Scenic Rim Regional Council, Media Release, 18 June 2026
Ready, Set, Esky: Scenic Rim Eat Local Month’s much-loved Winter Harvest Festival returns to Kalbar on Saturday 27 June, bringing together the region’s farmers, growers, producers, Food Ambassador chefs and artisans for one unforgettable day of food, farming and country hospitality.
As the signature finale to Australia’s most authentic paddock-to-plate celebration, the festival transforms the town of Kalbar into a vibrant showcase of everything that makes the Scenic Rim one of the country’s richest food bowls. Visitors can meet the people behind their food, taste produce at its seasonal peak, sip award-winning local beer, wine and spirits, watch cooking demonstrations from renowned chefs and experience firsthand the stories, traditions and innovation driving Australian agriculture.
Part food festival, part farm-gate adventure, Winter Harvest Festival offers a unique experience for family and friends to connect with the land, learn where their food comes from and enjoy a day filled with flavours, entertainment and hands-on experiences.
More than 50 local producers and makers fill the streets with fresh produce, gourmet treats and artisan products, while crowd-favourite attractions including the world-famous Tractor Pull, carrot tossing and Moffatt Fresh Produce’s legendary carrot ice cream return alongside a host of new workshops, experiences and culinary discoveries.
It’s the ultimate opportunity to fill up your esky and pantry straight from the source. Flavour highlights include Valley Pride Produce’s homemade jams and relishes and The Drunken Farmhand’s colourful range of pickled produce and cult-favourite Chilli Pineapple sauce.
New to this year’s festival, 4Real Milk showcases a line-up of artisan cheeses including triple cream brie, camembert, feta, haloumi and ready-to-eat cheese plates. Ungermann Brothers will also serve up gourmet ice cream, featuring Scenic Rim finger lime alongside exclusive Winter Harvest Festival flavours such as pumpkin spice latte and sweetcorn with candied bacon.
At the Ginger & Bean Coffee Caravan, festival-goers can try the Honeycomb Freddo latte made with honey and honeycomb from Olive View Estate, or a fragrant Lemon Myrtle tea. Scenic Rim’s family-owned bakery Arthur Clive’s Bakehouse will serve their renowned pies, while Iron Hills Meadery offers handcrafted mead made from local Scenic Rim honey.
Extend the celebration across the weekend
Flavour fans can tip their hat to the trailblazers of the Scenic Rim who fed their families long before Uber Eats was around at A Celebration of Lost Culinary Arts, a special activation at Winter Harvest festival held in the historic Kalbar School of Arts & Memorial Hall. Learn the art of canning, pickling, and preserving – plus stock up on enough jams, marmalades, and chutneys to make your pantry pop. Recipes, traditional techniques and culinary secrets handed down over generations will be shared in this truly wonderful celebration.
As the sun goes down, the celebrations continue with Saturday night’s Harvest Hoedown featuring country music stars Riley Ziskey, Laura Frank, Jacynta’lee, DJ Desert Rose. Don’t forget to dust your boots off and hit the dance floor for an unforgettable night of live music and line dancing!
On Sunday, get your hands dirty picking produce with fifth-generation farmers at Valley Pride Produce, enjoy a Tour, Taste and Camel Encounter at Summer Land Camels, indulge in Chocolate, Cheese and Wine in the Vineyard at Bunjurgen Estate, or relax with O’Reilly’s Artisan Picnic and Alpaca Experience.
Visitors can make a winter weekend of it with cosy glamping Kalbar Showgrounds. Stay close to the action in a fully equipped, heated bell tent featuring plush bedding, power, and all the creature comforts of a countryside escape. It’s the ultimate family weekend or getaway with friends!
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said the Crisafulli Government was proud to support Eat Local Month and the Winter Harvest Festival, which continued to deliver strong benefits for the Scenic Rim and Queensland.
“Eat Local Month continues to go from strength to strength, attracting thousands of visitors to the Scenic Rim and generating an estimated $2.4 million for Queensland’s economy.”
“The Crisafulli Government is proud to support events like the Winter Harvest Festival because they showcase the very best of regional Queensland, support local producers and encourage visitors to explore more of our State.”
Scenic Rim Mayor Tom Sharp said Eat Local Month offers members of the local community and visitors of all ages, backgrounds and tastes to enjoy Australia’s most authentic paddock-to-plate experience against the backdrop of the region’s outstanding natural environment and fertile farmland.
“The Winter Harvest Festival brings all of this together in a superb celebration of our region and its growers, producers and flavour-makers,” he said.
“While growers have traditionally taken their product to market, increasingly we are seeing consumers wanting a closer connection and buying directly from the source.
“The Winter Harvest Festival continues to grow an appreciation of quality produce and the efforts of those who put food on our tables.”
Here’s what you need to know
- Market Stalls to fill your belly and your esky!
Wander through more than 50 stalls showcasing the very best of the Scenic Rim, with freshly picked produce, pasture-raised meats, artisan dairy, flowers, pantry staples, small-batch condiments, sweet treats and handcrafted goods – all grown, made or crafted within the region.
Alongside the market stalls, festival-goers can enjoy wood-fired pizzas, gourmet pastries, freshly barbecued Kalfresh sweet corn, local baked goods, coffee carts, boutique wines, locally brewed beers, artisan spirits and handcrafted mead – a true celebration of the people who grow, raise, bake, brew and craft the region’s food identity.
- Demonstrations, workshops and more
The Homestead Kitchen Stage presented by Moffatt Fresh Produce will host Ambassador Chefs Josue Lopez, Javier Codina, Jake Nicolson and Caz Osborne as well as guest producers. Beyond the kitchen action, there’s workshops led by local artisans and producers including Elderflower Farm, The Drunken Farmhand and Tamborine Mountain Distillery, offering everything from edible flower cookie decorating and line dancing to pickles, pairings, botanical spirits tastings and farmgate storytelling. At the ABC Producer Stage Loretta Ryan will host sessions with Vanbery Jam Co, Heritage Poultry, Wilde Foods, The Butcher Co, the sixth generation Tommerup’s Dairy Farm and more.
- Tractor Pull: a battle for the ages (and bragging rights!)
At the world-famous Tractor Pull, presented by Community Bank Kalbar, who’s got the muscle to wrestle a 10-tonne Kubota tractor across the finish line? Local butchers, farmers, Australian Defence Force and Council teams are all vying for the title. Bring your loudest cheer and witness the epic showdown – winner takes home cash for their local community group!
- A Celebration of Lost Culinary Arts presented by 612 ABC Radio Brisbane
Learn the art of bottling, pickling, and preserving, plus stock up on enough jams, marmalades, and chutneys to fill your pantry at the Kalbar School of Arts & Memorial Hall. Hosted by Craig Zonca, Loretta Ryan and Alison Alexander from 612 ABC Radio together with Sally Peach, this free event invites guests to explore traditional skills through live demonstrations and a selection of market stalls – honouring the resilience and culinary ingenuity that filled pantries and fed families long before fridges and supermarkets.
- A country-style Devonshire Tea and sandwiches!
A country-style Devonshire Tea and sandwiches will be served in the garden outside the Kalbar School of Arts & Memorial Hall, hosted by the Kalbar Progress Association. Adding to the winter warmth, the Queensland Country Women’s Association will bring their much-loved homemade pumpkin soup. It’s the perfect place to pause, sit back and soak up a little winter sunshine.
- Fun for the Littlies (and the big kids!)
Little farmers-in-the-making can explore the Allclass Kubota Tractor Play Area with life-sized tractors, machinery and pedal-powered equipment, before diving into farm-themed activities with playdough, carrot lacing and a flower planting sensory table. Families can also get hands-on with carrot tossing, junior tractor pulling, farm animal cuddles at the Heritage Farm Animal Nursery, face painting, garden games, line dancing, and so much more!
- Supporting Farm Angels
Supporting our farmers has never been more important – purchase a Winter Harvest Festival hemp or cooler bag on the day or when you book. $2 from every sale goes to Farm Angels who provide practical, financial, mental health and wellbeing support to farming families when they need it most.
Grab your mates, your kids, and your appetite – and get ready for the ultimate celebration of local harvest, country hospitality, and a day that’s as fresh and flavourful as the Scenic Rim itself.
Scenic Rim Eat Local Month is proudly presented by Scenic Rim Regional Council, with support from: major partners Moffatt Fresh Produce and CamperMate, supporting partners Kalfresh Vegetables, Urban Utilities, Community Bank Kalbar and District, Brisbane Economic Development Agency, Allclass Kubota, Queensland Hire and 612 ABC Radio Brisbane. The event is also supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Destination Events Program.
