Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2025
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, presented by La Trobe Financial and supported by destination partner Visit Victoria, has announced a 10-day program packed with special guest chefs, unexpected collaborations, one-off creations and unique drinking and dining experiences, all over Victoria.
The Festival kicks off with the return of festival favourites including the World’s Longest Lunch presented by La Trobe Financial, led this year, direct from Los Angeles, by Melbourne’s biggest culinary export Curtis Stone, and a reimagined World’s Longest Brunch with much-loved Melbourne author and food personality, Julia Busuttil Nishimura.
“We’re thrilled to be back in 2025 with a truly special program of events right across Melbourne and regional Victoria,” said Anthea Loucas Bosha, CEO of Food + Drink Victoria, the not-for-profit parent company behind MFWF. “Melbourne’s very own Curtis Stone is headlining the World’s Longest Lunch presented by La Trobe Financial, and one of our country’s most successful cookbook authors, Julia Busuttil Nishimura, is taking charge on World’s Longest Brunch, which has been reinvented for 2025, and that’s just the opening weekend.
“One thing I’m very excited about in our 2025 program is the Special Events Program presented by Square. This year we have more than 165 events right across Victoria. It is wonderful to have a focus on regional events in the program. Our Global Dining Series sees more of the world’s best and brightest heading to Melbourne to collaborate with Melbourne’s local stars for a series of one-off dinners, collaborations and residencies. And our final weekend has us back at Fed Square, where Melbourne’s best bakers and patissiers will be on show at a supersized Baker’s Dozen. For 10 days in March there will be nowhere better to eat and drink in the world. I’m looking forward to raising a glass and eating something delicious with you in March,” continued Loucas Bosha.
World’s Longest Lunch will take place in Melbourne’s superb Kings Domain on Friday 21 March. More than three decades on from its humble beginnings on the turf at the MCG in 1993, the World’s Longest Lunch now kicks off the festival each year with food from a celebrated chef served across more than 600 metres of table, in a spectacular dining experience that must be seen to be believed. Every ticket for the 2025 World’s Longest Lunch includes a three-course lunch designed by Curtis Stone and prepared by MFWF’s new official catering partner, Curtis Stone Events, with matched wines.
“It’s an incredible honour to be asked to take part in the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, which is truly one of the world’s best food and drink events,” said Stone. “I can’t wait to be in the beautiful Kings Domain for the World’s Longest Lunch. In March there’s no place more exciting to be than Melbourne.”
The 2025 program features some of the most compelling culinary talent from around the globe collaborating with Melbourne restaurants and bars as part of the Global Dining Series. Daniel Calvert from Sézanne, currently ranked number one in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, will make his Australian debut, joining Dan Hunter at Brae for two intimate services. Together, they’ll offer a glimpse of one of the world’s most sought-after restaurants, blending their talents for an unforgettable dining experience. St John Restaurant, the world’s most famous exponent of British cooking, returns to the festival for its first-ever Australian residency, taking over French Saloon for the week. Melbourne will also host a taste of another of London’s most talked about restaurants, as Tomos Parry, chef at London hotspots Brat and Mountain, takes over the kitchen at Cutler for an exclusive Australian look at the fire-driven cooking that has made his restaurants a global sensation. Konstantin Filippou, one of the most singular talents in European fine dining, joins forces with chef Hugh Allen at Vue de Monde, meanwhile, in a collaboration which promises to be a culinary experience like no other, blending Filippou’s world-class technique with Allen’s creative vision.
From across the Tasman, Vaughan Mabee of Amisfield teams up with one of Australia’s top chefs, Ross Lusted, at his new restaurant, Marmelo, in Melbourne’s CBD. Together, they’ll create an intimate dining experience that highlights the very best ingredients from both Australia and New Zealand in an exploration of regional flavours. Serai’s team will also be joined by two leading lights of contemporary Filipino cuisine from Manila, Jordy Navarra of Toyo and JP "Jepe" Cruz of Inato. The event will offer a unique cross-cultural culinary journey, showcasing the vibrant flavours of the Philippines in the heart of Melbourne. Although Inato only opened in 2024, Cruz has already gained widespread acclaim for his mastery of Filipino charcoal cooking, elevating local produce with exceptional flair. Twenty international guests are making their way to Victoria for 27 Global Dining Series events all up.
“Whoa nelly!” said MFWF creative director Pat Nourse. “This is the richest, broadest, deepest and flat-out tastiest food festival Australia has seen in years. I’m so pumped for March, and whatever you’re into, be it things fancy or casual, epic or intimate, there’s a whole lot in this festival for you. It’s a meeting of global talent with the best food, drink and ideas that Victoria has to offer. It slaps.”
Tickets for the 2025 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, presented by La Trobe Financial, go on sale 10am Thursday 28 November to the general public, with pre-sales from 10am Monday 25 November for Melbourne Food & Wine Festival subscribers.
