Records were broken at Newcastle Food Month's sixth and most successful year.
The month-long event featured 131 venues, 84 "Feature Events" and 79 "Plate Date" deals.
This is a hero offer unique to Newcastle Food Month where eateries present a $30 meal-and-beverage special throughout April.
Early results from participating businesses are pointing to an exceptionally strong year. While the full wrap-up is still being finalised, more than half of all Newcastle Food Month Feature Events sold out, and Plate Dates proved to be a runaway success, with larger venues such as Customs House serving more than 600 Plate Date meals across the month.
Organisers Louise and Gus Maher were ambitious from day one, wanting Newcastle Food Month to be Australia's leading regional food festival. They now believe the event is "unmatched in scale and diversity".
For the Mahers, the achievement is about far more than numbers. This is a festival that lifts the city.
"It is not solely the numbers that make us proud. It's the ecosystem that has grown around the month - an ecosystem that now plays a pivotal role in Newcastle's visitor economy," Louise Maher said.
"The creativity, collaboration and community spirit behind this festival are what make it truly special."
The economic and cultural impact of Newcastle Food Month has continued to grow, year by year. The festival drives increased staffing across hospitality venues, and supports a wide network of local creatives including photographers, videographers, musicians, florists and producers.
Handcrafted, house-made and locally curated elements remain at the heart of the festival's appeal, reinforcing Newcastle's reputation for culinary excellence.
This year's program showcased the full breadth of Newcastle's food scene, from hatted restaurants to suburban favourites, cafes, pubs and emerging operators. Chefs and restaurateurs once again rose to the challenge, delivering a program rich with innovation, storytelling and flavour. Highlights included:
And then there's the strong commercial and civic partnerships underpinning Newcastle Food Month's success.
"Newcastle Food Month is truly a collaborative festival in every sense," Maher said.
"From funding partners to venues, producers, event organisers and tourism operators - this is a citywide effort, and its success belongs to everyone involved."
