The Taste

Hobart's Waterfront Festival

A photo of the Taste Festival in full swing

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The Hobart Summer Festival (HSF) has been Tasmania's premier summer event, offering many diverse activities and events based in and around the historic Sullivans Cove.

The Taste of Tasmania (The Taste), established in 1988, has been a major event within the HSF program and has comprised a week of activities showcasing some of Tasmania's best food, finest wine and beverages.

The 2008/2009 Festival promises to bring many new concepts and ideas. The Hobart Summer Festival will be merged with The Taste to become the Taste - Hobart's Waterfront Festival.

New Initiatives and New Opportunities

Festival Club

This year brings an exciting new addition to The Festival, 'The Taste Festival Club'. It is proposed that the Club (formally the Festival Café) will host nightly ticketed events throughout the Festival; these may include, however not limited to; a Jazz night, a Slow Food night, or an Italian 'Sagre' night, a Latin Night or a Morrocan tagine feast. Tickets may vary from a small entrance fee for the entertainment to an all inclusive catered cost, depending on the night.

As well as a bar and coffee and dessert stall, the Club will have its own fully functional kitchen, which will cater for the Club each night; with a menu closely aligned with the theme or type of event. For three or four nights the Club will also have extended opening hours operating as a late night ticketed venue after the Shed is closed.

During the day it will continue to be open free to the general public and will double as the venue for the food and beverage theatre presentations.

Food and Beverage Theatre

Located within the Festival Club's fully functional display kitchen the food and beverage theatre will be programmed daily with a variety of activities and displays; ranging from stallholder demonstrations and tastings, interactive cooking displays for children, emerging chef demonstrations, an apprentice showdown and high profile 'celebrity chef' appearances.

With huge projector screens within the Shed also displaying the presentations, the Theatre provides considerable promotional opportunities for stalls, produce and provenance awareness and products, and provides an opportunity for a fun and interactive education program.

Stallholder Information Workshop

A free workshop will be available to all those interested in having a food and/or beverage stall at the Taste Festival, to provide detailed information on this year's event and the overall Festival concept, including the new initiatives and opportunities as well as the new procedures and guidelines for stallholders.

This information will assist in the application process, advise what can be expected at the event this year, and most importantly how the Taste Festival can benefit you, your business and your products. Council staff will also actively attempt to partner producers with restaurants and food and beverage stall operators and others to develop new stalls, if requested.

Date Time Venue
Thursday, 12 June 2008 11:00am Waterside Pavillion, Mawson Place, Hobart

To register your interest in attending the information session, phone Council on (03) 6238 2100

Contact Details

For further information on the Taste Festival please email info@tastefestival.com.au or phone (03) 6238 2100.

To become involved fill in an expression of interest online.