Previously postponed Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is finally cancelled for 2021

Less than a month after postponing its winter program to October, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival announced today that the program would not be going ahead in 2021, nor would a planned November festival in regional Victoria.

"We rescheduled the Festival twice this year to try and find a place on the calendar where we can run the event safely and with some certainty but these plans are no longer workable in the current environment," said CEO Anthea Loucas Bosha in a statement.

The festival's winter edition was to feature events in restaurants around Melbourne, collaborations between interstate and local chefs, and a handful of high capacity events at Queen Victoria Market. Originally slated for 20 to 29 August, all events were moved to early October in response to Victoria's current lockdown, which commenced on 5 August.

"We are devastated, naturally – the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is here to support and celebrate the food and drink community of this city.

Now, Loucas Bosha and her team are looking ahead to events in 2022, which will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Festival. During that time, the event has staged an annual "world's longest lunch" in locations including Lygon Street, attracted international talent such as David Chang, Massimo Bottura and Heston Blumenthal, and partnered with the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards held in Melbourne in 2017.

"We very much look forward to raising a glass with everyone to celebrate what will be the 30th anniversary of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival," Loucas Bosha said.

melbournefoodandwine.com.au