The Taste of Summer is expecting close to 100,000 visitors over six days as Tasmania’s premier food and beverage festival returns to Hobart’s waterfront this weekend.
Event organiser Jared Nation said more than 10,000 people were expected through the gates on opening day alone yesterday, with nearly a third travelling from interstate.
“It’s free movement so there’s no clutter in the site,” he said.
“If you want to bring your children there’s something for them. If you want to bring your mates and your family there’s also something for them.”
The festival features 75 stallholders showcasing Tasmanian produce, with several new additions including the Tasmanian Smokeyard specialising in smoked meats and Season & Fire, the Taste’s first full-service restaurant.
A new sports bar will screen cricket and local matches, while the upmarket Clover Hill Atrium offers sparkling wine and oysters overlooking the Sydney to Hobart yacht race finish line.
Tourism Minister Jane Howlett said more than 97,000 people were anticipated across the festival’s six-day run, with 90 per cent of New Year’s Eve tickets already sold out.
“Taste of Summer, under previous and more recent branding, has been running for almost 40 years, and its recent Silver award at the Tasmanian Tourism Awards recognises its significance to the State,” Howlett said.
Howlett said the festival provided major economic benefits for Tasmania’s hospitality and tourism sectors, with data showing visitors from New Zealand, the US and Asia attending.
“We have more than 58,000 tourists that will come through the door,” she said.
“We know that people will come back and they’ll get out there into our regions and explore our regions as well.”
Nation said the festival took three and a half weeks to construct and employed significantly more staff this year.
Security measures remain robust following recent incidents interstate, though Nation said the team was comfortable with existing arrangements.
“We have asked our security company to be more vigilant but we’re not worried about any acts that we’ve seen in Bondi,” he said.
The Taste of Summer runs until 3 January at Princes Wharf 1 in Hobart.
