The popular Norwood Food & Wine Festival returns next month, set to draw tens of thousands of footy fans and foodies to experience the best of South Australian hospitality as part of the AFL Gather Round.
On Sunday 12 April, fresh seafood, sumptuous pasta and flame-cooked favourites will be among the dishes on offer, with traders set to team up with local beer, wine and spirit labels on a selection of matched drinks.
Festivalgoers can look forward to live music - with a headline artist soon to be announced - amongst the action along The Parade including live cooking, outdoor seating, pop-up DJs, culinary demonstrations from the Tasting Australia Kitchen featuring chefs Kane Pollard, Laura Sharrad and Duncan Welgemoed and big screens showing the Geelong v West Coast match at Norwood Oval from noon.
The Norwood Food & Wine Festival kicks off from 11am along The Parade and within venues, will be the third edition in its reimagined format.
Entry is free and patrons can take their pick from dining options such as:
- Pseudo Spaghetti x Signature Wines with snacks such as chicken cotoletta, porchetta skewers and ricotta gnudi.
- A variety of drinks from Reform Distilling, Heartland Wines and The Suburban Brew, plus Algerian-style paella in a collaboration with Le Souk.
- Turmeric hummus with slow-cooked pork and oyster mushrooms from spice queen Ragini Dey and award-winning Barossa producer The Dairyman and distiller Ginny Pig.
- Smoky Bay oysters, dry-aged kingfish and Australian salmon from Fair Seafood, with drinks from McLaren Vale labels Yangarra Estate Vineyard and Never Never Distilling.
- A selection of pasta from East End restaurant Enoteca - including an alfredo-style dish tossed through a parmesan wheel - served with pours of Schild Estate's flagship Moorooroo shiraz.
- Arkhé will be serving up Mayura Station wagyu beef burger alongside drops from Shaw & Smith and beer from Pirate Life.
More than 90,000 people enjoyed the Norwood Food & Wine Festival last year, a 28 per cent increase on 2024 attendance.
South Australian Tourism Commission Chair David Koch said the Norwood Food & Wine Festival is the perfect accompaniment to AFL Gather Round footy at Norwood Oval.
"Fantastic footy, plus top-quality South Australian food and wine? It doesn't get much better than that," he said.
"We are so lucky that with thousands of visitors coming to our state, we can put on a sensational smorgasbord to tantalise their tastebuds and give them the best taste of SA.
"Like so much around AFL Gather Round, the Norwood Food & Wine Festival is a brilliant opportunity for local businesses to capitalise on the influx of footy fans from here and from interstate, and show them some top notch South Australian hospitality.
"We put on events better than anybody else, we are seeing that with the AFL Gather Round, and the Norwood Food & Wine Festival alongside it will act as the perfect entrée to Tasting Australia presented by Journey Beyond in May."
City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters Mayor Robert Bria said the stage was set for another massive street party.
"Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the 2025 AFL Gather Round generated $15.8 million in consumer spending across the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters - income that provides an important boost to our business community," he said.
"We saw $4.6 million in hospitality spending across those three days, including $1.5 million on the Sunday when the Norwood Food & Wine Festival was held.
"Importantly, expenditure from interstate tourists during those three days was $1.2 million, reinforcing the economic benefits AFL Gather Round brings to The Parade and the Council area, more generally."
Local restaurant arkhé will be among traders taking part in this year's festival.
Arkhé Co-owner and Executive Chef Jake Kellie said diners could expect a selection of signature arkhé dishes cooked over flame in a streetside barbecue.
"We are thrilled to be involved and help showcase the amazing food and beverages South Australia is famous for, especially as we look ahead to Tasting Australia in May," he said.
"Norwood Food & Wine Festival has such a buzz about it and we look forward to welcoming plenty of interstate visitors alongside our local supporters."
The headline artist confirmed for a free performance at this year's Norwood Food & Wine Festival will be revealed early next month.
