Photo: Supplied by Moxee
Australia’s cultural calendar is packed year-round. From outdoor art installations in the summertime to cosy food festivals and one-off chef collaborations that draw us out of the house during the cooler months, the well of things to do in our cities never runs dry. So much so that it can feel a little daunting to know what to prioritise. To help narrow the field, we’ve rounded up the best things to eat, drink, see and do around the country in 2026. Consider this your insider’s guide.
A Poisoned Court: Pas de Deux Dinner
Qld, Brisbane
W Brisbane is celebrating its announcement as the official hotel partner of the Queensland Ballet with the first in an ongoing series of immersive Pas De Deux dining events. A Poisoned Court invites guests to join a dramatic royal funeral procession through the hotel, bringing the world of Queensland Ballet’s staging of Hamlet to the hotel.
Dinner will be served in a gothic-inspired setting in the hotel’s level-three restaurant The Lex overlooking the Brisbane River, with a pas de deux excerpt from Hamlet performed around the dining room, and members of the Queensland Ballet creative team sharing insight into the development of the production. Chef John Kennedy’s five-course menu takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s tale, with the Poisoned Chalice finale rounding out the experience.
FAST FACTS
- Where: The Lex at W Brisbane: 81 N Quay, Brisbane City
- When: Saturday 1 August, from 6pm
- Cost: $295pp for the six-course experience with matched wines
Noojee Truffle Festival
VIC, Gippsland
Gippsland’s first truffle festival launches this winter, unfolding across truffle farms, forest trails and kitchens throughout Noojee and its surrounds. The month-long experience eschews the standard format of regional food festivals, favouring a more relaxed approach. Visitors are encouraged to pick up a map and move at their own pace, moving between truffle hunting with trained dogs to long lunches and dinners that put the earthy treasure front and centre.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Noojee and surrounds
- When: until 2 August
- Cost: Varies per event
The Curated Plate
QLD, Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast’s favourite food festival returns with a jam-packed line-up for 2026. This year, The Curated Plate will see some of the best restaurants from across the coast hosting more than 60 events for guests to wine, dine and unwind. As usual, the festival will unfold across multiple locations, spanning coastline, hinterlands, farms, breweries and producer properties. The crème de la crème? Da Biuso’s elegant five-course degustation aboard a luxury bus.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Sunshine Coast and surrouns
- When: 24 July–2 August
- Cost: Varies per event
Laksa Wednesdays at Etta
VIC, Melbourne
For three months of the year, Melburnians have a reason to enjoy the cooler climate. Chef Lorcán Kan’s signature laksa returns to Brunswick-cool neighbourhood restaurant Etta every Wednesday, this time with its own noodles made from the ash of wood-fired oyster shells and stone-milled flour. Be sure to book ahead though – last year there was a waitlist for the steaming bowls of Nyonya-style coconut curry laksa towering with house-made golden tofu and a tumble of fresh herbs.
FAST FACTS
- Where: 60 Lygon St, Brunswick East VIC
- When: every Wednesday night in winter until 26 August
- Cost: $38
Fondue + Bingo at Chandon Australia
VIC, Yarra Valley
Looking for something more hands-on than a simple wine tasting? CHANDON Australia’s stunning estate in Yarra Valley is hosting a playful food and wine experience for you and your loved ones. At $80 a pop, guests will receive three pairings of Chandon sparkling wine, a shared cheese fondue with seasonal goods – think saucisson, grilled pear, pickles and more – and your own bingo wheel for the table. Plus, winners get a prize, so make sure you’re in it to win it.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Chandon Australia,
- When: until 31 August
- Cost: $80 pp for 1.5 hours
OysterPalooza
SA, McLaren Vale
If oysters and gin are your idea of a perfect pairing, clear your calendar. Back for its fifth instalment, OysterPalooza transforms McLaren Vale into a celebration of South Australia’s prized Pacific oyster season, with freshly shucked oysters, bespoke cocktails, live shucking demonstrations and Never Never’s signature frozen gin served straight from the shell. Held at the distillery’s picturesque cellar door, it’s a delicious excuse to swap the cellar for the coast — at least for the afternoon.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Never Never Distilling Co, 56 Field St, McLaren Vale SA
- When: 31 July–2 August
- Cost: $59 with early bird prices ($40) until end of May
The Orange Region Fire Festival
NSW, Orange
Orange’s Fire Festival is setting the region’s arts and culture scene alight this winter, with an impressive line-up of dining, music and street entertainment serving as the town’s “antidote to winter.” This year, the festival is bent on shining a spotlight on local creatives and artisans, as well as the region’s best food and wine providers. Streets will come alive with fire pits, entertainers and live musicians rubbing shoulders with local providores, wine makers, cider makers and brewers trading late over the ten-night period. After fuelling up on some of Orange’s best produce, you’ll be able to browse handmade ceramics or roast marshmallows with the kids. The best of both worlds.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Across Orange
- When: 7 August–16 August
- Cost: Varies per event
Taste Port Douglas
QLD, Port Douglas
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Australia’s much-loved tropical food and wine festival Taste Port Douglas returns, this year incorporating wellness into its four-day itinerary. Guests can relish moments of mindfulness with the likes of beach yoga and sunrise coffees, before easing into a culinary program packed with masterclasses and chef takeovers. This year, an all-star lineup spans Michelin-starred chefs, acclaimed authors and TV personalities, with standouts including: First Nations chef and winner of the 2025 Champions of Change Award Mindy Woods; zero-waste pioneer Matt Stone; and celebrated chef Louis Tikaram.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Across Port Douglas
- When: 6 August–9 August
- Cost: Varies by event
Night Feast
QLD, Brisbane
Brisbane Powerhouse ushers in a new era of its much-loved culinary festival, Night Feast, with the program shifting to the winter months for the first time in its five-year history. Expect plenty of cosy, after-dark outdoor dining stalls from over 20 of Brisbane’s best restaurants – with Donna Chang, Norté and Pilloni amongst the standouts – as well as large-scale installations and live music to keep everyone happy. The festival will also debut Better off Red, a one-day-only affair where you can enjoy a long lunch by Bosco and Blackbird while getting front-row seats to live performances. If Brisbane’s best dining had one address, this would be it.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Brisbane Powerhouse, Yuggera and Turrbal Country, 119 Lamington St, New Farm QLD
- When: 29 July–23 August
- Cost: Varies per event
Champagne Club
NSW AND QLD: SYDNEY AND BRISBANE
This August, treat yourself to the ultra-luxe duo of Champagne and lobster club sandwiches (with a side of housemade crisps) for $40 at Matt Moran’s Solotel restaurants, including: Aria, Chiswick, North Bondi Fish, Chophouse and Brisbane’s Riverbar & Kitchen. Developed by Aria executive chef Tom Gorringe, the lobster club sandwich adds an indulgent touch to the classic format, layering meaty pieces of lobster, LP’s mortadella, pickled green tomato, lettuce and spicy mayonnaise on soft shokupan bread for the perfect bite.
FAST FACTS
- Where: The bar at Aria and Chophouse; in the bar on Saturdays and Sundays and in the main dining room all other services at Chiswick; and throughout North Bondi Fish and Riverbar & Kitchen.
- When: 1–31 August
- Cost: $40
RAFI Winter Arbour
NSW, SYDNEY
Following its sold-out debut last year, RAFI North Sydney has given its glass Arbour a dramatic glow-up once more, turning it into an immersive winter dining destination complete with botanical installations, ambient lighting and this year, an exclusive Chef’s Kitchen experience. Seating just twelve guests in its private dining space, the experience includes personalised service with a share-style banquet menu starring top-quality wagyu and seasonal produce. Diners can expect wagyu tartare with horseradish, eschalot and quail egg, fall-apart Westholme wagyu cheek with a garlic chive kimchi and fermented black bean sauce, and charred toothfish with koji and charred lemon sals — all in an intimate, polished setting.
FAST FACTS
- Where: RAFI, 99 Mount St, North Sydney NSW
- When: until 6 September
- Cost: $128 pp
Horizontal Festival
NSW, Southern Highlands
Deemed the “godfather of fire”, internationally renowned chef and author Francis Mallmann will head to Australia’s East Coast for the first time in decades to headline the Southern Highlands’ annual food, wine and music festival. Guests will be invited to step into a hands-on five-hour culinary spectacle at Osborn House on 5 October, with Mallmann demonstrating his signature Argentine fire-cooking. Guests will be greeted with a cocktail on arrival, followed by a six-course feast with matched wines, and live music to boot. If you miss out on tickets to the event, you can book one of his workshops, or catch him on the Maldon Salt Culinary stage inside the Festival Hub on Saturday. This year’s highlights also include Chef Workshops with Mark Best, Mindy Woods and Bites and Barrels with Matt Moran; Tickets are available online now.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Centennial Vineyard Bowral, 252 Centennial Rd, Bowral NSW
- When: 2 October–4 October; Osborn House Fiesta Del Fuego with Francis Mallmann 5 October
- Cost: General Admission $59, Platinum $149; Fiesta Del Fuego $799pp
Suntory House
NSW, SYDNEY
Back for round three, Suntory’s popular bar residency returns to Sydney – this time for a two-month takeover of the CBD’s buzziest basement izakaya, Sakura House. Shifting away from formal tasting menus, the takeover leans into a more casual drinking experience inspired by the Japanese tradition of post-work socialising. Coined Suntory House, the limited-time cocktail menu sees Suntory classics paired with custom creations by Sakura House. Expect a rollcall of playful drinks inspired by Japanese emblems, including an indulgent riff on an espresso Martini that brings together BOSS coffee and dulche de leche; a fruitier take on a matcha Martini; a citrusy concoction involving wasabi and an ode to the melon floats drank during Japanese baseball games. Snack-forward plates and shareable bites recall Japan’s konbini culture, with the likes of fried chicken sandwiches upgraded with smoked bonito cream and caviar; mini katsu sandwhiches starring Balmain bug and a Pocky mochi ice-cream. A custom vending machine completes the picture, stocking merch, konbini snacks and gifts.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Sakura House, Basement/82-88 Elizabeth St, Sydney NSW
- When: 31 July–3 October
- Cost: Free entry; walk-ins only
Pearls & Plates
NSW, Hawkesbury River
First Nations chef and Champions of Change award winner Mindy Woods headlines this one-of-a-kind dining experience on the Hawkesbury River, now in its second year after a sold-out debut. A full-day event taking place in October, the morning begins with a tour of Broken Bay Pearl Farm’s Shellar Door at Mooney Mooney where guests will get to watch a live pearl harvest and meet local pearl and oyster farmers, before moving into a long-table multi-course lunch in a secluded homestead prepared under Wood’s direction. On the menu, Akoya pearl meat stars alongside local produce sourced from the surrounding river and coastal region.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Broken Bay Pearl Farm, 12 Kowan Rd, Mooney Mooney NSW
- When: 17 and 18 October
- Cost: $395 per person (includes return water transfers, multi-course long-lunch, and premium beverages throughout the day); early bird 10% off is available until June 30 with code pandpearlybird
Savour The Tweed
NSW, THE TWEED
Back for its third year, The Tweed’s popular food and drink festival returns with much of the same farm-to-table ethos and respect for local producers as the region has become known for. This year, the program – curated by Tweeds-based chef Christine Manfield and Amy Colli – has been expanded to include almost 30 unique dining experiences that unfold amongst stunning hinterland and coastline vistas. Our picks? Don’t miss Palisa Anderson’s dinner collaboration with Bistro Livi, featuring organic produce from her Boon Luck Farm in Tyagarah; Chef-owner Ben Devlin demonstrating the art of Gyotaku (the traditional Japanese art of fish printing) at the chef’s counter at Pipit; Paper Daisy’s executive chef Baxter Newstead’s three-course long-table dinner in Husk Distillery’s Rum Barrel House, and Mindy Woods and Christine Manfield’s seafood feast aboard a restored river cruiser.
FAST FACTS
- Where: Across The Tweed area
- When: : 21-25 October
- Cost: Varies per event
Kittawa Lodge Guest Chef Series
TAS, King Island
If exceptional dining married with exquisite accommodation is your cup of tea, the Guest Chef Series Package at Kittawa Lodge – the stunning, off-grid luxury retreat in Tasmania’s King Island – is one for you. Each package includes three nights’ accommodation and private dinners prepared by top chef Darren Purchese (ex-12-Micron, Vue de Monde and Bennelong), as well as daily breakfast and lunch peppered with specially prepared items Purchese, which you can pack and enjoy picnic-style as your explore ancient forests and coastline, or devour in the comfort of your own room.
FAST FACTS
Kittawa Lodge Guest Chef Series with Darren Purchese
- Where: 1272 South Rd, Pearshape TAS
- Package One: Friday, 23 October to Monday, 26 October (3 nights)
- Package Two: Monday, 26 October to Thursday, 29 October
- Cost: $10,995 per couple for two couples; $10,595 per couple for three couples; $10,295 or per couple for four couples
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