After a successful run last year, the Australian Sake Festival is coming back to Melbourne. Head to Queen Victoria Market and discover over 60 stalls and 200 kinds of sake to try. When you’re not drinking, feast on delicious Japanese food and have fun with live entertainment, workshops and more. The festival will take place on Saturday July 20 and Sunday July 21.
Australian Sake Festival
Taste sake and experience a dose of Japanese culture at this exciting festival. Find sake brewers straight from Japan, as well as multiple Australian distributors. Sake tastings are included in your ticket, and if you find something you like, bottles will be available for you to purchase and take home.
Vendors on the line-up include Chiyomusubi Sake Brewery, Kizakura, Kamotsuru Sake Brewing and more.
There will be free sake seminars for beginners, so that you can ask questions, figure out the right sake for you and learn about food pairings. There will also be cool product stalls displaying unique sake wares, and a fun chopstick making workshop.
If you’re feeling hungry, there will be plenty of food stalls serving up delectable dishes, like teppanyaki noodles, gyoza, flame-grilled skewers and more. You’ll also find Japanese-inspired treats to take home, like mochi and matcha chocolate.
As for entertainment, look forward to live music from Nana Koizumi, traditional Taiko drum performances from Wadaiko Rindo, and a live display of Hananingen, a colourful type of floral arrangement on people.
The Australian Sake Festival will run from 10am to 2:30pm and 3:30pm to 8pm on Saturday. After that, it will run from 2pm to 6:30pm on Sunday.
Tickets are $69 per person, and anyone under 18 can enter for free as long as they’re with a ticket-holder. Find out more here.