The Curated Plate 2026

The Curated Plate is a delicious celebration of the Sunshine Coast’s local produce, producers and chefs, and unique natural assets from the sea to the hinterland.

The program is developed through collaboration between local producers, suppliers and businesses who come together to tell their stories not only through food but experiences.

What makes our food and drink festival different?

Our festival runs over 10 days - a delicious spread over two weekends, with plenty of options to feast on throughout the week.

And.... we couldn't settle on just one location like most food festivals – the offerings are held right across our Sunshine Coast Biosphere instead of within a festival hub.

Our events take place in a variety of settings - like on a farm, under the stars, by the seaside, next to a majestic mountain, on a boat, in a distillery as well as at some of the Sunshine Coast’s most well-known, well-loved and award-winning restaurants. You can use the search option on the program page to find an event by location.

The Curated Plate Journey:

The Curated Plate made its debut in 2019, showcasing local produce as curated by international, national and local chefs to foodie audiences from the coast to the hinterland. Following the event’s cancellation in 2020 and 2021 due to the impacts of the pandemic the event returned as The Curated (Side) Plate in 2022, offering up a smaller ‘serving’ of events, whetting the appetite for both industry and food lovers for a food tourism event on the Sunshine Coast.

The 2022 focus was on ‘building from the ground up’ via a local industry-driven program, featuring the Sunshine Coast’s vast array of producers, chefs, restaurants and cafes, tourism and event experiences, and farm-gate activities. The 10-day festival menu featured 91 events, hosted by 42 industry partners from the coast to the hinterland, demonstrating that Sunshine Coast businesses and producers are hungry for opportunities to thrive through changing times.

The Curated Plate is a recipe for success with The Curated Plate 2023 event being named the Best Small Regional Event at the 2024 Australian Event Awards. It really is all the hard-working and talented producers, chefs, resturants, industry, tourismoperators and the spirit of collaboration that has made the Curated Plate such a success story.

In 2024, our program was brimming with unique culinary experiences across the Sunshine Coast, with locations, activities, menus and price points to suit everyone, and many hidden gems which surprised visitors and locals alike which we will see these experiences amplified for 2026.