Mussel Fest locked in for 2024

MUSSEL-LOVERS, residents and visitors are being urged to mark their diaries for early next year following the announcement of the Portarlington Mussel Festival’s return.

Portarlington’s annual seafood festival will be held on January 13, 2024, for a 15th year along the town’s foreshore.

Portarlington Mussel Festival chairperson Richard Underwood said preparations are already underway and excitement is brewing.

“It is exciting that after last year’s festival, we’ve been able to get some momentum going and announce the festival is running once again next year,” Mr Underwood said.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of work to do, announcing a date is the easiest bit, but we’ve already started gathering quotes for marquees, stalls and the like.

“We are yet to lock in any entertainment, but that will take place over the next few weeks.”

The festival returned to Portarlington earlier this year after a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting over 10,000 people in January.

This year’s event hosted over 200 stalls and five stages of entertainment in 37-degree weather, headlined by the performance of Australian ABBA tribute act ‘Bjorn Again’.

“Looking back on the return of the festival early this year, it was a lot of hard work, and it took a lot of energy out of our committee, so it was important that we re-energised over the past six months,” Mr Underwood said.

“Nevertheless, we are really looking forward to next year’s festival and we’ve probably had more comments from the community in the last few months about the festival than ever before.”

Anyone interested in volunteering for next year’s Portarlington Mussel Festival can do so at www.portmusselfestival.com/volunteer/