The Melbourne International Dumpling Festival is back at Queen Victoria Market this November with dumplings from every corner of the globe.
Every great cuisine has its own parcel of joy, and the Melbourne International Dumpling Festival wants you tasting them all.
Returning to Queen Victoria Market after seven years away, the Melbourne International Dumpling Festival takes over the sheds on 2 November, running from midday until 10pm with free entry for anyone who registers online.
The premise is simple and irresistible: travel the world by dumpling and settle, once and for all, which nation folds the finest. On offer is a spread that spans continents, from xiao long bao and gyoza to mandoo, pierogi, khinkali, pelmeni, manti, momo, matzah balls and ravioli, with countless other pleated and steamed cousins in the mix.
Melbourne International Dumpling Festival
- Queen Victoria Market, 513 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
- 2 November, 12pm to 10pm
- Free entry with online registration
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The timing is no accident. Landing on Melbourne Cup Eve, the festival hands the city a reason to gather the night before the race that stops the nation, trading fascinators and form guides for a paper plate piled high with dough. Pitched as the only event in the country given over entirely to dumplings, it last ran in Melbourne back in 2019, so this comeback has been seven years in the making.
Queen Victoria Market’s historic sheds will host the whole thing across a single 10-hour stretch, with doors from midday and the last parcels served at 10pm. It’s an all-ages affair, so the entire household can tag along, and paid parking is on hand for anyone driving in. Wander the stalls, follow the queues and let your nose do the navigating.
Since entry is free and hinges on online registration, it pays to lock in your spot before you turn up. Bring an appetite, sensible shoes and a loose plan of attack, because working through this many dumpling styles in a single afternoon and evening is no small undertaking, and the best stalls have a habit of selling out.
For more information, head here.
