World Class Cocktail Festival

World Class Cocktail Festival will be taking place in Sydney from 28th April to 2nd May 2021. Reigniting our love affair with outstanding hospitality, quality dining, award-winning cocktails and celebrating our nation’s best bartending talent, World Class Cocktail Festival marks a significant milestone for the hospitality industry, as it welcomes customers back to bars and restaurants for the moments they’ve been missing, plus a whole lot more. Seven of the World’s 100 Best Bars are in Australia and every one of them are included in the festival lineup. The exciting schedule of events and unexpected partnerships is set to give the world a glimpse of what they can expect when the world’s most prestigious cocktail competition, Global Bartender of the Year, comes to Sydney in 2022. On Tuesday 27th April, the country's very best bartenders will battle it out to be crowned Australian World Class Bartender of the Year, with the winner moving on to represent Australia virtually in the global World Class Bartender of the Year finals in July. From Wednesday 28th April, the bustling suburb of Surry Hills and Sydney’s CBD will come alive with the World Class Cocktail Festival, five days of bespoke cocktails, live entertainment, pop-up events, immersive brand experiences and dining collaborations, all championing the very best of Sydney’s diverse bar scene. As the official festival ’Main Stage’, Paramount House will feature luxury brand collaborations, including Don Julio tequila and Ketel One Botanical vodka offering one-of-a-kind experiences every day. The festivities will flow into the nearby surrounds of Surry Hills and the CBD where the likes of Tanqueray No. TEN London dry gin, Belsazar vermouth and CÎROC vodka will offer a curation of unexpected activities for Sydney to take pleasure in for the very first time. World Class Cocktail Festival will not only highlight Australia’s best bars and an international standard of cocktails - at just $15 each, but also hero the most highly regarded and awarded drinking destinations in our very own backyard. MAIN STAGE Paramount House Little Melbourne, Golden Age Bar Melbourne’s reputation for hospitality shows up no better than in their incredible bar scene, so we’re paying tribute to our neighbouring city by celebrating a selection of their best! Award-winning Melbourne venues will take up temporary residence at the Golden Age Bar each evening, with an impressive lineup of bartending talent from the likes of Above Board, Black Pearl, Byrdi and The Everleigh (all featured in the World’s 100 Best Bars) coming to town to share their top Don Julio tipples with Sydneysiders. Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm-late Simon Johnson x Ketel One: The Truth About Caviar, Golden Age Bar Celebrating the increasingly popular vodka and caviar pairing in an afternoon titled ‘The Truth About Caviar’, the team from Simon Johnson, Purveyor of Quality Food, will offer unique tastings and education for guests to better understand this luxury ingredient and its history of being partnered with vodka. Ketel One vodka martinis will be served alongside a bump of caviar, or for the more inquisitive guests, a hosted in-depth 20 minute tasting experience. Saturday 1st May 2pm-5pm. Mexico’s Golden Age, Golden Age Cinema If you’re missing holidays abroad, Don Julio is going to transport you to Jalisco at Paramount House, where all week we bring the spirit of Mexico to life with a feast for the senses! For a cultural buzz, sip contemporary Don Julio tequila cocktails while you watch cinematic favourites celebrating some of Mexico’s most esteemed film directors at Golden Age Cinema. For a cultural buzz that pays homage to Mexico’s best, Don Julio has taken charge of the film schedule, screening Desperado, Like Water For Chocolate, El Mariachi, Brimstone & Glory and Pan’s Labyrinth. Wednesday to Saturday, session times available at www.ourgoldenage.com.au Flex, Paramount Recreation Club

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May

Sydney Spirits Festival promises an extraordinary journey for the senses, offering attendees the opportunity to explore rare and award-winning spirits from international and boutique distillers.

CSIRO, in conjunction with Dennis Forte and Associates, is running a three-day short course as an comprehensive introduction to food engineering. With practical examples and case-studies, engineering concepts in the context of food will be studied.  

Top industry leaders and pioneering innovators will come together at Workplace Health & Safety Show taking place in both Melbourne and Sydney in 2024.

Now in its third year, Commbank SmallBiz Week is a must-attend event for small and large businesses alike. Attracting thousands of visitors across three days, the event brings together B2B suppliers from a diverse range of industries with small business owners and leaders. Whether you’re in the market to buy or sell, Commbank SmallBiz Week is the only event of its kind on the business calendar.

Vinexpo Asia is the region's flagship event for the wine and spirits industries, connecting producers from wine producing countries around the world with decision-makers in growth markets over three days.

This industry event is dedicated to ESG, food waste, and sustainable packaging innovations - supporting the WA food and beverage sector’s transition to a circular economy. Early bird passes are available for sale until 30 April.

June

Australia’s leading business expo for natural and healthy products, Naturally Good, is returning on 2-4 June at the Sydney International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. Visitor registrations are now open.   

This course will provide participants with necessary skills to design a safe and commercially viable thermal schedule for the processing of low-acid food products in hermetically sealed packaging.

The June long weekend festival is certainly one not to be missed. The full festival program features premium tastings, live entertainment, and unique sensory cellar door experiences from 16 of our region’s wineries.

How can certainty be built into the food and beverage industry and new growth drivers found? With the theme "Unbox the Future", Food & Beverage Innovation Forum (FB!F2024) will explore category innovation, technology empowerment, channel revolution, and many other topics.