Tastes of Greater Geelong returns from 19 June to 19 July with more than 70 food, wine and hospitality events across Geelong and The Bellarine. Long lunches, late night feasts, wine tastings, winter markets, hands-on workshops and waterfront dinners are all on the menu this year.

Now celebrating 15 years, the festival has become one of the biggest winter food events in Victoria, bringing together local chefs, winemakers, brewers, growers and hospitality venues for a month of seriously good eating and drinking.

This year’s program stretches from Geelong’s waterfront and Little Malop Street to wineries across The Bellarine, cosy dining rooms in Ocean Grove and long-table experiences overlooking the vines in Wallington and Drysdale.

The Heritage Table, 1915 Restaurant & Bar

Geelong’s winter food festival opens with a night market

Tastes of Greater Geelong officially launches with the first Geelong City Night Market (19 June), transforming Little Malop Street into a winter hawker-style market filled with local food stalls, warming drinks, live music and fire pits.

Little Malop Street will fill with local food stalls, warming drinks, live music and fire pits for the opening weekend.

It’s free to attend and a pretty good place to start if you’re looking for things to do in Geelong this winter.

Dining events across Geelong and The Bellarine

The festival program includes everything from intimate winemaker dinners and degustation menus to large-scale dining experiences that bring together local chefs, producers and winemakers.

The Heritage Table at 1915 (26 June) brings together seasonal produce, local wines and storytelling inside one of Geelong’s historic spaces, hosted by Simon Toohey.

At Geelong Gaol, (18 July) Velvet & Vice turns the old bluestone prison into a speakeasy-inspired food and wine experience with roaming canapés, cocktails and live entertainment.

Epic Harvest Feast (17 July) is a one-night-only Indigenous dining experience combining native ingredients, storytelling, fermentation and local producers.

Across the month, wineries and restaurants around the region are also hosting long lunches, degustation dinners and curated wine experiences including:

Local Heroes Degustation Dinner at Jack Rabbit (26 June)
Barwon Edge x Circulus shared feast hosted at Barwon Edge (25 June)
Oakdene, Provenance & Mazzini Wine Dinner at Sawyers Arms Tavern (25 June)
The Winemaker’s Table at Scotchmans Hill (18 July)
Mediterranean Nights at Fishermen’s Pier (9 and 16 July)
Arlo Wines x Mulline long lunches hosted at Arlo in Portarlington (Wednesday to Sunday throughout the festival, 19 June to 19 July)

Several of these events have limited numbers, so it's worth checking availability early.

Book events

French-inspired dining and Geelong Gallery events

Geelong Gallery's Discovering the Impressionists exhibition has inspired a series of French-themed dining experiences across Geelong and The Bellarine.

You'll find Bastille dinners, French-inspired menus, champagne brunches, waterfront cocktails and after-hours gallery events throughout the festival.

From Table to Gallery: A French After Hours Journey (26 June) takes guests across three venues for an evening inspired by French food, wine and art. The night begins with aperitifs and canapés at Jeffies of Highton before a chauffeured transfer to The Retreat for a French-inspired main course. Dessert, cocktails follow at Felix, before the evening finishes with exclusive after-hours access to Discovering the Impressionists at Geelong Gallery.

A Curated Evening: Oakdene Wine Masterclass, Three Course Dinner & After Hours at Geelong Gallery (3 July) pairs an Oakdene wine masterclass and three-course dinner with private after-hours access to Geelong Gallery.

Other French-inspired events on this year's program include:

French Fusion on the Waterfront at Skyline Bar (19 June to 19 July)
Claribeaux Tastes of France (19 June to 19 July)
Claribeaux Bastille Dinner (14 July)
Art Inspired Sundays at Caruggi (5 and 12 July)
Argot du Brunch (Bottomless Brunch) at Claribeaux (5 July)
Chef's Special: Coastal Italian Cuisine with a French Twist at Sociali (19 June to 19 July)

Book events

Wine tastings, brewery tours and drinks experiences

Wine Geelong's Judged by Geelong: The People's Wine Award (16 July) puts locals in charge of blind tasting and voting, and Geelong in Focus: Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Benchmarks (27 June and 18 July) compares Geelong wines alongside some of the world's leading wine regions.

Across the festival you'll also find winery tours, guided tastings and drinks masterclasses including:

From Vineyard to Glass: A Rare Winery Experience at Scotchmans Hill (18 and 19 July)
L'Arte del Negroni at Franca's Restaurant (4 and 18 July)
Paella, Pinot and Piano at Oneday Estate Winery (5 July)
Grain to Glass: After Dark whisky tasting at FarmDog Brewing (8 July)
Three Horn Winter Solstice Takeover at Little Creatures (20 June)

There are plenty of more casual ways to join in too. Sip your way through a Bellarine wine flight at Pier St, settle in for Cocktails & Camembert at Flying Brick Cider House, or pull up a seat for Mussel Mondays at Jack Rabbit Vineyard.

Book events

Hands-on workshops and creative food experiences

Tastes isn't only about long lunches and dinners. The program also includes plenty of opportunities to roll up your sleeves and learn something new.

This year's hands-on experiences include:

Pizza Making Course at Sociali Trattoria & Bar (28 June)
Paint & Sip at Leura Park Estate (10 July)
Make Ghee and Butter Workshop with LardAss Butter (27 June)

Farm My School Bellarine is also hosting several experiences throughout the festival, including:

Farm Tour with James McLennan (20 June)
Tastes of the Farm (25 June)
From Soil to Sweet with Darren Purchese and Cath Claringbold (25 June)
Growing & Cooking on Country with Nornie Bero and James McLennan (20 June)

These smaller group experiences offer a chance to meet local makers, learn new skills and get a closer look at the people and produce behind the region's food scene.

Book events

Where to stay during Tastes of Greater Geelong

With events spread across Geelong and The Bellarine, Tastes works well as a weekend away rather than a quick day trip.

Stay in central Geelong and walk between restaurants, bars, galleries and waterfront venues, or base yourself around The Bellarine wineries and turn lunch bookings into a few days exploring cellar doors, coastal towns and local producers.

Crowne Plaza Geelong is also running Tastes accommodation offers during the festival (just book directly and quote 'Tastes').

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