Looking for something fun, educational, tasty and family-friendly to do this month? A quirky garlic festival is taking over the small regional Victorian town of Korumburra on February 28 and if it's anything like previous annual editions, it's going to be a glorious (albeit pungent) day out.
The South Gippsland Garlic Festival, formerly the Meeniyan Garlic Festival, is back in 2026. It's Victoria's largest celebration of Aussie garlic and a great excuse to learn more about this long-prized culinary stalwart and fill a basket with some of Gippsland’s best produce.
Predicted to bring more than two tonnes of garlic to the people from different growers from across Victoria, the aromatic festival will take place at the Korumburrra Showgrounds. There'll be a huge line-up of stallholders, plus live entertainment and fun kids' activities. Of course, Bluey will be there.
Adults will want to check out the festival bar, which showcases celebrated Gippsland wineries, breweries and distilleries – including Fleet Wines, Gurneys Cider, Burra Brewing and more. Keep your eyes peeled for a garlic-inspired beer (yes, really).
Meanwhile over at the kitchen, garlic in all of its fragrant forms will obviously be on the menu (spoiler: you can expect a garlic doughnut). This year, a massive line-up of chefs from Gippsland and Melbourne will be whipping up their favourite garlicky goods in interactive live cooking demonstrations, hosted for the first time by award-winning food writer, author and radio personality Richard Cornish.
You can expect to sample the wares of Atsu Tanaka-Morrison from Tsuko Japan
(Korumburra), Jodie Odrowaz and Michael Clark from Messmates Dining (Warragul), and Alejandro Saravia from Farmer's Daughters (Melbourne) – amongst many others.
But it doesn’t stop at the festival grounds! Yep, the entire town of Korumburra will join in the celebrations, with pubs, cafés, breweries and bakeries offering up their own unique Aussie garlic creations and products on the day. The festival stage will be pumping all day long, featuring performances from The Voice 2021 runner-up Mick Harrington and local talent, Seth Stone & The Forge.
Entry into the festival is $15 for adults and $5 for kids, with family discounts available, too. The event is dog-friendly, but vampires may want to steer clear.