Forage and Feast a winner so far: organisers

THE 2026 instalment of the Forage and Feast festival is proving popular with both hosts and visitors, according to an organiser.

Commerce Ballarat project coordinator Michaela Beggs said the organisation was very satisfied with how the annual event had been going since it began on 12 January.

Food and wine growers and producers in the local government areas of Ararat, Ballarat, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Moorabool and Pyrenees have scheduled an extensive program of events and activities until mid-February as they offer an insight into the Central Highlands region’s food culture.

“[It’s going] really good so far, from the feedback we’ve had from hosts and from attendees as well, it’s been really exciting to see that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves – trying the food and the wine,” Ms Beggs said.

The third annual festival offers a wide range of events and activities based around the Central Highlands region’s food and wine culture.

“There’s been some really great events this year so we’re really excited to see those have really good attendance and people having great experiences.”

Ms Beggs said the festival, now in its third year, suffered significant disruption last year because of the Grampians fires.

“Quite a number of events over that side had to be cancelled, so we’re crossing our fingers that those guys are not going to have any issues this year,” she said.

People taking part in one of the many activities and events are being treated to a deep dive into local producers’ creations.

Ms Beggs also said some hosts pulled out in 2025 due to low booking numbers, but so far this year there had been just one cancellation – and that had been due to the recent extreme weather.

“That was an outside event…and they’re looking to reschedule that anyway,” she said.

The final major event under the specific Commerce Ballarat banner was Tuesday’s Biznet breakfast at the Ballarat Wildlife Park, but the program continues until 15 February.

“That will be the last event that we run, but there’s lots of great stuff happening around the region right up to the end of the festival,” Ms Beggs said.

Ms Beggs said some events had reported being booked out, but final numbers would not be collated until after the festival.

Forage and Feast is now in its third year.

Central Highlands producers and growers are displaying and sharing their wares throughout the Forage and Feast festival.

“The first year was very Ballarat-focused, and last year we made a concerted effort to expand it out into the six LGAs that it covers now,” Ms Beggs said.

“We’ve had some fresh faces jump on board this year. It’s been really exciting.

“We’re very happy.”

The best way to keep up with scheduled events is the Commerce Ballarat website and the Central Highlands Growers and Producers Hub, or the Uncover Central Highlands page on Facebook.