- Thursday 1 May to Sunday 4 May 2025
- New regional custodianship by Australia’s South West and destination event management by AHOY Management
- Running in a new 4-day format, the festival will feature a curated lineup of event experiences
The Great Southern’s food and wine festival, Taste Great Southern, is set to return in May 2025 under new management, with a fresh new look and the aim to re-establish itself as a premier culinary destination event in WA’s event calendar.
Under new regional custodianship by Regional Tourism Organisation, Australia’s South West, and management by destination event specialists AHOY Management, the 2025 festival will be revamped and rebranded to embody the wild spirit of the Great Southern while celebrating the region’s local talent, unique cultural heritage, premium produce, and rugged beauty.
Running in a new 4-day format from Thursday 1 May to Sunday 4 May, the festival program will be brimming with experiences that will leave people spoilt for choice.
Engaging local communities and businesses to offer exceptional culinary experiences is a key focus for the festival, with plans to provide opportunities for regional talent to shine and highlight local artisans and producers. Feedback from stakeholders has shaped the festival’s new direction, ensuring it continues to evolve and support the local economy. The festival is poised to play an essential role in driving regional economic development by attracting visitors, enhancing local spending, and fostering community engagement.
Albany and Denmark will serve as the main hubs, along with interactive town takeovers designed to encourage visitors to explore the hidden gems like Mt Barker, Porongurup, Frankland River, and Katanning.
The festival will feature a curated lineup of events including premium experiences in iconic locations, a journey through the vines in Denmark, chef collaborations, wine masterclasses, premium produce pop-ups and more – all aimed at showcasing local businesses and the pristine region.
Taste Great Southern 2025 – 2027 is proudly supported by the WA Government through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program, which is funded by Royalties for Regions.
WA Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Rita Saffioti MLA, said Taste Great Southern has been an important festival on the state’s culinary events calendar for over 20 years and has given local hospitality businesses and tourism operators an economic boost and unique platform to showcase the world-class food and wine coming from their region.
Comments attributed to Tourism Minister, Rita Saffioti:
“This well-established event plays a significant role in driving visitors to the region and we’re very proud to be supporting it for three more years through this new agreement,” said Minister Saffioti.
“Taste Great Southern is the perfect event to centre a self-drive holiday around, and I encourage travellers to hit the road next May to explore the wider region, before heading along to this great event.”
Australia’s South West will serve as the regional custodian of Taste Great Southern and is collaborating with the experienced event management company, AHOY Management, to deliver the festival for a three-year period, from 2025 to 2027. Together, Australia’s South West and AHOY Management will focus on maximising the event’s impact and outcomes for the Great Southern region.
Comments attributed to Regional Development Minister, Don Punch:
“Food fans and wine-lovers will be spoilt for choice as talented chefs and local producers showcase the very best of what the Great Southern region has to offer over four days at next year’s Taste Great Southern.
“Events are vital for supporting and diversifying our regional economies, so we’re very proud to be supporting Taste Great Southern for a further three years, which will drive benefits for a broad range of local businesses, from farms to wineries, and create jobs for the local community.”
Visit https://tastegreatsouthern.com.au/
-ENDS-
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Australia’s South West is the peak tourism body representing Western Australia’s South West region, encompassing Bunbury Geographe, the Margaret River Region, the Southern Forests and Valleys, and the Great Southern.
Working collaboratively with Tourism Western Australia, regional partners, and our network of passionate tourism operators, our role in destination management is to drive growth of the visitor economy through innovative marketing, sustainable destination development, and industry engagement.
AHOY Management are a Western Australian Destination Event Management company, who run Cabin Fever Festival in the Margaret River region, Subi Spritz in Subiaco and are on the event delivery team for Pair’d Margaret River region
For media enquiries and images, contact:
Erin Molloy
Ph: 0404 073 580
E: erin@ahoymanagement.com