Over 100 events, culinary heavyweights and floating cinemas set to transform the region into Victoria’s coolest winter wonderland.
The 2026 East Gippsland Winter Festival program has dropped and it’s already screaming sell-out.
Running from 19 June to 19 July, the month-long celebration has evolved from a post-bushfire community response into one of regional Australia’s must-do cultural events, blending art, music, Indigenous storytelling, and seriously next-level food and drink experiences across the shire from Glenaladale to Mallacoota.
East Gippsland Winter Festival
- 19 June to 19 July 2026
- East Gippsland Shire
- Over 100 events
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
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This year’s program leans hard into the whimsical and the mouth-watering, with fresh additions sitting alongside returning favourites.
Think intimate igloo dining, Scottish hooch festivals, fire-cooked feasts and circus cabaret built exclusively for grown-ups. If previous years are anything to go by, tickets for the headline events will vanish faster than a Lakes Entrance winter sunset.
Standouts include the opening Nicholson River Trestle Bridge Long Lunch on 19 June, a scenic, live-music soaked affair that reliably sells out for good reason.
The following day brings Inverno Part III at Sodafish in Lakes Entrance, where Melbourne legend Guy Grossi teams up with local chef Nick Mahlook for another intimate winter lunch that’s become regional Victoria’s worst-kept secret.
Later in the month, Primal hits The Forge Theatre in Bairnsdale (26–27 June) with a raunchy, hilarious and high-skill circus-cabaret experience strictly for adults.
On the same weekend, Saltwater X Bones – Mud n Margs promises clay play, bottomless margaritas and tacos, while Floating Cinema Night at Idle Lake House screens cult classic Point Break on the water under the stars.
Metung’s Igloo Dining Experience (27 June) offers intimate, heated shelter with local wines and bay views, and the Get Cracking Seafood Boil at Paynesville Hotel invites punters to roll up their sleeves for a messy, high-energy feast.
By early July the temperature keeps dropping and the vibes keep rising with the Riversleigh Winter Masquerade Ball (10 July) at the historic Bairnsdale hotel, followed by Embers & Ales with River Cottage Australia’s Paul West at Sailor’s Grave in Marlo (11 July).
The program also spotlights cultural connection through the Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place Twilight Tours and closes on 18 July with That’s A (Festival) Wrap featuring high-octane Blues, Roots & Rock trio 19-Twenty at Paynesville Hotel.
Festival founder Adam Bloem reflected on the event’s growth: “Reaching our sixth year is a significant milestone. Thanks to the incredible contributions of so many, the East Gippsland Winter Festival has grown into a flagship event driving visitation, supporting local businesses and artists, and fostering joy and community resilience.
With glowing events, fireside feasts and creative surprises at every turn, the 2026 program is a clear invitation to rug up and experience exactly how winter’s done in East Gippsland.
Full program and tickets here.
