Orange F.O.O.D Week – Australia’s longest-running regional food festival

Will be held from Friday 6 to Sunday 15 April 2018 in the Central West region of New South Wales. Just a 3.5 hour drive from Sydney or Canberra, Orange is also accessible by air from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Now in its 27th year, Orange F.O.O.D Week has been recognised as one of New South Wales’ most significant tourism events as a finalist in the 2017 NSW Tourism Awards, and has secured its position as one of Australia’s most loved food and wine festivals.
President of Orange F.O.O.D Week, James Sweetapple says: “What started out as a passionate idea amongst a small group of dedicated local foodies to promote the region’s incredible diversity of produce and talent, has taken a quantum leap in the last decade. Orange F.O.O.D Week has evolved over the years into a significant platform for the elevation of tourism to the Orange region and its surrounding districts of Cabonne and Blayney, and the positive flow-on benefits to the local economy have been indicative of its success.”
Sustainability is at the heart of the Orange region’s producers and vignerons, and in 2017 the Orange F.O.O.D Week organising committee implemented an event sustainability management system for the festival, in accordance with ISO 20121 and in line with the ethos of the United Nation’s ‘International Year of Sustainable Tourism’.
“Here in the Orange region we work with the rhythm of the seasons, and believe we have a duty to protect, restore and regenerate our land ready for the next generation of producers and winegrowers. We also aim to ensure that Orange F.O.O.D Week grows sustainably and continues to contribute to the region year-round and open it up to both Australia-wide and international visitors in the foreseeable future,” adds James.
With the Orange region now renowned as one of Australia’s leading cool climate wine growing regions, Orange F.O.O.D Week is an annual celebration of the produce and wine of the region held in April at harvest time.

“Every year, Orange F.O.O.D Week is an opportunity for residents to share with our visitors and guests the abundance of our local produce, in a vibrant atmosphere where producers are literally bringing in the bounty straight from the farm gate to the table,” continues James.
“However, we’re not limited just to a two-week festival at harvest time as every week is food and wine week in the Orange region. We would encourage and welcome visitors to return and savour our four very distinct seasons, more than 50 restaurants and cafes, and over 40 cellar doors at any time of the year.”
Orange F.O.O.D Week signature events such as the F.O.O.D Train, FORAGE and the Autumn Grazing Dinner in Blayney now sell out well before the festival, with the 1,500 tickets to FORAGE being sold out last year within the first 15 minutes of going on sale to the public.
Savvy festival-goers become Friends of F.O.O.D members to gain exclusive access to pre-sale tickets for the festival’s signature events. Members will receive a monthly e:newsletter with updates on the Orange region’s food and wine events throughout the year, because every week is food and wine week in the Orange region.
To sign up as a Friend of F.O.O.D visit:
www.orangefoodweek.com.au