Orange F.O.O.D Week

Orange F.O.O.D Week, also known as Food of Orange District, is a food festival held in the beautiful township of Orange each year.

As one of Australia’s top food festivals, Orange F.O.O.D Week has been running since 1991 and is a must-visit event annually.

The 10-day community festival from Friday, 28 March, to Sunday, 6 April 2025, celebrates the Orange region’s diverse and high-quality food and wine. It showcases the farmers who grow them and the local chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, and caterers who create extraordinary dishes with them.

This festival features the best fresh produce and innovative recipes, offering a wide range of inspiration and unique ideas. Award-winning chefs and cooks will host many live displays, food exhibitions, competitions, and signature events.

The festival promotes good food and the best regional produce in Australia. Visitors can enjoy live cooking demonstrations from some of Australia’s best chefs, food talks and seminars, wine pairings and tastings, winery workshops, sunset tours and degustations.

Check out the market food stalls, where amazing food will be ready to eat and enjoy. Long lunches will be available, and local restaurants will join in on the festivities with set menus and value-for-money deals.

Meet the producers, find out where your food comes from, and get tips on growing your own fruit and veggies, growing grapes, and keeping chickens and livestock. There will be pop-up cellar doors where you can try the region’s best wines, family BBQ, and picnics in the gardens, with plenty of lawn games, including croquet.

There will also be a night market with many food trucks and live music from buskers. So enjoy some good food, beer, and wine under the stars.

There are so many events during the festival that it’s impossible to mention them all here. Please check out the full event schedule at the official website here.

Night Market

Start your Orange FOOD Week experience at the ever-popular Night Market; an evening that brings together the best of the region’s food and wine beneath festoon lights and the autumn canopy of Robertson Park.

Stroll through nearly 50 vibrant stalls, featuring award-winning food from local chefs, cooks, and caterers, alongside cool-climate wines, ciders, spirits, and craft beers from the region’s talented winemakers, brewers, and distillers.

Conveniently located in the heart of Orange, the Night Market offers a lively atmosphere filled with delicious food, refreshing drinks, and live music. This fun-filled evening is perfect for everyone, whether you’re sampling local delicacies, sharing a meal with friends and family, or simply enjoying the community spirit.

Sampson Street Lunch

Inspired by an English late summer long lunch, the Sampson Street Lunch is a unique food and wine celebration that brings together some of Orange’s best-known and emerging chefs, foodies, wine producers, and fun makers.

Under a canopy of autumn-coloured Plane trees in all their glory in one of Orange’s prettiest streets, guests can enjoy this once-a-year special long lunch event, which includes three courses with paired wines plus canapes and drinks on arrival.

Through a special arrangement with Orange City Council and the residents of Sampson Street, the Sampson Street Long Lunch has become one of FOOD Week’s most sought-after events.

So, dress up and expect a relaxed afternoon of contemporary food and wines with frivolity and flavour.

Shine the Light on Producers

A handpicked series of show, tell and taste workshops that highlight the iconic flavours of the region’s produce. Local producers alongside local chefs and cooks create food conversations and share their stories, tips, tricks and samples.

Learn about the produce, hear the stories, share recipes, and taste delicious samples. ​Enjoy a glass of local cool-climate Orange wine for the perfect finish to the morning and take the opportunity to purchase the produce to take home.

Multiple session times are available throughout FOOD Week:

• Sunday 30 March: Virgin Olive Oil and Cheese
• Monday 31 March: Apples, Cherries and Pork
• Tuesday 1 April: Busy Bees and Fermentation
• Thursday 3 April: Gourmet Preserves and Fresh Gelato
• Friday 4 April: Saffron & Sophie Hansen

FOOD Train

The FOOD Train weekend package is the perfect getaway for food lovers.

Hosted by local foodies, this 3-day guided trip showcases some of the region’s best food and wine experiences and includes tickets to FOOD Week’s most sought-after event, Forage. Enjoy exclusive local tours, selected FOOD Week events, and dining at some of the region’s best restaurants and wineries.

Highlights over the weekend include:

• Wine and cheese tasting at Highland Heritage Cellar Door with artisan cheese maker, Second Mouse Cheese

• Explore beautiful produce and homewares of Larder and Home at Lucknow

• Whiskey and Gin tasting at Jones & Smith Distillery

• Special FOOD Week evening event at Hillside Harvest Orchard

• FORAGE on Saturday 5 April

• FOOD Week’s Sunday Brunch and Producers Market

• Vineyard tour and 4-course degustation with wine pairing at Swinging Bridge (overall winner of the Orange Wine Show – 2024)

Other inclusions:

• Return train ticket in reserved carriage from Sydney to Orange, with the option to upgrade to a flight home

• 2 Nights accommodation (twin share or single) at Quest Orange

• Bus transfers b/w events and trains

The FOOD Train is the ultimate FOOD Week experience; with all the planning and travel taken care of, you can enjoy the best of the Orange region’s exceptional food and wine, warm hospitality, and stunning landscapes.

Forage

Stroll through Orange’s picturesque vineyards and enjoy a curated eight-course degustation menu featuring local seasonal produce and the region’s great wines. Meet our chefs, winemakers, vignerons, and producers and discover the spoils of our cool-climate region.

Forage gives you and your friends a unique opportunity to visit some of our well-known Orange Vineyards, take in the views of Mount Canobolas and its surroundings, and enjoy a food event with a difference.

Amble through 4 km of productive farmland at an altitude that sets the Orange region apart. Our cool–climate food and wines will be incorporated into a unique degustation menu to enjoy. It will be a feast of flavour and fun in the beautiful outdoors.

Your Forage ticket includes;

• An 8-course degustation menu curated by local chefs and foodies
• Local cool climate wines with each course matched by our local vignerons
• Live music, good vibes, great company and a meander through picturesque Orange vineyards
• Bus transfers to and from Orange to the Forage site

This event is for adults 18 years and over only, except children under age one who are not yet mobile and are in a baby carrier.

Sunday Producers Market & Brunch

Join the final festivity for FOOD Week 2024! Come to one of Orange’s most spectacular settings in Cook Park to enjoy brunch prepared by well-known cooks and producers. Stroll the market to meet and greet with the producers, taste and purchase their local produce to take home.

Visit the FOOD headquarters tent and grab your lucky tickets to the Producers Hamper raffle – drawn at 11am.

This is a free event so gather your family and friends for a perfect Sunday morning outing.

Getting There

Orange F.O.O.D Week will be held at various venues around the township of Orange, so check out the program for the full list of events, locations, and times. Orange is just a 3.5-hour drive from Sydney and is well-serviced by rail and bus. A local airport even provides one-hour direct daily flights from Sydney.