Photo gallery: Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival 2023

Published 4:00pm 7 August 2023

Planning for next year’s Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival has already started after a massive three-day event at Woody Point, which attracted about 20,000 people.

The festival, which ran from August 4-6 at Apex Park, was a chance to watch live cooking demonstrations, rub shoulders with celebrity chefs, listen to live music and sample the delights of the City of Moreton Bay’s amazing food bowl.

Apex Park at Woody Point, on the Redcliffe Peninsula, was transformed into multiple dining, drinking and shopping precincts and featured a big program of celebrity chefs including Miguel Maestre, Poh Ling Yeow, Alastair McLeod, Kim McCosker and Dominique Rizzo.

Check out the photo gallery at the end of this story

Moreton Bay City Council Mayor Peter Flannery says the crowd numbers speak for themselves.

“Three days of sold-out activities with capacity crowds celebrating the food and lifestyle we love here in Moreton Bay is the perfect postcard for our region city,” Mayor Flannery says.

“But more importantly to me was the number of locals I bumped into in the festival precinct, who were discovering the postcard-perfect setting of Woody Point for the first time.

“Moreton Bay’s billion-dollar tourism industry is on the rise, with 4.3 million visitors coming here annually which is more than double the total visitor numbers to Noosa.

“But events aren’t just important to our economy, they bring vibrancy to suburbs across City of Moreton Bay and give residents a reason to see the beauty we have here in our own backyard.”

Cr Karl Winchester (Div 6) says the weather Gods smiled on the Peninsula.

“The weather was glorious, Woody Point’s famous sunsets were on point, and the rain had the decency to wait until Monday which was a real blessing,” he says.

“This event goes from success-to-success year-on-year, so much so that Spanish celebrity chef Miguel Maestre was openly telling anyone who’d listen that this is his favourite place to cook.

“I’d love to hear from residents who went a long about any suggestions they have on things we could include to make the festival even more successful, because I see this event becoming a national tourism drawcard.”

Big success

Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT) CEO Natassia Wheeler says Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival 2023 was a resounding success providing, not only, a great event for locals and visitors but also an economic benefit that would extend well beyond the event itself.

“An event of this calibre attracts attention from across Queensland but also interstate. We know it will prompt increased visitation to the City of Moreton Bay in the months ahead. It also gives local producers and suppliers a significant exposure and a boost in trade,” she says.

“I’d like to personally thank the MBRIT team for their hard work and vision in delivering an event which would rival foodie festivals around the world. It truly was first-class, offering an insight into what out part of the world has to offer.

“I’d also like to thank our event partners for their support. Without them, we could not deliver such a high-quality event.”

Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival was delivered by Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism, with the support of key strategic partners, Moreton Bay Regional Council and Tourism and Events Queensland.

The event was supported by the State Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and featured on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.