One of Tasmania's iconic events is back

One of Tasmania's iconic events returns over the Christmas-New Year break. 

The annual summer celebration Taste of Summer will run from December 27 to January 3, bringing together some of the state’s most popular food and drinks alongside what organisers say is its biggest live music and entertainment program over its almost 40-year history. 

The annual NYE party - which draws up to 8,000 people to the Hobart waterfront - will feature The Potbelleez, Furnace & The Fundamentals and DJ Track & Field. 

Tickets go on sale next week.

More than 100,000 visitors are expected to head to the Princes Wharf complex during the event, which features over  85 food and drink vendors across the festival’s many spaces, including The Shed, Outdoors, Clover Hill Atrium, Yacht Club and Sports Bar. 

The program will showcase more than 120 live music acts and entertainment across multiple stages over the eight days.

The annual NYE party is Tasmania’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebration. This year will be Space Cowboy themed. 

“Taste is such a huge part of summer in Tasmania, and we’re really excited to be bringing an even bigger program to the waterfront this year,” said event GM Katharine Dean.

“The Potbelleez are an iconic Australian act and having Muma Megs join them on stage is going to make for a huge live show. Add the fireworks, the waterfront setting and everything else happening across the night, and it’s going to be pretty spectacular way to see out 2026.”

Taste’s New Year’s Eve Party is a separate ticketed event. 

Further details, including the full program, participating vendors and ticketing information, will be announced in the coming months.

Tasmania’s Taste of Summer is supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania.

For more info see www.tasteofsummer.com.au

From camel skewers to squidlipops: Dark Mofo's Winter Feast to push boundaries

Dark Mofo's Winter Feast is promising to dish up a mixture of old favourites and rising culinary stars.

The the food and drink element of the winter solstice festival will returns to the Nipaluna/Hobart waterfront for eight nights of feasting next month.

The waterfront location will welcome over 70 stallholders along with music, firelight and community vibes.

‘The Winter Feast is the warm, beating heart of Dark Mofo," says Dark Mofo artistic director Chris Twite.

"Gathered around fires and feasting by candlelight, it’s where we come in from the cold to share stories of where we've been and what we've seen. Eating together - friends, strangers, locals, visitors - is an important festival ritual, and the staggering array of incredible food on offer means there is always something for everyone.’

The Feast will welcome guest chef Niyati Rao from acclaimed Mumbai restaurant Ekaa, who will collab with Craig Will, Bianca Welsh and James Welsh from Stillwater in Launceston.

Other food collaborations include Thi Le + Fat Pig Farm, which sees award-winning Melbourne chef Thi Le teaming up with locals Fat Pig Farm; Salvage Drink Co. X Braised presenting infused cocktails paired with spiced offerings from Hobart's premium lamb providore; and Marla Singer X L’Appel Wines pairing an octopus slider with pinot noir.

Chef Analiese Gregory makes her return to the fires of the Feast, this year bringing a taste of the Tasmanian sea. She’ll be serving up skewers of baby abalone, shiitake and black garlic, grilled over fire (top image).

New Feast stallholders include Dark Dogs, serving their take on dagwood dogs; wine bar South will presents a slow-cooked possum bao; Elle’s Pantry will have pockets stuffed with seasonal pickles, tabbouleh, and green harissa hummus; and Bass Strait Seafood & Co by Sabina Newton will offer dishes ranging from creamy chowder to buttery marinara.

Joining the new stallholders will be familiar favourites, from Lilly Trewartha’s katsu sando, to Queen Sheba’s injera with slow-cooked chicken; Soufra & Co’s folded layers of filo pastry and custard baked fresh to order, to the famous squidlipop from Formosa Bites (above).

Fresh from his appearance on ABC’s Eat the Invaders, Mona’s executive chef Vince Trim is back with Heavy Metal Kitchen, eating the problem with a feral feast: fire-charred camel, skewered and served with an array of spiced and braised condiments.

Visitors can wash the dishes down with new offerings from New Norfolk’s Welcome Swallow Brewery, fizzy blush from Common Wine, or a Pressing Matters pinot noir.

Mona’s own wineries - Moorilla and Domaine A - will be on site, along with Moo Brew.

Amanda Vallis, the Winter Feast curator, says: ‘The food community in Lutruwita/Tasmania is one of the best things this island has to offer, and nowhere is it more pronounced than when everyone comes together to feast around the fires in the depths of winter.

"Whether it’s a hot take on a dagwood dog, or the flavour explosion offered by a guest chef all the way from India, the Winter Feast is sure to fill your cup and feed your soul.’

A number of events will celebrate the power of music, storytelling and First Nations cultures.

The Winter Feast takes over Salamanca Lawns and Princes Wharf Shed 1 and runs and runs on both weekends of the festival: Thursday June 5-8 and June 1-15.

Season passes are available via darkmofo.net.au/winter-feast

As part of the Winter Feast’s commitment to reaching zero waste, all stallholders will use compostable crockery and cutlery, with reusable cups and schooners available for beverages. The Feast is also a completely cash-free event.

# Dark Mofo is Tasmania’s mid-winter festival celebrating the dark through large-scale public art, food, music, fire, light, and noise, in Hobart.

Images: Dearna Bond, Dark Mofo