Queensland’s Granite Belt comes alive this month for the long-running Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival – a celebration of food, wine and community.
The event, starting on Friday 27 February and running through to Sunday 8 March, marks its 60th anniversary this year, making it one of Queensland’s longest-running and most successful festivals.
For 60 years, the festival has celebrated what makes Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt so special – cool-climate wines, apples at their peak, passionate growers and producers, and a community that knows how to welcome visitors and put on a proper celebration.
The biennial event is a celebration of the Granite Belt region’s produce and booming wine industry, which attracts an average of 70,000 people, making it arguably Australia’s leading harvest festival.
The Diamond Jubilee honours that history while inviting people to experience it first-hand.
The main festival weekend brings the energy to the streets of Stanthorpe, with the town buzzing from morning to night.
The Queensland Country Bank three-day Food and Wine Fiesta fills the park with Granite Belt flavours, 18 local wineries, breweries and meaderies, local producers and live music, while the streets host the much-loved Grand Parade, a vibrant street carnival, bustling markets, and the challenge of the Ergon Energy Mt Marlay Run.
As the sun sets, the weekend is capped off with crowd-favourite fireworks, lighting up the Stanthorpe sky.
Across the full 10 days, festival-goers can also enjoy live music, Open Gardens brought to by Braeside Homestead, cooking demonstrations, creative experiences like Bubbles and Brushes, orchard and farm tours, and hands-on harvest moments.
The festival has something for everyone, including things you might not expect – like the Australian National Busking Championships.
Buskers will be dotted along the street on Saturday 28 Feburary with “Busking Tokens” available to drop in a favourite performers bucket and judges wandering the main street.
This all culminates in the Winners Concert at the Stanthorpe Civic Centre for announcement of the Grand Open Champion and all the other winners and a chance to enjoy more fabulous entertainment.
Then there’s the iconic Balancing Heart Grape Crush. This event is already nearly sold out, with only limited places remaining for those keen to take part in one of the festival’s most memorable experiences.
The foot stomping, grape crushing fun is an iconic highlight of the Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Festival with the community grape crush on Friday 6 March and Celebrity Crush just after the main parade in the main street near the Stanthorpe Post Office on Saturday 7 March just after the big Grand Parade.
Sponsors are Balancing Heart Vineyard – voted Best Small Cellar Door by Gourmet Traveller Wine – just one of the many Vineyards worth a visit while in the area for the festival.
The 60th anniversary is a significant milestone for both the festival and the region, according to the event’s president, Russell Wantling.
“This festival has been shaped by generations of volunteers, growers and community members, and reaching 60 years is something we’re incredibly proud of,” he said.
“The Diamond Jubilee is about celebrating our history, our harvest and the people who continue to make this festival what it is.”
With accommodation filling quickly and ticketed events close to capacity, visitors are encouraged to plan now.
Many experiences have limited availability and will sell out. Tickets, program details and the full festival calendar are available at http://www.appleandgrape.org.
