Taste Bundaberg Festival Program
Taste Bundaberg Festival Program
Join us as the food bowl of Queensland comes alive for ten tantalising days at the Taste Bundaberg Festival!
This year's program has a smorgasbord of events from the Taste classics you know and love to some exciting newcomers.
There is something to satisfy everyone's taste buds!
The food bowl of Queensland comes alive for ten tantalising days at the Taste Bundaberg Festival. From banquets, beverages, barbecues or brunch, Taste Bundaberg Festival has something for everyone's tastebuds!
- When: Aug 5 - 14, 2022
- Tickets on sale midday 27 June
Let The Night Be Gin
Kalki Moon Distilling & Brewing Company will kickstart the Taste Bundaberg Festival with the official launch event, Let the Night Be Gin.
Delight your tastebuds with the Blue Mint Smash cocktail made with the finest of blueberries grown at Abbotsleigh Farm in Gin Gin while enjoying the region's flavours plated up by Taribelang Aboriginal Corporation in collaboration with celebrity chef, Colin Fassnidge.
Discover the region's deliciousness while listening to the sounds of local musicians Stella Hutchins, Todd Keightley and the Spargo Brothers as we celebrate the beginning of Taste!
- When: Friday 5 August
- Time: 5 - 10 pm
- Where: Kalki Moon Distilling & Brewing Company, 22 Commercial St
- Cost: $25
Pop Up Mystery Picnic
Enjoy a stress-free date with a pop up mystery picnic throughout Bundaberg! Everything you need is featured, including a stunning picnic spread from local artisan producers set amongst the beautiful Bundaberg scenery. Locations will be disclosed the day before the event, making for a mysterious and magical experience for all involved. Platter and bottled water is included in ticket price.
COUPLE'S PICNICDate: Friday 5 August + Friday 12 August Time: 4.30 - 6.30pmCost: $250 for 2 people
FAMILY/GROUP PICNICSDate: Saturday 6 August Time: noon - 2 pmCost: $400 for up to 8 people
CORPORATE PICNICDate: Wednesday 10 August Time: noon - 2 pmCost: $450 for 10 people
BREAKFAST PICNICSDate: Saturday 13 August Time: 8 - 10 amCost: $250 for 2 people. $400 for 8 people
Taste The Farmers Market
The Bundaberg Region is renowned as Australia’s food bowl and the Taste Farmers Market is your opportunity to fill your own bowl – and your pantry!
Fruit and vegetables fresh from the fields will sit alongside meats straight from the paddock and the ocean, showcasing the diversity of delights available right across the region.
Stallholders will display clever culinary creations and food vans will serve up the flavours of the region fresh to marketgoers.
The popular cooking demonstration stage is back in 2022 with the freshest produce sourced direct from the market, showcased in tantalising recipes by celebrity chefs Colin Fassnidge and Kirsten Tibballs alongside talented local chefs.
Located for the first time at Bundaberg Recreational Precinct, the Taste Farmers Market is an opportunity to appreciate the beauty and the bounty of the Bundaberg Region.
Speak to passionate producers about what makes their fare the best of the best and why they love to grow it right here.
The region’s farmers provide fresh produce to cafes, restaurants, and supermarkets all over Australia, but at this special event, they sell it direct to you.
- Date: Saturday 6 August
- Time: 7 am - 2 pm
- Location: Bundaberg Recreational Precinct
- Cost: Free
Strawberry Jam Competition
Do you make the BEST strawberry jam in the Bundaberg Region? We're giving you the chance to prove it at the inaugural Taste Bundaberg Festival Strawberry Jam Competition - proudly supported by Sugarland Plaza.
Two categories:
* Traditional Strawberry Jam
* Strawberry with a Twist
Entrants will be provided with jars and labels for their entries.
Register today, pick up your jar pack and get cooking!
There will be great prizes for the finalists, plus the winning Traditional Strawberry Jam entry will be used in a cooking demonstration at Taste Farmers Market by celebrity pastry chef and chocolatier, Kirsten Tibballs.
*Jams must be at least 75% local ingredients
Entries open: Thursday 23 June
Entries close: Friday 15 July
Judging: Friday 5 August
Winners announced: Saturday 6 August @ Taste Farmers Market
Riverside Bottomless Brunch
Grazing boards with bottomless bubbles? Yes please! Eat your heart out with traditional favourites, both savoury and sweet, and ingredients locally sourced from Bundaberg’s regional producers and suppliers. The best part? There’s no food envy, you get to taste a bit of everything!
Enjoy two hours of relaxing with accompanying prosecco, mimosas, and strawberry mocktails while grazing on delicious brunch specialities from h2O Bar & Restaurant.
This special event is designed for lovers of that in-between meal – not quite breakfast, not quite lunch. It’s the perfect excuse to get a table of friends together, enjoy the river views and taste the flavours of Bundaberg’s local food with free-flowing bubbles and mocktails.
- Date: Saturday 6 August + Saturday 13 August
- Time: 10am - noon + 1 - 3 pm
- Location: H2O Bar & Restaurant, 7 Quay St
- Cost: $59
A Chocolatier's Taste With Wattle Women
Experience the magic of the chocolate shop after hours with Lili and Melanice Jacobsen from Wattle Woman and Cha Cha Chocolate. Lili is a First Nations person of the Gubbi Gubbi region living on Taribelang, Bailai, Gurang and Gooreng Gooreng country. She has specialised in the creation of polymer clay earrings for more than three years, taking inspiration from the beauty and power of the Australian Flora and Fauna and her Indigenous Australian heritage when creating.
Join Melanice and Lili in the Cha Cha Chocolate shop as they host an afternoon of art, indulging, and experiencing Bundaberg at its best. This workshop will allow you to create your very own custom slab of Australian native flower polymer clay earrings. While creating your works of art Melanice will indulge you in local Australian bush inspired products and, of course, chocolate all sourced from the region. You will be provided with your own grazing box to enjoy during your workshop plus a special Cha Cha Chocolate and Wattle Woman goodie bag to take with you.
- Date: Saturday 6 August
- Time: 2 - 6 pm
- Location: Cha Cha Chocolate, 84 Bourbong St
- Cost: $180
Bert's Cocktail Masterclass
Bert’s Restaurant invites you to spend the afternoon learning their best-kept secrets at a cocktail masterclass in their brand-new upstairs lounge bar. Join expert mixologists as they take you along on the journey of how to craft their signature cocktails. Explore the selection of spirits, matching the mixers and find out the tips and tricks to tying it all together. The afternoon will include a selection of canapes to accompany the delicious cocktails.
- Date: Saturday 6 August
- Time: 2 - 4 pm
- Location: Bert’s Restaurant, 163 Bourbong St
- Cost: $60
Caveman Style Open Fire Dining
Enjoy the ambient atmosphere and warmth from around the fire pit while you share in delicious wines while growing an appreciation for the art of slow cooking. Brett Doss from Wynestory will share his knowledge about the benefits of creating delicious meals by the fire as the culinary team from HSG At The Gardens assist in the preparation of your feast.
- Date: Saturday 6 August
- Time: 5.30 - 9 pm
- Location: HSG At The Gardens, 57 Gorlicks Rd
- Cost: $105
Culinary Masterclass With Colin Fassnidge
Enjoy a few hours with popular celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge at the ultimate masterclass cooking experience!
Enhance your skills in the kitchen while creating a delicious main course and dessert made from locally sourced produce, perfectly paired with carefully selected beverages.
The intimate masterclass will be remembered long after the experience with branded aprons, an essential utensils pack and a Colin Fassnidge cookbook gifted to all participants.
- Date: Sunday 7 August
- Time: 9 am - noon
- Location: TAFE Bundaberg
- Cost: $165
Dessert Masterclass With Kirsten Tibballs
Kirsten Tibballs, proclaimed by MasterChef Australia as ‘the Queen of Chocolate’, is one of Australia’s most celebrated and internationally respected pastry chefs and chocolatiers.
As the sole ambassador in Australia for leading chocolate manufacturer, Callebaut, Kirsten regularly travels throughout the world demonstrating her craft in chocolate and patisserie.
This August she will be in Bundaberg to showcase her skill and spread her love for all things sweet as part of Taste.
Join Kirsten as she takes you on a delicious dessert journey in her masterclass event where you will learn to create not one, but two of her signature desserts! Lemon Drop Style Rebellion and Vanilla Ganache Truffles.
- Date: Sunday 7 August
- Time: 9 am - noon
- Location: Shalom College
- Cost: $165
Sweet Potato Feastival
The versatility of the simple yet delicious sweet potato will be on show when The Windmill Café hosts the Sweet Potato Feastival. Owner Joey Caruana has teamed up with Sweet Potatoes Australia to bring an evening filled with delectable sweet potatoes over three courses at his restaurant in Bargara.
- Date: Monday 8 August
- Time: 6 - 10 pm
- Location: The Windmill Café, 12 See St
- Cost: $65
BBQ And Brews
Take your time to enjoy a delicious four-course meal cooked on an open fire grill and paired with locally produced Ballistic Bargara beers at Les Chefs. This exquisite dining event provides the opportunity to learn more about the flavours of Yagoona BBQ while the onsite culinary team prepare your meals as you sip and sample your way through the evening.
- Date: Tuesday 9 August
- Time: 5.30 - 8 pm
- Location: Les Chefs, 238 Bourbong St
- Cost: $69
Padocdk To Plate With The Deli
Join the team at The Deli as they take you on a tasting journey from paddock to plate at their Targo Street premise. Enjoy a drink and small cheese tasting on arrival, followed by beetroot, caramelised onion and cheese tart before savouring in the main course of reverse-seared steak with a French leek and cheese sauce and a side of petite vegetables. Finish the night off with a delicious dessert featuring Tinaberries berry ice cream with a berry glaze and sugarcane macadamia nut brittle.
- Date: Tuesday 9 August + Thursday 11 August
- Time: 6 - 8 pm
- Location: The Deli, 31 Targo St
- Cost: $75
Luncheon By The Sea At Moore Park Beach
Relax and unwind with a special luncheon event at Moore Park Beach. Bring your own table and chair set up and position yourself in the perfect spot overlooking the ocean while being served a delicious four-course menu from The Bundy Burger Company. A perfect day out for the whole family!
- Theme: Colour Me Red - dress yourself and your table in red with prize for the best decorated!
- Date: Wednesday 10 August
- Time: noon - 3.30 pm
- Location: The Bundy Burger Company, Surf Club Drive, Moore Park Beach
- Cost: $140
A Chocolatier's Brush With Taste
Experience the magic of the chocolate shop after hours while creating your very own hand-painted canvas clutch under the guidance of Chloe from Willow & Hide. Melanice from Cha Cha Chocolate will share her story and her connection to the Bundaberg Region while you enjoy delicious baked goods and aromatic chai that has taken 25 years to perfect from Lonnie’s Chai Kitchen! This is not your average paint and sip experience! Included in the ticket price of this unique and whimsical experience is a three hour intimate workshop, Willow & Hide Clutch (painted on the day, sewn after workshop & returned to you), individual grazing box, aromatic chai tea & refreshments, swag bag including beautiful Bundaberg products to enjoy!
Dates:
- Friday 12 August, 6 - 9 pm
- Saturday 13 August, 1 - 4 pm
- Location: Cha Cha Chocolate, 84 Bourbong St
- Cost: $250
Learn more and check out all the programs below!
