Lifestyle & Entertainment
13 April, 2026
Grape Escape returns to Halls Gap
GRAMPIANS Grape Escape is set to again draw big crowds to Halls Gap from May 1 to 3, with a 2026 program built around regional food, wine, music and family-friendly entertainment. One of Australia’s longest-running food and wine festivals, the event will again transform Halls Gap into a showcase of western Victorian produce and talent, with more than 100 exhibitors across the weekend.
Local and regional wineries, distillers, brewers, food producers and artisans will feature, alongside live music, demonstrations, masterclasses and several returning crowd favourites.
This year’s program is led by acclaimed Tasmanian chef Analiese Gregory, whose produce-driven cooking will headline the food offering, joined by a regional lineup including Horsham-based fire cooking specialist Tom Ballinger of Coal Catering, Dean Sibthorp from Pomonal Estate Cellar Door Restaurant by Block and Cleaver, and Dimboola’s Cat Clarke. Wine critic Shanteh Wale will also feature across the festival program.
A major addition for 2026 is The Coal Pit, a new two-day open-fire cooking activation led by Mr Ballinger. Designed as an immersive viewing and tasting space, it will focus on live-fire techniques including low-and-slow cooking, ash roasting and burying, while showcasing local produce such as Terrakin lamb.
The festival will open on Friday, May 1 with Feel Good Friday, a ticketed evening pitched as an accessible entry point to the weekend. Tickets start from $40 plus booking fee and the night will combine live music, food trucks and a curated bar featuring local producers. Crowd favourites The Settlement are set to close out the Friday program, with a focus on live music.
Saturday and Sunday will bring the full festival village to life, with more than 30 local wine producers from the Grampians and surrounding regions represented among the exhibitors, including names such as Best’s Wines, Seppelt Great Western, Taltarni Vineyards, Grampians Estate, Black & Ginger Wines, Clayfield Wines and Mount Stapylton Wines. Distillers, breweries and regional food producers will also feature strongly across the site.
Several familiar festival elements are also returning. The Shiraz Barrique Auction will be held on Saturday afternoon, while grape stomping is back after a brief hiatus, running throughout the weekend with heats and finals. Supported by Black & Ginger, the revived grape stomping competition is expected to be one of the event’s liveliest attractions.
Sunday’s program has been shaped with families particularly in mind. Children’s tickets are $12.50 plus booking fee, while complimentary workshops will be offered on a first-in, best-dressed basis. Activities will include friendship bracelet making, earring design, native gardening sessions with Backyard Botany and animal encounters with Halls Gap Zoo. The popular rock climbing wall will also return, alongside a full day of live music including Hot Lemons, This Way North, Travelly and Orange Whip. Sunday general admission for adults is $55 plus booking fee.
For local festivalgoers, organisers are also offering an added incentive during April, with locals who buy tickets going into the draw to win one of 10 pairs of Merry People gumboots.
There will also be a sense of occasion for long-time attendees, with local winery Miners Ridge set to make its final appearance at the festival.
To make access easier, pre-booked festival buses will operate from Ararat, Great Western, Stawell, Pomonal and Lake Fyans, allowing patrons from surrounding towns to travel to and from Halls Gap without needing to stay overnight.
With early bird prices available until April 10, organisers are encouraging people to plan ahead. For the Grampians region, the pitch is clear: a weekend that leans heavily into local produce, local talent and the setting that has long made the festival one of the district’s signature events.
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