Barbecue festival steaks its claim

MEAT lovers rejoice! An Australian celebration of all things barbecue, beef and brisket, the entertainment festival Meatstock will be coming to Bendigo for the first time in autumn next year. 

The festival will showcase a lot of meat, cars, and national and international musicians, including James Johnson, American Idol winner Chase Beckham, Amy Sheppard, Fanny Lumsden, The Wolfe Brothers, and more. 

“The biggest thing of it is barbeque meat, so there will be a lot of stalls setting up for live fire barbeque,” said a spokesperson for Meatstock. 

As part of the event, and along with the music, there will be several cooking, barbecuing, smoking, and other competitions running, and free samples from businesses. 

“There will be different activities there as well, there will be some bull riding, and cowboys will be there,” the spokesperson said. 

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, perhaps consider sitting this one out as the event is all about that flame cooked beef, lamb, pork, and chicken. 

“At the end of the day, it’s Meatstock,” said the spokesperson. 

Set for the Bendigo Showground, eventgoers are invited to camp onsite, an option only available at the event’s regional venues. 

“The whole vibe is totally different when you can camp there, have fun the whole night long,” the spokesperson said. 

The meat festival started in Sydney in 2015, and has run every year since, bar during the pandemic, and in 2024 there’ll also be a Toowoomba stop. 

Meatstock Bendigo will be held from Saturday 16 to Sunday 17 March next year.