Image credit: Duy Dash
This November, Rundle Park is set to be the cheese capital of Australia as it hosts one of the most popular festivals on South Australia’s calendar, CheeseFest 2023.
Taking place on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of November, this favourite festival that’s dedicated to the creamy, dreamy and sometimes zesty world of cheese isn’t one just for the curd nerds. It’s a weekend that features some of the country’s finest food and drink creators, including winemakers, brewers, distillers, food producers and our restaurants’ top chefs.
CheeseFest Director and Cheese Maker Kris Lloyd AM, who took inspiration from her travels and globe-trotting cheese adventures, is looking forward to this year’s event after a tough couple of years. ‘We’re super excited to come back this year and host our festival without the restrictions of the pandemic in both 2020 and 2021, and following the torrential rain we experienced at last year’s Cheese Fest in Rymill Park’, says Kris.
‘We’re quite proud that despite all the challenges of the previous years, we’ve never skipped a year, and that we’ve been able to keep it alive and bring back that great community spirit of the festival that everyone knows and loves.’
Launching CheeseFest 18 years ago at the back of the McLaren Vale Visitors Centre, Kris envisioned a space to properly toast the cheese makers and their delectable crafts In Australia. ‘We started off with 800 people attending the first CheeseFest, and at the time, I thought that was great, but looking back, it feels like that was a school fete compared to how big the festival has grown,’ says Kris.
‘I want to celebrate the passion of cheese makers and the skill and fine cheeses they produce,’ says Kris. ‘I can’t think of a better way to do that than to have a festival where we can celebrate the power of cheese together, and it’s a great way for people to get behind both local and national producers as well.’
The CheeseFest weekend promises a good time for all that attend, with lots of tastings, masterclasses and live entertainment. ‘We invite national cheese makers to be a part of CheeseFest, but we also represent every region in South Australia, whether it be through cheese, food, wine, beer or gin’, says Kris.
‘It’s a great way for people to explore flavours that they haven’t tried before but also to learn and connect with the fabulous producers and chefs directly, as many of them are on-site for the entire weekend.’
Some of the wonderful personalities who are set to be a part of this year’s CheeseFest include Africola head chef Duncan Welgemoed who’ll be creating a smoked raclette (amongst other tasty treats), and renowned chef Paul Baker who’s serving up a loaded mac & cheese.
And if you’re wondering what drinks will be poured during CheeseFest?
‘We have Prohibition Gin, Never Never and Three Fold Distillery bringing the gin, wines from Coriole, Woodstock and Heart of the Barossa, beers from Swell Brewing and Pikes, along with Ambra Liquer’s delicious limoncello, says Kris.
With a lineup of local South Aussie entertainment that’s set to be announced soon, there really is something for everyone, whether you want to kick back with a platter in the chilled vibe picnic area or have a bit of a boogie with friends, a glass of vino in hand.
‘We’re all about supporting local SA artists and providing them with a platform to do what they love,’ says Kris. ‘We’ve had it that way for the past 3 years, and we’re proud to continue that tradition.’
CheeseFest is set to showcase the most brie-lliant Aussie cheeses in a chilled and laidback setting right in the midst of the Adelaide spring season and is set to be a melting pot (or, should we say, fondue pot?) of the finest flavours and culinary personalities Australia has to offer.
So, if you’re already daydreaming about melted raclette over crispy potatoes or a blue cheese drizzled with honey, you’ll be pleased to know that tickets are available now via the CheeseFest website and are selling as quickly as you can say ‘Camembert!’.
‘Kids are welcome, with free entry for children under 12, and people have the option of purchasing a single day or a weekend pass,’ says Kris. ‘It’s a very inclusive atmosphere, everyone is welcome, and there’ll be a fantastic variety of stall holders there all weekend to provide the perfect balance throughout the festival.’
So, grab your friends, family or that one workmate who stands by the team grazing table to steal all the cheese, and book your tickets for this year’s CheeseFest. With gates opening at 11 am, it’s a great family day out or the perfect weekend sesh in the sun. In the world of food festivals, CheeseFest 2023 is definitely the big cheese!
Where: CheeseFest 2023, Rundle Park (Kadlitpina), Adelaide, SA 5000.
When: Saturday, November 18th, 11 am-8 pm and Sunday, November 19th, 11 am-6 pm.
Tickets and more info: Click here.
