As Melbourne continues its road out of recovery the City of Melbourne, the Victorian Government and Melbourne Food & Wine Festival have revealed details of the New Year Street Feasts celebration.
Over two nights more than 50 venues will take to 11 outdoor dining precincts the Paris end of Little Collins Street right through to Hardware Lane and beyond.
Restaurants and bars from the surrounding streets and lane will host thousands of people ringing in the New Year on 31 December and 1 January. The precincts are:
- Little Bourke Street
- Little Collins Street
- AC/DC Lane
- Hardware Lane
- Russell Street
- Spring Street
- Flinders Lane
- Lonsdale Street
- Market Lane
- Domain Road
Some of Melbourne’s best-loved venues are involved, including Bar Margaux, Bar Saracen, Flower Drum, Hazel, Izakaya Den, Lee Ho Fook and Tipo 00. The program has something for everyone: Japanese hot dogs, beers and cocktails at Hihou; a family-friendly menu of lasagne and tiramisu at Pellegrini’s; a suckling pig bo ssäm at Supernormal; and a $1,000 all-inclusive menu with premium wine and flowers to take home at Cecconi’s.
“Melburnians eat and drink like nowhere else in the world,” said Anthea Loucas Bosha, CEO of Food + Wine Victoria, the not-for-profit organisation behind Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
“We’re encouraging revellers to book a table and come into the city to visit a favourite restaurant or try somewhere new. We have a long history of working with the city’s talented operators, and we’ve loved every minute of putting this extraordinary program together. With the City of Melbourne we’ve been able to add thousands of extra restaurant seats across the city for the two-day event.”
“This has been an incredibly tough year and it’s important that we can say goodbye to 2020 and look forward to a more positive 2021,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We are encouraging everyone to support Melbourne’s wonderful cafes, bars and restaurants by taking part in the Street Feasts program, which will help keep cash registers ringing and Melburnians in jobs.
“Bring your friends and family and book into your favourite city venue to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a COVID-safe way that supports local businesses.”
New Year Street Feasts is being delivered by the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne through the $100 million Melbourne City Recovery Fund.
All bookings for restaurants open at 10am today, Monday 23 November, with seats available via mfwf.com.au. Booking New Year Street Feasts in advance is essential to keep the celebrations running smoothly and safely.