any visit.

What food is Tasmania known for?

In Tasmania, the ocean feels like gift wrapping, filled with incredible seafood, while the land is rich in a bounty of fresh produce, from Tasmanian truffles to berries, cherries, honey, apples, saffron, wasabi and a whole lot in between.

Tasmanian seafood

Tasmanian scallops, fish, oysters, crayfish or abalone? Whatever you eat, it's almost certainly come fresh from the sea – and Tasmania's waters are never far away.

Tasmanian oysters

Tasmanian oysters are a thing of briny beauty. Oyster farms dot the state's coastline, taking advantage of the cold, clean waters and offering visitors the chance to indulge in oysters shucked fresh from the shell. Give them a try at Freycinet Marine Farm in Coles Bay and Tarkine Fresh Oysters at Smithton.

Tasmanian salmon

A superfood from super waters, Tasmanian salmon is rich in colour and goodness. Salmon producers are found through the Huon Valley and even in inland waters at 41 Degrees South Tasmania near Deloraine.

Tasmanian honey

When Tasmania’s endemic leatherwood trees burst into flower in summer, things become sweet indeed. This wild and uniquely Tasmanian honey has a distinctive floral flavour, cherished by apiarists and lovers of the liquid gold. Try it at the rustic Tasmanian Honey Store or Blue Hills Honey.

Tasmanian truffles

Australia’s first black truffles were harvested from the Tasmanian earth 25 years ago and they continue to thrive in the fertile soils of the state’s north. Join the truffle dogs on a hunt for Tasmanian truffles at the Truffle Farm or the Truffledore.

Summer festivals in Tasmania

Bicheno Food and Wine Festival

When: 16 November 2024

Where: Bicheno Lions Park

Must experience:

• East-coast beach town Bicheno is one of Tasmania's prime seafood centres, so be sure to seek out things from the sea at this one-day festival.
• Hang out at the ocean's edge, with local music acts performing in sight and sound of the sea.
• Food offerings range from panko-crumbed Tasmania seafood to local wood-fired pizza, Latin street food and premium Tasmanian ice cream.
• Sample wines from a clutch of east-coast wineries, while also trying local beers and spirits, some brewed and distilled in Bicheno itself.

Taste of Summer

When: 28 December 2024–4 January 2025

Where: Princes Wharf No 1, Hobart

Must experience:

• More than 80 Tasmanian food, wine, spirits, beer and cider stalls line the large Princes Wharf No 1 shed and outdoor area. Grab a plate or four and enjoy the long southern summer evenings.
• The Taste of Summer hosts Hobart's biggest New Year's Eve party, featuring headline acts, beats, fireworks and plentiful Tasmanian seafood and wine.
• Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race finishers customarily sail past the Taste of Summer's waterside tables after crossing the finish line – join other festival goers in cheering them home.
• Sample a global mix of cuisines – Ethiopian, Taiwanese, Korean, Chilean and Moroccan, for starters – flavoured by Tasmanian produce.

Launceston BeerFest

When: New Year's Eve

Where: Royal Park, Launceston

Must experience:

• Ring in the New Year on the bank of kanamaluka / River Tamar at this event that's beer by name but universal by nature. More than a dozen food vans serve street eats and over 200 beers, ciders, wines, whiskies and cocktails.
• Take a masterclass on wine pairings, or limber up for the BeerFest Olympics – can you navigate an obstacle course without spilling your drink?
• Family entertainment includes face painting, puppet shows and a 9.30pm fireworks show (ahead of a second midnight fireworks show).
• Catch live music on the main stage, and live comedy shows through the night.

Gin-uary

When: 18–19 January 2025

Where: Princes Wharf No 1, Hobart

Must experience:

• Try tipples galore with more than 100 unique Tasmanian gins on offer at this beloved event on the edge of Hobart's sunny waterfront, celebrating the state's cutting-edge gin distillers such as Hellfire Bluff, Killara and Turner Stillhouse.
• Chat face-to-face with the talented producers behind the drinks, ranging from experimental pepperberry-infused cocktails to classic gin-soda concoctions.
• It's a jamboree of juniper: dress in your bright summer colours and soak up the buzzing atmosphere inside this shed, sandwiched between Salamanca and Hobart's harbourside.
• Go all the way with a VIP ticket, including private gin lounge access, a complimentary cocktail and a tote bag to fill with any bottled gins you might feel tempted to take home.

Festivale

When: 31 January–2 February 2025

Where: City Park, Launceston

Must experience:

• Tasmanian food, wine, beer, cider, spirits and seafood producers serve up Festivale’s feeds from 70-plus stalls.
• The three-day festival is held in one of Launceston’s prime outdoor settings – among the elms and open spaces of central City Park in northern Tasmania.
• Marvel at cooking demonstrations from top Tasmanian chefs and masterclasses on Tasmania's cool-climate wines and whiskies.
• Drink up the live music and comedy from headline and local acts.
• Celebrate Launceston's status as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy since 2021 – one of just 57 such epicurean cities around the globe.

Tasmanian Wine Festival

When: 8-9 February 2025

Where: Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Must experience:

• Taste a deliciously diverse selection of Tasmanian wines at this indulgent summer festival, bringing together curated food and drink from the state’s finest producers – all in one place.
• This festival offers the unique chance to chat with the winemakers about the stories and processes behind their top drops. Connecting with passionate wine lovers is what it’s all about.
• Lay out a picnic rug on the lawn and dig into cheese, seafood and other cuisine while funk-filled musical acts serenade your senses.
• Take in your colourful surroundings while you soak up the sunshine at Tasmania's beloved Botanical Gardens – from the native Tasmanian flora collection to the Subantarctic plant house and Japanese garden.

Koonya Garlic Festival

When: 22 February 2025

Where: Koonya Hall, south-east Tasmania

Must experience:

• When an entire festival is dedicated to the humble garlic, you know you'll be eating well. From rich paella to bold sauces and jammy black-garlic preserves, experience this pungent and versatile vegetable in ways you never thought possible.
• Boogie among the hay bales and connect with the big-hearted locals at this rural festival. There's plenty of personality here, from jolly violinists to chef demonstrations, quirky competition challengers and friendly artists selling garlic-inspired works.
• Koonya is a down-to-earth community about a 75min drive from Hobart and a stone's throw from Port Arthur on Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula. Make the most of your road trip with a visit to the famous Port Arthur Historic Site, where some 12,500 convicts were sent from 1830-77 to serve brutal sentences against a contrastingly beautiful waterside backdrop.

Southern Open Vineyards Weekend

When: 28 February–2 March 2025

Where: Southern Tasmania wine regions

Must experience:

• Seize the chance to visit more than 30 vineyards, including a few that don't usually operate a cellar door, in this three-day celebration of southern Tasmania's wine producers.
• Meet the winemakers as you tour through the Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley, Huon Valley, D'Entrecasteaux Channel, the south-east region and even cellar doors in central Hobart.
• Look for vineyards offering live music, lunches, winery tours, platters of Tasmanian cheese, wine workshops and even yoga across the weekend.

Autumn festivals in Tasmania

With still, fine days, bountiful harvests and golden sunlight – autumn's foodie fests keep the delicious flavours flowing beyond summer.

ECHO Festival

When: 14–15 March 2025

Where: Swansea

Must experience:

• Many things echo at this three-day east-coast festival: music, culture, stories and food. A festival of the senses, it brings together sounds, sights, smells, touch and, perhaps most enticingly, tastes.
• Sign up early for the Native Bounty Feast, a dinner of local and palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) foods – think Tasmanian seafood such as oysters, crayfish and abalone with the likes of kunzea and local mushrooms, cooked over the coals.
• Head to the farmer's corner for tastings and demonstrations of local Tasmanian produce such as honey, oysters and sea salt.
• Evenings bring local and headline acts to the stage; mornings bring yoga sessions.

Dover Seafest

When: 16 March 2025

Where: Dover foreshore

Must experience:

• Celebrate Tasmanian seafood at this one-day community festival in Dover, one of the state's southernmost seaside towns. From salmon to crayfish, abalone and freshly shucked oysters, you'll find the true salty tastes of Tasmania.
• Turn your focus from the sea to the land with other Tasmanian treats such as fresh produce, locally baked sweet items and pies, and Tasmanian cider, craft beer and wine from around the Huon Valley.
• There are free kids' marine activities aplenty, from dive tanks to sandcastle competitions and perhaps even a mermaid or two to meet.

Tasmanian Autumn Festival

When: 1–30 April 2025

Where: Esplanade, New Norfolk

Must experience:

• As the summertime leaves fall, indulge in the flavours of the Derwent Valley – such as Tasmanian berries, cherries, whisky, wine and rum – at this charming festival.
• Wander the banks of the River Derwent, lined this day with festival stalls of jewellery, clothing, art and homewares along with dozens of Tasmanian food producers and purveyors, serving everything from tempura mushrooms to Asian dumplings.
• Take a festival tour of atmospheric Willow Court, Australia's longest-operating mental-health facility in Tasmania’s third-oldest town, New Norfolk.

TrailGraze

When: 12–13 April 2025

Where: Tasting Trail, north-west Tasmania

Must experience:

• At TrailGraze, more than 30 north-west Tasmanian producers throw open the farmgate for a weekend of tastings of Tasmanian honey, truffles, oysters, seafood, hazelnuts, cheese, chocolate and a whole lot more.
• Find a range of workshops and whisky walks, meet the truffle dogs, make chocolate or stomp the grapes on a range of experiences created especially for this festival of food.
• Dip into a mini food trail – there's one designed for families (think berries, hazelnuts, chocolate and ice cream) and another just for grown-ups (Tasmanian truffles, wine and craft beer).
• Turn the festival into a road trip, driving the Tasting Trail from Launceston to Smithton through scenery as delicious as the food stops.

Crave Harvest Festival

When: April 2025

Where: Richmond Park, Richmond

Must experience:

• The Coal River Valley is one of Tasmania's major wine-producing areas, so expect the finest of the pickings from among its wineries, but also plenty of the region's excellent berries, walnuts, chocolates and cheese at this harvest celebration.
• The coast is just down the road, bringing Tasmanian oysters and crayfish to festival menus.
• Food and beverage masterclasses run across the weekend – learn about cheese or chocolate making, and nab cooking tips from local chefs in the quaint historic village of Richmond.
• The main stage brings live music throughout the two days, with free activities in the festival's kid zone.