Tasmania’s Taste of Summer festival is back for another year, with organisers expecting a crowd of over 100,000 people.
The 8-day event kicked off this afternoon at Hobart’s PW1 precinct, with thousands of locals and visitors queuing up to get a taste of the island’s best food and drinks.
“The taste is back … There’s only one time in the year you can enjoy the waterfront here on PW1 and that’s Taste time,” Taste of Summer Chair Jarrod Nation said.
“We’re very excited to say that the New Year’s Eve with the Hoodoo Gurus will sell out within hours,” Nation said.
“We’ve got the Tasman Yacht Club [VIP area] being sold out for the first few days and we can’t be more excited.”
Nation said the festival has changed since previous years and now offers “very little lines” and plenty of seating.
“This is not the taste of old … There’s plenty of room, there’s hardly any lines. It’s a family event.”
“What’s great about this event is people expect Tasmania’s Taste of Summer will have great produce, they’ll have great drinks and beverages. But also they’ll have great entertainment on our main stage.”
Nation says the planning for the taste starts “the moment it finishes”, with organisers working “year round” on bringing the best of Tasmanian food and drinks to the Hobart waterfront.
More than 50% of ticket sales for the event are from the mainland, with Victoria and Queensland being home to many visitors.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the Taste Of Summer is “vitally important” for Tasmania’s economy, delivering close to $50 million dollars back into the state.
“It allows our wonderful producers to sell the great produce that they create,” he said.
“That adds value because that points to the fact that not only are we producing the finest quality food and beverages across Tasmania, but also advertising the wonderful products from all regions of Tasmania.”
