The Gascoyne Food Festival returns in August with a 16-day programme of dining experiences stretched across one of the most remote parts of Western Australia.
The 2025 Festival sold out, and the 2026 edition is expected to be just as popular. It’s the first major event in the region since Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Festival Director Louise Cashmore commented, “This year’s Festival is about more than simply returning. It’s about showcasing the Gascoyne through experiences that are genuinely immersive, deeply connected to place and unlike anything else in Australia.”
“From long table dining in a working mango plantation in full bloom, to fireside storytelling beneath vast outback skies and remote station feasts under the stars, this is a Festival that invites people to experience the Gascoyne in a deeply authentic and meaningful way.”
Running across the entire Festival, the Taste of the Gascoyne Food Trails will see eateries across Shark Bay, Carnarvon, and Exmouth putting signature dishes on their menus under a unifying regional concept: “Put a Prawn On It,” celebrating MSC-certified Exmouth Wild and Shark Bay Wild prawns.
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Sea Harvest Australia has covered participation costs for local eateries as part of the region’s cyclone recovery effort, which has helped pull more venues into the programme than would otherwise have been possible.
Here are some of the key festival events.
The Plantation Feast
The Plantation Feast on Saturday, August 22nd sits inside a working Carnarvon mango plantation in full bloom. Jessica Roe — Petition Kitchen head chef and WA Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year — has built a multi-course seasonal menu paired with Di Latte wines and local beverages.
Fireside Yarns: Land, Sea & Story
Paul “Yoda” Iskov of Fervor heads to Gwoonwardu Mia for Fireside Yarns: Land, Sea and Story — an evening built around food, culture, and storytelling on country.
Whalebone Hoe-Down
Exmouth hosts the Whalebone Hoe-Down, where you can expect live music, a fire-cooked feast, flowing drinks, and line dancing late into the evening. It’s the loosest event on the programme, so it’s a must-attend.
Bullara Station Feast
Bullara Station returns to the line-up with one of the Festival’s most-loved experiences — fire-cooked food, music, and station hospitality under what the Gascoyne does best: a sky absolutely loaded with stars.
Australia’s Last Sunset
The finale takes guests to Dirk Hartog Island for the final sunset over the Indian Ocean, followed by food and storytelling on the beach. It’s pitched as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and from what we’re told, it really will be.
How to get tickets
Tickets are now on sale here, and with several experiences capped at intimate numbers, the signature dinners aren’t likely to hang around for long. Visitors are being encouraged to extend their trip and use the Festival as a way into the region’s reefs, coastlines, and stations.
“In 2026, more than ever, the Gascoyne Food Festival provides an opportunity to celebrate the strengths of the region and the incredible people behind it,” Cashmore said.
