The Portarlington Mussel festival will return on January 14 2023.
Past the surrounding wineries and olive groves of Geelong, or across the bay by boat is Portarlington, a historic town and favourite holiday spot on the Bellarine Peninsula. And its annual seafood festival draws one helluva crowd during the summer festival season.
Returning on January 14 in 2023, The Portarlington Mussel Festival makes its way back to the Bellarine for its first event in three years.
Portarlington Mussel Festival 2023
- The 14th annual Portarlington Mussel Festival is on Saturday, January 14th 2023
- Cost: Free general admission for kids, $5 for adults
- Stalls include wonderful homemade crafts, food trucks, beer tastings and of course so many mussels
- Bjorn Again to headline the main stage
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
Set in the delightful village of Portarlington facing Melbourne across the bay, the beloved local festival features famous Portarlington mussels in all forms, to eat on the spot or to take away.
The mussels are only the beginning; there are more than 200 stalls for punters to browse through, including food booths with local produce, market stalls, local beer and wine tastings, as well as art shows, cooking demonstrations, and fun for the kids with roving entertainers.
Like every good festival, Portarlington Mussel Festival also hosts great local musicians across multiple stages. In 2023, the event will be headlined by Bjorn Again, the world’s leading ABBA SHOW who were established in Melbourne in 1988. Critically acclaimed, endorsed by ABBA, praised by the world’s biggest rock stars and adored by fans worldwide, Bjorn Again perform all the biggest and best ABBA hits in a highly-entertaining world-class show that is fun for all ages and nationalities. They’ll hit the main stage at 2pm.
Local musicians and cover bands will also be taking to the stage while the buskers stage will also return featuring a swathe of undiscovered local talent. Confirmed acts include Jimi Hocking, Andrea Robertson Trio, 10 High Fly, Trojan, Matt Orchard, Chrissy Burrell and Yacht Rock Revival. You can view the full entertainment program via the website.
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Proceeds from the festival go back to the community, redistributed to local charities and community organisations.
The festival last went ahead back in 2020, with both the 2021 and 2022 festivals cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. The last festival welcomed 20,000 attendees, raised $32,000 for community organisations, sold over 10 tonnes of mussels, hosted 350 stall holders and hosted 30 acts on three stages.
It all goes down on the Portarlington Foreshore, Newcombe Street, Portarlington, Victoria on Saturday, January 14 2023. Find out more here.
