We’re big fans of Newcastle at Time Out. Located a little over two hours north of Sydney, the seaside city boasts pumping surf and pristine ocean pools – including the largest in the Southern Hemisphere – and a vibrant township, minus the traffic. The region is the birthplace of some seriously talented chefs (hello, Josh Niland and Brett Graham), and boasts a cracking food and wine scene. It’s also home to Newcastle Food Month – a month-long celebration of the best things in life: great food, booze and your people. The good news? Newcastle Food Month is returning for its fifth year, with the festival kicking off April 1. If it’s been a while between visits – or if you’re due for a weekend getaway – Newy this April is where it's at.
This year’s festival will feature more than 80 local venues – including Time Out favourites Arno Deli, Humbug, Flotilla, Frenchie and Alfie’s Italian – spanning newcomers like old-school cocktail bar Roxanne and old faithfuls like on-the-water Scratchleys. More than 70 feature events will come to life throughout April, from fun-loving street parties to boozy long lunches, as well as 50 plate dates. Not sure what we’re on about? Plate date is where Newcastle’s cafés, restaurants and bars put their best foot forward, offering brekkie, lunch or dinner and a drink for $30. It’s a fab way to tick off the places on your hit list, and revisit the OGs, all while doing a food tour of Newcastle. And if you don't feel like cooking for the month (and doing the dishes), you can do that too.
Event Organiser Louise Maher said: “Over the past four years, we have enticed thousands of Novocastrians to dine out in our fabulous restaurants, and this will continue, as will our reach, so that we attract more and more diners from outside our city.
It was always our aim to create what will become known as the most significant regional Food Festival in New South Wales, and we can pretty confidently say that as we approach year five of Newcastle Food Month, we will achieve this,” she added.
Need somewhere to stay? Newcastle’s first five-star hotel Crystalbrook Kingsley, centrally located on King Street, has a fab offer running for April. Two guests can enjoy an overnight stay from $329 per night, as well as complimentary breakfast at the on-site restaurant, Roundhouse, two cocktails featuring Earp Distilling Co spirits, a DIY gilda kit from Arno Deli (drool), and a bottle of First Creek ‘Botanica’ sparkling wine. Now that sounds like a bloody good deal to us.
Find out more about Newcastle Food Month here.
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