Northern NSW’s premier food event, Sample Food Festival returns to Bangalow on Saturday 2nd September 2023 to celebrate the regions vibrant, resilient and innovate local food economy.

Now in its 11th year, Sample Food Festival continues to showcase a selection of the region’s best restaurants, brewers, distilleries, artisans and producers who put on an impressive array of tasting plates and refreshments to satisfy even the most discerning palettes. This year the festival will be moving into the main circle of the Bangalow Showground and will feature additional curated spaces to be enjoyed in a comfortable and relaxed environment.

Pre-sale tickets are available for the event and prices remain the same as previous years, offering an affordable and fun day out for the whole family. Limited capacity picnic experiences will also be on offer for groups of up to six and include festival entry and a reserved picnic spot in the main restaurant precinct on a Wandering Folk picnic rug.

This year Sample Food Festival will be introducing a kid’s creative pass for entry into a dedicated area suitable for ages 3 -12. This will feature take home arts and crafts, sensory play and interactive games.

Sample Food Festival 2023 attendees can look forward to experiencing $15, $10 and $5 tasting plates from a curated selection of restaurants including Bruno’s Bellingen who will be making their way up the coast to showcase their Mediterranean flavours. Representing Ballina will be Hey Lady Diner, bringing a taste of their Japanese inspired cuisine and Kelp Restaurant, who will be serving up a sample of their contemporary seafood menu.

New food stalls featured on the line-up this year include Livemore Deli from Lennox Head who have quickly become known for their impressive gourmet focaccia sandwiches and Lismore/ Casino based Taco Love Bros, who have bounced back from the Lismore flood more popular than ever and will be bringing their fresh Mexican flavours to Bangalow.
Returning to the festival this year are crowd favourites Harvest Newrybar and Federal Doma Café as well as Sample Food Festival 2022 tasting plate winners No Bones Byron Bay and Natural Ice Cream Australia. No Bones earned a loyal following with their elevated vegan menu and Natural Ice Cream Australia with their artisan, cultured ice-cream flavoured with local and Indigenous produce.

Sample Food Festival will also be showcasing the region’s award-winning distilleries including Winding Road Distilling Co. and Lord Byron Distillery as well as Stone and Wood Brewery, Little Dragon Ginger Beer and The Cellar. This year the festival will be welcoming the Bangalow Bowlo, giving festival goers a huge selection of palate cleansers to choose from.

Event Director Rose Taylor said of the festivals return in 2023 “We are so excited to be launching our 2023 festival – we have never had a more diverse and exciting bunch of restaurants and creative dishes being worked up for this year’s event. You’ll not find a better celebration of our regions finest food and beverage outlets, creative and innovative humans all in one place. Bring on spring!”

The Sample Food Festival market stalls will also be returning and will feature a selection of passionate and innovative local artisans and producers. Guest chefs, the live cooking stage lineup, workshops and masterclasses will be announced in the coming weeks.

Sample Food Festival 2023
Date: Saturday 2 September, 2023
Time: 8am – 4pm
Location: Bangalow Showground, 1 Market Street, Bangalow 2479

Cost: Pre-purchased tickets are $5 per Adult + BF (child – 16 years and under free)
Picnic Package $80 + BF includes entry for up to six people, a reserved picnic spot in the main food precinct and Wandering Folk picnic rug hire with limited umbrella hire also available (for session time only – morning and afternoon session available)
Ultimate Kids Creative Pass Early Bird Price $10 + BF Great for ages 3 – 12 includes take home arts and crafts, sensory play and interactive games.

For information on how to purchase festival tickets, further announcements, workshops and updates visit www.samplefoodevents.com and @samplefoodevents