(May 24, 2026) The 2026 East Gippsland Winter Festival program is now officially LIVE. If previous years are any indication, tickets won’t last long! The month-long festival has quickly become one of Australia’s  premier regional events, transforming the region into a luminous playground of art, food, music, culture, and creativity - inviting visitors to embrace the chill and celebrate the season.

Running from 19 June to 19 July, the festival program features over 100 glowing events across the East Gippsland Shire, from Glenaladale to Mallacoota and everywhere in between. Tickets are now on sale for highly anticipated highlights including the Nicholson River Trestle Bridge Long Lunch, provocative circus performance Primal, Paynesville Pub’s Pour Decisions Brunch Club, the Lightfoot Wines X Tinamba Hotel Degustation, and Guy Grossi’s Inverno Part III at Sodafish.

Exciting newcomers to the program in 2026 include the High Country Hooch Scottish Festival, Idle Lake House’s Floating Cinema, Metung’s exclusive Igloo Dining Experience and Paul West’s (River Cottage Australia) Ember and Ales Feast at Sailor’s Grave’s Dunetown.

Here’s just a teaser of some of the incredible events you’ll need to grab your tickets for fast:

● Nicholson River Trestle Bridge Long Lunch

19 June: Nicholson – this unforgettable long lunch marks the opening of the 2026 East Gippsland Winter Festival. With its breathtaking setting, live music, exceptional food, and relaxed atmosphere, the Nicholson River Trestle Bridge Lunch is one of the most sought-after events every year!

● Inverno - Part III

20 June: Sodafish, Lakes Entrance –  bringing together celebrated Melbourne restaurateur and chef Guy Grossi and Sodafish owner and chef Nick Mahlook for the third instalment of this sell-out, intimate winter lunch that has quietly become one of regional Victoria’s most anticipated culinary collaborations. 

● Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place Twilight Tours 25 June, 2, 9, 16 July: Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place, Bairnsdale – an immersive evening at the Keeping Place in Bairnsdale where visitors are invited to connect with local Indigenous culture, stories, and Country, as day turns to night. Led by local cultural leaders, guests are led through the cultural-hub sharing knowledge, artefacts, and lived histories in a respectful and engaging way. 

● Saltwater X Bones – Mud n Margs 26 June: The Saltwater Creative Co., Lakes Entrance – Start with a 30-minute wheel throwing taster, then enjoy bottomless hand-building clay play to create your own masterpiece to keep. Meanwhile, the crew from Bones will be keeping things flowing with margaritas and a bottomless taco feast. 

● Primal 26, 27 June: The Forge Theatre, Bairnsdale – Dive into a thrilling, sexy, and hilarious circus experience designed exclusively for adults. Primal showcases Australia’s top circus and cabaret talents in a wild ride of breathtaking acrobatics, dazzling cabaret, and electrifying dance.  bringing together celebrated Melbourne restaurateur and chef Guy Grossi and Sodafish owner and chef Nick Mahlook for the third instalment of this sell-out, intimate winter lunch that has quietly become one of regional Victoria’s most anticipated culinary collaborations. 

● Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place Twilight Tours 25 June, 2, 9, 16 July: Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place, Bairnsdale – an immersive evening at the Keeping Place in Bairnsdale where visitors are invited to connect with local Indigenous culture, stories, and Country, as day turns to night. Led by local cultural leaders, guests are led through the cultural-hub sharing knowledge, artefacts, and lived histories in a respectful and engaging way. 

● Saltwater X Bones – Mud n Margs 26 June: The Saltwater Creative Co., Lakes Entrance – Start with a 30-minute wheel throwing taster, then enjoy bottomless hand-building clay play to create your own masterpiece to keep. Meanwhile, the crew from Bones will be keeping things flowing with margaritas and a bottomless taco feast. 

● Primal 26, 27 June: The Forge Theatre, Bairnsdale – Dive into a thrilling, sexy, and hilarious circus experience designed exclusively for adults. Primal showcases Australia’s top circus and cabaret talents in a wild ride of breathtaking acrobatics, dazzling cabaret, and electrifying dance. Floating Cinema Night at Idle Lake House 27 June: Idle Lake House, Lakes Entrance – Idle Lake House is bringing cult classic Point Break to life with a floating cinema set on the still waters of the Western Boat Harbour. Rug up, settle in, and enjoy an unforgettable night of film, atmosphere, and lakeside vibes under the stars.

● Metung Igloo Experience 27 June: The Village Green, Metung – an intimate dining experience in every sense of the word! Enjoy local food & wine offerings and views of Bancroft Bay with your nearest and dearest. 

● Get Cracking: Seafood Boil 27 June: Paynesville Hotel, Paynesville – a full-blown, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of night! With fires burning, tunes playing and a room full of people getting stuck in, it’s all about big flavours, good energy and not taking things too seriously - BYO Bib and wet-wipes, things are going to get messy!

● Food & Fire at Wyanga 3 July: Metung Country Club, Metung – enjoy a night of roaming finger food and tapas-style dishes cooked over open flames using the region’s freshest local ingredients – paired perfectly with warming cocktails and mulled wine.

● Tinamba Hotel X Lightfoot Wines Degustation Dinner 3 July: Wyanga Park Winery, Lakes Entrance – when Tinamba Hotel teams up with Lightfoot Wines for a unique collaborative degustation you can expect the best produce Gippsland has to offer, expertly matched with renowned Lightfoot wines.

● Pour Decisions Brunch Club 5 July: Paynesville Hotel, Paynesville – want a morning of bottomless cocktails, fun food, pretty lake views, and company that doesn’t judge your day drinking? The Paynesville Pub balcony is the place! 

● The Riversleigh Winter Masquerade Ball 10 July: The Riversleigh, Bairnsdale - step into a mysterious winter wonderland inspired by the elegance of yesteryear. Dress up and dance the night away with live music in an atmosphere of alluring opulence at Bairnsdale’s most historic hotel built in 1886. Formal attire and masks, a must! 

● Embers & Ales: The Long Night Feast 11 July: Dunetown, Marlo – gather at Sailors Grave for a Yule-inspired long-table feast with gardener, chef and TV presenter Paul West. Fire-cooked dishes built on East Gippsland and South Coast produce, matched with Sailors Grave beers brewed for the cold. 

● Garden to Ocean 12 July: Sodafish, Lakes Entrance - Two chefs. Two corners of Victoria. One unforgettable lunch. Bodee Price, hatted chef of Brown Brothers Winery in Milawa, joins Nick Mahlook, owner and head chef of Sodafish in Lakes Entrance to serve up a four-course lunch with matching wines, where seasonal garden produce meets coastal bounty, and it’s all coming together over a floating fire! 

● That’s A (Festival) Wrap: After Dark: The Last Hurrah 18 July: Paynesville Hotel, Paynesville - close out the festival with an epic wrap-party at one of the region’s longest-standing watering holes. Featuring Australia’s most explosive Blues, Roots & Rock trio; 19-Twenty, and local support acts bringing high-energy performances to wrap up the sixth annual festival in style! And that’s just a small taste of what’s on offer at this year’s festival! 

For the full festival program, visit egwinterfest.com.au

ORDER HERE:  fcowanmedia@gmail.com : Or go to Amazon: The Orange Sofa: Unicorn Eyes: Walking Home:    Singapore Circuit Breaker.  Zero Visibility - The Rescue of the Thai Football Team trapped in the cave in Northern Thailand