East Gippsland Winter Festival is bringing Victoria’s far east to life with a month-long program of pop-up events, winter feasts, lantern parades, wellness experiences and much more.
The East Gippsland Winter Festival is the perfect antidote to your winter blues, bringing a cavalcade of light, food, music, art and culture to one of Australia’s most beautiful regions.
Running until 9 July, the festival is now in its third iteration and has grown in leaps and bounds since its inauguration following the Black Summer Bushfires.
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The rave reception is due to its variety, there are few festivals that better meld East Gippsland’s stunning natural assets with a smorgasbord of art and music.
You can expect a rail-trail ride with food, art and music along the way, on-foot high country adventures, projection art that augments reality, live music in unexpected places, wellness experiences overlooking lakes, long lunches and winter feasts in spectacular locations, beautiful hand-made lanterns and similar decorations, creative hands-on workshops and more.
The recently-opened Metung Hot Springs will also host a series of wellness-inspired events throughout the festival including an Essential Oil Distilling Masterclass, Winter Night Sky Mediation and Bathe, Hot Springs Yoga and more – the perfect place to warm up this winter.
There is so much happening it’s impossible to do the full program justice, but here are a few of our highlights regardless.
Art exhibitions and events
The Winter Light exhibition is a stunning visual array of lanterns and lighting that runs for the festival period, but dazzles in a glittering celebration on June 30.
There will also be the festival-favourite live ice carving performance, which goes perfectly with fire-breathing and juggling displays. Likewise, the Medieval Fire Festival will be staged on June 24 and the Lakes Lights comes to Lake Entrance on July 1, while Light Up Orbost will be staged on July 8.
The Phoenix Trail also offers a free trail of art galleries and open studios happening between Omeo and Mallacoota for the entire festival period.
Concerts and shows
Deep in the Weeds Festival brings the likes of C.W. Stoneking to Sailor’s Grave Brewing on June 10, there’ll also be local and live busking throughout the month.
There’ll also be big-name comedy acts coming to the region as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival roadshow, plus a high-energy theatrical production from The Sunshine Club, and a street party at Laneway 3875.
The Merindas come to Bruthen Music Cafe on June 16, there’ll be a gold-rush celebrating performance from Celtic band Mollimor, a black-light disco, a flute and piano concert in a stunning hall, cave songs, a bush dance, live orchestral performances, and a special local music showcase called Songs in the East, just to mention a few.
Food and drink
The aforementioned Rail Trail Ride is a superb way to discover the region’s natural beauty and renowned gastronomy in an afternoon, but there will also be winter markets, plenty of open cellars and vineyard festivals, and a plethora of workshops. Some of the highlights will be how to construct your own wood-fire pizza oven (plus another workshop devoted to cooking and eating them!), as well as workshops on mushrooms, pear-tart tatins, sourdough making and more.
There’ll also be a shearing shed lamb feast, a duck and pinot dinner, a Tambo Valley degustation, a Winter Seafood Feastival, gin-infused yoga sessions – just one of the many yoga and meditation activities on offer – and much, much more.
One of the undoubted highlights will be a Long Table Lunch on the awe-inspiring Nicholson River trestle bridge.
Walks and wellness
From Koala Island night tours to sunrise bathes and breakfasts, East Gippsland is first and foremost a stunningly lush region just begging to be discovered this time of year.
There will be camping under the stars at Echo Beach, a Milky Way boat cruise, Ocean Entrance nature walks, a self-care immersion by candlelight, night-sky meditations and so much more.
You can also expect sunrise solstice swims or hot springs yoga, plus The Great Dragonfly Race, featuring two skiffs setting off on a moonlight meander. There’s never been a better time to discover the natural wonders in your own backyard.
The festival runs between June 9 and July 9 across East Gippsland. View the full East Gippsland Winter Festival program here.
This article was made in partnership with East Gippsland Winter Festival.
