Sample Food Festival, Northern NSW’s premier food event, is returning to the Bangalow Showground on Saturday 3rd September 2022 with a huge line-up of special guests. Today’s announcement features the music and workshop program for the 10th Anniversary Sample Food Festival and is headlined by soul powerhouse Ngaiire.
Known for her boisterous costuming, stellar vocal force, tight beats and big brave pop sounds, former Lismore resident Ngaiire is a musical force of nature. Drawing on her experiences growing up in Papua New Guinea, Ngaiire has a career that crosses genre and art form. Her work has seen her grace the Glastonbury stage, tour nationally alongside artists as varied as Flume, Sufjan Stevens and Alicia Keys and receive multiple awards, most recently the inaugural Australian Women In Music Award for Creative Excellence.
Sample Food Festival attendees will get a taste of Byron Bay based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mikey Bryant aka MT WARNING’s new album set for release later this year. MT will bring a stripped back version of the band for the set at Sample Food Festival, focusing on soaring vocals and the discerning songwriting they are known for whilst still bringing the joy of the forthcoming record to the stage. Listen out for their new sunny single titled “Hey Hi”.
Naomi Connell and Mel Scarlett will be returning to the Sample Food Festival music stage this Spring. Influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling and Gillian Welch, Naomi Connell is following in their steps with songs that carry a richness of strength and vulnerability. Mel Scarlett is one of those voices who bleeds like a sunset and grinds like a rusty wagon wheel. Emotional and intimate yet cheeky and wild, Mel sings the blues the way it was written.
The Button Collective will also be heading to Sample Food Festival’s 10th Anniversary. Their music borrows elements from traditional folk bands of Australia and Ireland and leaves audiences with that timeless kind of yearning for the simplicity of yesteryear.
Mullumbimby’s Old Man River is the internationally acclaimed Retro-Pop-Rock vehicle for producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Ohad Rein and also joins the line-up. His 4th studio album titled ‘Mid Life Crisis’ pays homage to some of his greatest influences such as Brian Wilson, George Harrison and Kanye West.
This year’s musical guests join Australia’s number one vegan chef Shannon Martinez, best-selling cookbook author Julia Ostro and food writer Magdalena Roze on the 10th Anniversary Sample Food Festival special guest lineup. Wellness chef Samantha Gowing has been announced as the MC for the cooking stage this year.
Sample Food Festival’s workshop program has also been announced for this September. The Wild Foods Foraging Masterclass with local expert forager Peter Hardwick has had huge demand with the first session selling out in record time and a second 12noon session just announced. Participants will discover wild foods in a tour around Bangalow and the foraged items will be used in a lighthearted cook-off between renowned Northern Rivers’ chefs Jason Saxby (Raes on Wategos) and Alastair Waddell (Frida’s Field).
The Bundjalung Ballina Grandmothers Against Removals supported by cultural weavers Tania Marlowe and Deb Cole from Jugan Dandii will be coming to Sample Food Festival for a series of cultural weaving and natural dyeing workshops. The 90 minute workshops are only open to festival attendees and tickets are now on sale.
Nick Pearce, recipe creator for the popular Instagram @recipearce, has also been announced as part of Sample Food Festival’s workshop series with Fair Game Wild Venison. The workshop is open to all Sample Food Festival attendees and participants will be shown how to break down a wild deer whilst Nick demonstrates some easy ways to cook with the wild game meat.
Proudly a family friendly event, Sample Food Festival will feature a sand sculpture installation and workshops with master sand sculptor Steve Machell from Sandology, bubble activities and a petting zoo with the Peach Farm.
The 10th Annual Sample Food Festival will celebrate the resilient Northern Rivers community and feature a selection of the region’s best restaurants offering $5 and $10 tasting plates, breweries, distilleries and market stalls showcasing local artisans and producers. For the first time, Sample Food Festival is offering pre-sale tickets to the event. Picnic rug hire packages are also on offer for groups of up to six and include festival entry and a reserved picnic spot in the main food precinct on a Wandering Folk picnic rug. Umbrella hire is also available and strictly limited. There will be extra room around the festival site for attendees to bring their own picnic rug too.
Sample Food Festival 2022
Date: Saturday 3 September, 2022
Time: 8am – 4pm
Location: Bangalow Showground, 1 Market Street, Bangalow 2479
Cost: Pre-purchased tickets are $5 per Adult + BF (child – 16 years and under free)
Picnic Package $80 + BF includes entry for up to six people, a reserved picnic spot in the main food precinct and Wandering Folk picnic rug hire with limited umbrella hire also available (for session time only)
For information on how to purchase festival tickets, further announcements, workshops and updates visit www.samplefoodevents.com and @samplefoodevents
