A 10-day celebration of food, wine, art and music bringing the best of the Mudgee region to Sydney’s popular Pyrmont precinct returns to Sydney next week.
The City of Sydney will continue to support the Pyrmont Festival in 2016 with a $50,000 cash grant and $5,000 in-kind support to help the Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce run and promote the festival in association with Mudgee Wine and Grape Growers.
Now in its sixth year, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the festival had become a popular fixture on Sydney’s annual event calendar that delivers for country producers and city businesses.
“Pyrmont Festival is an outstanding example of a community-focused business and industry collaboration, and we’re proud to continue our support for this event,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The Mudgee region is one of NSW’s oldest wine regions, it’s well known for its fantastic food, fine art, music, nature and history.
“It’s a region perfectly matched with Pyrmont, an inner-city precinct that’s one of Sydney’s fastest-growing creative, cultural and dining destinations.”
The Pyrmont Festival kicks off on 13 May when local restaurants, wine bars and hotels will feature special degustation menus prepared by Pyrmont’s top chefs paired with wines from more than 20 boutique Mudgee wineries.
A highlight of the festival will be the free-entry, two-day family event at Pirrama Park on Saturday 14 May and Sunday 15 May featuring a live performance by children’s entertainers Hi-5, local artists, rides, children’s entertainment, exhibitions and around 100 stalls showcasing Mudgee wines, food tastings and samples of regional and local produce.
A record 25,000 people visited the two-day festival in 2015, and organisers are expecting a big turnout again this year.
The festival program features well-known Australian saxophonist Brad Child and members of the jazz musicians group, the Sydney Improvised Music Association.
On display will be a Mudgee Sculpture Park with more than 20 pieces from Mudgee artists. There’ll also be a photo exhibition and art displays.
This year, a new sustainability pilot project will help stall holders reduce food costs and waste bills by providing information on how to cut food waste. The Love Food Hate Waste: Food Festivals and Farmers’ Markets program is being trialled by the UTS research institute, Sustainable Futures.
Ted Cox, President of the Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association said the Pyrmont Festival was a vital showcase for Mudgee food and wine producers.
“Importantly, we’re beginning to see the benefits of our partnership with the Pyrmont Festival in increased visitation to the Mudgee Region. With Pyrmont fast emerging as one of Sydney’s premier dining destinations, we’re excited to be engaging with bars, restaurants, cafes and the people of Sydney.”
The full event program, tickets and accommodation details are on on the Pyrmont Festival website: pyrmontfestival.com.au.
For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Advisor Belinda Wallis on 0467 810 160 or bwallis@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Paul Mackay on 0432 182 647 or pmackay @cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Photo caption: (l to r) Des Kennedy, Mid-Western Regional Council Mayor, Clover Moore, City of Sydney Lord Mayor, Ted Cox, Mudgee Wine and Grape Growers Association President at launch of the 2016 Pyrmont Festival