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Key 2018 Dates Hospitality Businesses Should Remember | Impos

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Australia isn’t just known for its stunning beaches and gorgeous weather. We’ve got plenty of culinary events on the calendar to keep the foodies happy.

Choose your capital city to find the main events for 2018 that could be a boom for your hospitality business!

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra Food & Wine Expo

9-11 February

This is a great opportunity to get your business in front of thousands of people in Australia’s national capital. The Food & Wine Expo showcases some of Australia’s best culinary talent with a range of stalls, cooking demonstrations, tasting zones and more.

Location: National Convention Centre, Canberra

Great for: restaurants, cafes and food trucks, wineries and breweries, and accommodation providers.

Enlighten Canberra

2-18 March

Picture: Beau Giles

A stunning opportunity to view Canberra in all its glory with a range of exhibitions, food and wine event, and festivals. This produces a huge boon to the tourism industry for the month.

Location: venues around Canberra

Great for: accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes, food trucks, wineries, and more!

New South Wales

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

16 February – 4 March

This renowned event is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the world. It’s a huge drawcard for tourists to Australia, attracting more than 20,000 interstate and international visitors annually. The festival culminates in the renowned parade, which will bring the city to a standstill on 3 March.

Location: venues throughout Sydney

Great for: local restaurants and cafes, bars and nightclubs, and accommodation providers.

Taste of Sydney

8-11 March

This festival brings the best of Sydney’s dining scene all into one venue. Visitors come to indulge in instagram-worthy culinary delights while cafes, restaurants and food trucks use it as an opportunity to get some great exposure.

Location: Centennial Parklands, Sydney

Great for: restaurants, cafes and food trucks.

Orange F.O.O.D Week

6-15 April

This festival celebrates the “Food Basket of NSW” – Orange. The 15,000-odd visitors can enjoy fine fresh produce and cool climate wines at Australia’s longest-running regional food festival.

Location: Orange

Great for: accommodation providers, food trucks, and wineries.

Taste Tamworth Festival

6-15 April

This is the region’s number one food event on the calendar! Showcasing regional growers, makers and chefs, Taste Tamworth gives visitors ten days of non-stop gourmet dining from the Pop-up Bar to the Dinner in White.

Tamworth: venues across Tamworth

Great for: restaurants, cafes, food trucks and accommodation providers.

Vivid Sydney

25 May – 16 June

vivid sydney opera house

Last year’s Vivid Sydney attracted a record-breaking 2.33 million visitors, increasingly international and interstate visitors to the area by 35%. The world’s largest light show will be celebrating 10 years in 2018.

Location: venues across Sydney.

Great for: accommodation providers, cafes, restaurants, bars, and more.

Good Food and Wine Show

22-24 June

At the Sydney Good Food and Wine Show, visitors will be able to sample special nibbles and wines from a range of local and international stalls. There will be tastings, cooking demonstrations, and so much more.

Location: Sydney International Convention Centre, Sydney

Great for: wineries

Newcastle Food & Wine Expo

August – to be confirmed

Showcase your menu at the Newcastle showgrounds in front of thousands of people. The Newcastle Food & Wine Expo invites guests to try free samples and tastings of some of Australia’s best produce, along with observing free cooking demonstrations.

Location: Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle

Great for: restaurants, cafes and food trucks, wineries and breweries, and accommodation providers.

Good Food Month

1-31 October

This program includes an array of events and festivals that bring together the best home-grown and international chefs, restaurants, and more to deliver amazing food to Sydney Siders.

Location: venues throughout Sydney

Great for: restaurants, cafes, bars, and food trucks.

Sydney New Years Eve

31 December

sydney new years eve

As one of the most popular New Years Eve destinations in the world, Sydney attractions well over a million visitors every year. Restaurants and bars are always booming while accommodation options are usually booked up months in advance.

Location: venues across Sydney.

Great for: accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes, and bars.

Northern Territory

Darwin Festival

9-26 August

The Darwin Festival celebrates everything there is to love about the Top End. The 18-day celebration covers music, theatre, dance, cabaret, and visual arts amid delicious food and drink stalls.

Location: venues across Darwin

Great for: accommodation providers, cafes, restaurants, and food trucks.

Queensland

Gold Coast Food & Wine Expo

19-21 January

Show off your best menu items at the Gold Coast Food & Wine Expo. This is an event that attracts thousands of people coming to join cooking classes, watch demonstrations, and sample plenty of tastings.

Location: Gold Coast Convention Centre, Gold Coast

Great for: restaurants, cafes and food trucks, wineries and breweries, and accommodation providers.

Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

4-15 April

Gold Coast commonwealth games

It’s finally here! The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games we’ve heard so much about. With 100,000 visitors to the Gold Coast forecasted, hospitality businesses should expect a huge boon during the fortnight of festivities!

Location: venue across the Gold Coast

Great for: accommodation providers, restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs and more!

Noosa International Food and Wine Festival

17-20 May

This regional food and wine festival celebrates good quality Aussie food and wine in a stunning location. Events include the Long Lunch on Hastings Street, the Hinterland Food Trails, and Festival Village.

Location: venues across Noosa

Great for: accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes, bars, and food trucks.

Gold Coast Food and Wine Festival

31 May – 3 June

Gold Coast’s main food and wine event, this festival celebrates amazing food venues on the Gold Coast through a series of events, including the new NightQuarter night market.

Location: venues across the Gold Coast

Great for: restaurants, cafes, bars and food trucks.

Brisbane Food & Wine Expo

20-22 July

At the Brisbane Food & Wine Expo, you can get your best menu items and produce in front of thousands of people. The event offers samplings and tastings, cooking demonstrations, and much more.

Location: Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane

Great for: restaurants, cafes and food trucks, wineries and breweries, and accommodation providers.

Good Food and Wine Show

26-28 October

At the Good Food and Wine Show in Brisbane, visitors will be able to enjoy a range of tastings from hundreds of local and international exhibitors. There will also be cooking demonstrations and much more on offer.

Location: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane

Great for: wineries

South Australia

Crush 2018

26-28 January

At this event, guests can discover regional wines and food while enjoying dance, music, culture, art and fashion. With more than 30 participating venues, Crush is a great opportunity for hospitality venues to enjoy some exposure.

Location: venues across the Adelaide Hills

Great for: wineries, restaurants, and accommodation venues.

Cellar Door Fest

2-4 March

cellar door fest

Attribution: Cellar Door Fest

Cellar Door Fest brings all of South Australia’s best produce right into the heart of Adelaide. It regularly features some 180 wineries, breweries, distilleries, and food producers. Visitors can enjoy complimentary tastings, conversations with the makers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes culinary experiences.

Location: Convention Centre, Adelaide

Great for: wineries and breweries.

Tasting Australia

13-22 April

Tasting Australia explores South Australia’s culinary landscape from paddock to plate. The festival has an array of offerings, including street food, wine tastings, feasts, cooking classes and even wine making classes.

Location: venues across Adelaide and the state

Great for: restaurants, cafes, wineries, bars, and more.

Barossa Gourmet Weekend

31 August – 2 September

This weekend involves more than 40 events which help to showcase the Barossa Valley’s regional foods and wine. Visitors can experience tastings, dining events, brunches, masterclasses, and more.

Location: venues across Barossa

Great for: local restaurants and cafe, wineries, and accommodation providers.

Tasmania

Festivale

2-4 February

This Tasmanian food and wine festival is a three-day celebration of local food, wine, beer, cider, and spirits. Stallholders will be able to showcase their Tasmanian-grown and produced wares to local, national and international visitors.

Location: Launceston

Great for: local cafes, restaurants, wineries, breweries and food trucks.

Taste of Tasmania

December – to be confirmed

 taste of tasmania

Attribution: Taste of Tasmania

This festival is the pride of the Apple Isle, drawing together some of the island’s best produce on display along Hobart’s gorgeous waterfront. Stallholders showcase their seafood, beers, wines, berries, ciders, cheeses, and more!

Location: Hobart waterfront

Great for: wineries, breweries, and food trucks.

Victoria

White Night Melbourne

17 February

White Night Melbourne

This event has proven successful year on year, attracting thousands of visitors to Melbourne’s CBD for an all-night experience of art installations, exhibitions, films, lighting, music performances, and more. Participating cafes and restaurants have, in the past, run out of stock during this 7pm-7am revelry.

Location: Melbourne CBD

Great for: local restaurants, food trucks, quick service venues, bars, nightclubs, and accommodation providers.

Great Australian Beer Festival

17 February

The Great Australian Beer Festival (GABF) brings together Aussie beer lovers for an afternoon of discovering craft beers and ciders. There are beer and cider tastings, along with gourmet food provided.

Location: Geelong Racecourse, Geelong

Great for: food trucks, bars, wineries and breweries.

Moomba

9-12 March

Rides, performances, the parade, and plenty of food stalls will dominate the banks of the Yarra River once again in March 2018. It’s a staple on the Melbourne events calendar and a great one for food trucks to get involved in!

Location: around the Yarra River, Melbourne

Great for: food trucks, cafes and restaurants, and accommodation providers.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

16-25 March

A huge event on Melbourne’s calendar, the MFWF celebrates more than 300 events across Victoria. Winers and diners flock mostly to the CBD for an array of fun events in Melbourne’s gastronomic playground.

Location: venues across Melbourne and the state

Great for: restaurants, cafes, bars, and food trucks.

Melbourne International Coffee Expo

22-24 March

This is the Asia Pacific’s biggest coffee event, where almost 10,000 cafe owners, baristas, roasters, service providers, equipment manufacturers and more come to show visitors what they’ve got!

Location: Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne

Great for: cafes

Good Beer Week

11-20 May

Good Beer Week hosts some 300 events across Melbourne and Victoria, attracting some 75,000 interstate and international visitors. This is the single biggest platform where brewers and other beer businesses can get some exposure.

Location: venues across Victoria

Great for: brewers.

Good Food and Wine Show

1-3 June

Melbourne’s Good Food and Wine Show will have a glorious array of international and local cuisines and wines. Alongside tastings, visitors will be able to watching cooking demonstrations and do much more besides!

Location: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne

Great for: wineries

Good Food Month

1-30 June

Melbourne is the foodie hotspot of Australia, so the Good Food Month is a chance for locals and visitors to enjoy some of the city’s renowned culinary delights. Good Food Month hosts a range of events, including the Noodle Night Market, to get visitors in touch with some of Melbourne’s best offerings.

Location: venues throughout Melbourne

Great for: restaurants, cafes, bars, and food trucks.

Western Australia

Good Food Month

1-31 March

Good Food Month is a celebration of Perth’s culinary delights! There will be range of events and festivals designed to show off the best degustation experiences in and around town.

Location: venues throughout Perth

Great for: restaurants, cafes, bars, and food trucks.

Taste Great Southern

8-25 March

taste great southern
Picture: Taste Great SouthernTaste Great Southern encapsulates a range of events, including festivals, degustations, markets, dinners and lunches, wine tastings, masterclasses, and more. It draws people from interstate and internationally to experience everything the region has to offer.

Location: various venues along Western Australia’s southern coast and hinterland.

Great for: wineries, restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and accommodation providers.

Good Food and Wine Show

24-26 August

The Good Food and Wine Show brings together the latest produce, wine, and culinary delights from hundreds of local and international exhibitors. Providing tastings, cooking demonstrations, and more, it’s a treat for food and wine lovers.

Location: Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre, Perth

Great for: wineries.

And there you have it! Plenty of options to showcase your fare and gain a little more exposure for your business. To really get the word out about your participation in these events, learn a little more about marketing your venue today!