Okay, let’s be honest here. That new year’s resolution to get fit and cut out dessert from your diet, that’s long gone. So, if you’re going to indulge, you may as well do it right.
Forget grabbing a cheeky doughnut from the Milk Bar on your afternoon stroll, skip the chocolate waffles at breakfast, and leave those Nanna’s apple pies in the freezer, we’ve got something that will put you on the sugar high of your life.
Please welcome, our new favourite festival Sweetstock.
Brought to you from the quirky creators of Meatstock (that meaty two-day festival combining all things BBQ and music in Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney), Sweetstock will launch in Australia’s foodie capital this March.
Taking over Melbourne Showgrounds on March 28-29, the delicious dessert of a festival will become our very own Willy Wonka wonderland filled with as much chocolate, cake, doughnuts, and other sugary treats for you to sink your teeth into.
At a glance, it would be fair to assume that it was just a big old festival selling a whole lot of candy, but it’s so, so much more than that. Part expo, part concert, part trade show, part food truck gathering and part competition, this festival promises to be the largest gathering of crazy, sweet loving foodies in the country.
First up, the decadent food trucks! Bringing together some of the most unique and creative desserts and sweets vendors in Australia. For the ice cream lovers, you’ll find treats from 196˚ Below – the pop-up store creating instant Nitrogen ice cream, Popstic – the Melbourne ice cream, sorbet and icy pole legends, Q Dessert on a Stick which is au naturel, and Retro Birdie Ice-Cream and Desserts who bring a sense of nostalgia with their indulgent range!
When your tastebuds start to crave something a little more decadent, St. Gerry’s specialise in Greek donuts adding their own mind-blowing flavours, while Sweet Forbidden Journey will be bringing old school sweets and childhood memories back to dessert lovers who can’t have dairy, wheat, nut, and eggs! There’s even doughy goodness from Fugazi Pizza and caffeine supplied from Peak Coffee for good measure!
If you want to learn for the best then get in quick to register for the masterclass with America’s most sought-after cake makers, Duff Goldman. Renowned for his crazy over the top masterpieces, the star of Cake Masters, Ace of Cakes and Buddy vs. Duff will be hosting a one-off masterclass on the Friday, and will be appearing throughout the festival over the weekend.
So far, it’s looking pretty sweet and wholesome, right? Wrong. The competition is fierce in this festival ground, with the SBS Food Australian Cake Battle showcasing some of Australia’s best bakers live on stage in a 60-minute battle, alongside the Australian Dessert Championship for anyone to enter. Teams of three, from home cooks to professionals will challenge each other in various categories, including Cupcake, Cheesecake, Pavlova, Pie, Tart and Chef’s Choice. Each competition will win a delicious $5,000.00 so it might be time to get in touch with the best baker you know as registrations are still open.
For those who love to eat rather than bake, there is a competition for you too! Enter the Donut Throwdown to pop as many donuts into your belly within three minutes to win a cheeky $2,000.00. Do-nut mind if we do!
Alongside all the sugary goodness, the festival will also be scattered with street performers and circus acts, there is also an awesome music line-up to dance into the neon-filled night, featuring very special headliners, Sneaky Sound System.
A duo that needs no introduction (and if they do, seriously where have you been?), power couple Angus McDonald (Black Angus) and Connie Mitchell (Miss Connie) became a household name in Australia back in 2006, which saw the release of their self-titled, 3 x platinum debut album. Spearheaded by ‘UFO’, ‘Pictures’ and ‘I Love It’, it won ARIA Awards for Breakthrough Artist and Best Dance Release. It’s almost guaranteed you were singing along to these hits a decade ago.
Second long-player and #1 album ‘2’ followed in 2008 with more dancefloor slayers – ‘Kansas City’, ‘When We Were Young’ and #1 UK club smash ‘It’s Not My Problem’, before the release of album number three, From Here To Anywhere, in 2011. A cheeky nomination in the prestigious 2012 Intl DJ Awards underscored Sneaky’s escalating reputation, and since then they’ve been drip-feeding us singles like ‘I Ain’t Over You’, ‘Can’t Help The Way That I Feel’, and ‘We Belong’.
Between making music, the duo have spent years touring Europe and playing summer residencies in places like Mykonos, Ibiza, Tokyo, and Serbia to crowds of 3000 people coming from all different parts of the world, especially with their iconic Sneaky Sundays which has found its latest home at Bali hotspot Mrs Sippy.
Now all these years later, and they are still the exact same party-starters they were in the beginning, bringing the good vibes to 2020 with performances at the likes of NYE in the park and Scene and Heard Festival, to Poof Doof, Great Australian Music Festival Geelong, and the upcoming Party In the Paddock and Adelaide Superloop! A clear staple on festival lineups, Sneaky Sound System will be bringing the sugar, spice, and everything nice to Sweetstock this March.
Joining Sneaky and the tonnes of sugar-crazed punters will be upbeat electronic artist Alice Ivy, aptly named indie band Jawbreakers and the crazy Melbourne pop stars Approachable Members Of Your Local Community, with the promise that more acts will be announced between now and the event in March.
Is that too much sugary action to pack into two days you may ask? Absolutely not. As well as that there are show-bags, a sweet expo, live art, retro car show, free kids rides and thankfully for the parents there’s bubbly and cider!
Tickets are on sale now at www.sweetstock.com.au. Check out all the details over on the website.