Winter on the Sunshine Coast doesn’t slow down—it shifts into something softer, slower, and far more delicious.
This July, The Curated Plate food and drink festival returns for 2026, bringing with it a first glimpse of a program that feels equal parts travel diary and long lunch series. Over 10 days, from 24 July to 2 August, the region will once again become a stage for shared tables, fire-lit feasts, and unforgettable food experiences set between the coast and the hinterland.
With more than 30 events already released—and more to come—the festival is shaping up as one of the most immersive ways to experience the Sunshine Coast in winter.
A Food Festival That Feels Like Travel Without Leaving Queensland
At its heart, The Curated Plate has always been about place, but this year, it stretches that idea even further.
Festival Culinary Director Peter Kuruvita describes the 2026 program as a weaving together of cultures and cuisines, all anchored by local produce and the landscapes that define the region.
“You might find yourself cooking over fire with Sri Lankan influences one day, then sitting down to Greek-inspired shared plates the next,” he says. “But everything begins here—with what’s grown and caught on the Sunshine Coast.”
It’s this layering of global influence over local foundations that gives the festival its character. Nothing feels imported for the sake of it—everything is interpreted through the lens of place.
For all its global influence, the festival never strays far from its roots. Across every event, the focus remains on local producers—Mooloolaba seafood, hinterland-grown vegetables, artisan makers and the farmers who quietly shape the region’s food identity. It’s this connection that gives The Curated Plate its depth. The menus may travel, but the ingredients stay close to home.
The Curated Plate 2026 Opening Night: Island Fire
The festival begins as it means to go on—with heat, colour, and a sense of occasion.
Island Fire, led by Kuruvita, draws on his Sri Lankan heritage to create a garden-set feast built around live cooking, bold spice, and storytelling around the flame. It’s less a dinner, more a shared experience—one that sets the tone for a festival built on connection, generosity, and food that feels alive.
Dining That Moves With the Landscape
One of the most compelling parts of The Curated Plate is how deeply it’s tied to place. Meals unfold everywhere, from treetop canopies to working farms, coastal kitchens to hinterland estates, each designed to bring guests closer to the source of what’s on their plate.
This year’s highlights at The Curated Plate 2026 include:
- Tasting in the Treetops – dining suspended above the forest floor, where the view is almost as memorable as the menu
- Good Soil: Farm. Table. Beast. at Mapleton Tavern – a fire-led feast celebrating land, livestock and slow cooking
- Ember and Harvest, Kenilworth – a weekend of farm visits, fire-cooked food and regional storytelling
Alongside these, returning favourites like the Hinterland Producers Lunch at Spicers Clovelly Estate and Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival at Spicers Tamarind continue to anchor the program in both craft and community.
Related article: A Gourmet Retreat Set On Your Own Private Island at Makepeace Island in Noosa
New Culinary Moments to Discover at The Curated Plate 2026
This year also brings a series of new experiences designed to slow things down—or turn them up.
In Maleny, Curated Nine Holes and Long Lunch pairs an easy round of golf with a relaxed, high-quality dining experience in one of the hinterland’s most picturesque settings.
At the Chenrezig Institute, Nourish Body, Mind & Soul offers something more reflective—a quiet, grounding experience that connects food, wellbeing and stillness.
Elsewhere, theatre and tradition take centre stage: SOKA’s Tuna Cutting Show returns with precision and drama, while OPA! Smashing Supper brings the joy of Greek dining to life with shared plates, music and celebration.
A Winter Food Festival on the Sunshine Coast Worth Planning Around
With early-release tickets now available, this first wave of events at The Curated Plate 2026 offers a glimpse into what’s becoming one of the Sunshine Coast’s most anticipated seasonal gatherings. It’s a festival best experienced slowly—one long lunch, one fire-lit evening, one unexpected flavour at a time.
