Maitland is quickly building a reputation as an events destination – and this weekend will be another chance for the city to prove that it knows how to show people a good time.
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Purveyors of food and drink of all sorts will descend on The Levee on Saturday and Sunday for this year’s Taste Festival, run by Maitland City Council.
The shared zone in The Levee will be the place to fill your belly with treats and enjoy everything from the Ciders and Sliders Bar and BBQ Backyard to delicious morsels from Slow Food Hunter Valley – the group that has run the wildly popular fresh produce markets in Central Maitland for the past year.
Slow Food is planning a range of pumpkin-themed activities for the weekend, with pumpkin ravioli tasting, and pumpkin gnocchi and basil pesto making classes for kids.
Celebrity chef Paul West will also be a huge draw-card, as an estimated 8000 to 10,000 people are expected to attend the festival during the weekend.
“Paul’s appearance at Taste adds to an already great program involving a range of experts and community groups from our region,” Maitland Council’s events curator Jess Hartigan said.
“It will be a great weekend showcasing some of the many wonderful things our region has to offer.”
Along with Riverlights, Aroma and New Year’s Eve, Taste is among the premier events that draw thousands of people to Maitland, which has obvious flow-on benefits for the local economy.
Aside from bringing in money and stimulating business in the city, it helps build Maitland’s reputation as a place to bring family and friends for a great time.
As with any event of this scale, it may mean it could be a bit more difficult than usual to find a car park in the city centre and it will probably be a bit louder and busier than usual.
But that’s just the necessary short-term pain for the long-term gain that festivals like Taste can deliver to the region if they continue to build momentum.
So keep that in mind across the weekend and get out and enjoy the festival if you can.
Taste will take place in The Levee Shared Zone between 10am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Visit maitlandtaste.com.au for more information about this weekend’s event.