/ Drink Eat/Drink
Hillbilly Cider
Better Fed And Watered Food and drink offerings at festivals are totally gourmet these days, huh?
B
ut even as few as five years ago, the eat/drink line-ups at music festivals left a little something to be desired. With the rise of the boutique festival, we’ve seen a massive improvement on the overall quality and the diversity of festival food and drink. “It has been changing for a while now,” says Sydney Argentinean restaurant Porteno’s Ben Milgate, whose food ‘headlined’ the Out On The Weekend Americanathemed festival in Melbourne a few months back. “I think ever since 2013 when we curated the Big Day Out’s Chow Town it’s been getting a lot better at most festivals. I think most stalls at music festivals are serving classic fast food items but made with quality ingredients.” On the same line-up was Raph Rashid’s food trucks: All Day Donuts, Taco Truck, Juanita Peaches and Beatbox Kitchen. They get around to plenty of other festivals, too - including Falls, Splendour In The Grass, Meredith and Laneway. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the emergence of artisan/gourmet Taj Indian food trucks directly contributed to the betterment of festival food. The king of Melbourne’s food trucks also agrees that the face of festival food has been changing in certain festivals “the ones that care about the overall experience and are investing in their
food,” says Rashid, who loves working at festivals, considering them “a heightened reality”. One marker of a boutique festival (as opposed to the larger mainstays) is its desire to offer a whole experience wherein all aspects of the festival complement one another; everything’s gotta follow a similar ethos or aesthetic, and everything has to be as on-brand as possible in this age. If you have a style, you stand out. Maybe punters have gotten more picky, more critical? Or, as Fairgrounds festival director Ashley Sellers puts it, “People are more discerning. They want a great all ‘round experience that includes good, high quality and - dare I say it! - healthy food as well as interesting and varied drink options.” That means craft beer and cider options, and maybe even cocktails. One of our country’s younger festivals, Sugar Mountain, exemplifies this and understands what punters are looking for in a festival and what standards should be met. “The overall food and beverage offering has a huge impact on people’s enjoyment level throughout the day,” says Brett
Louis, one of Sugar Mountain’s founders. “For some reason, in the past it has been an afterthought for festivals - punters’ expectations have now forced it to be a large focus.” They’re taking it a step further and introducing an on-site restaurant that combines all the senses, with Bomba providing the food, Cut Copy the soundtrack, and Tin & Ed the visuals. “Being able to create Sensory is at the top of the list; it is very much a dream concept,” says Louis. Woodford Folk Festival commercial manager Kim Pengelly summarises the direction festivals are heading in - if they’re not already there - perfectly: “Quality food and drink options are critical for creating a beautiful experience. We’re entering a new stage of the event cycle in Australia. Patrons are seeking overall experiences more than just music consumption, which was the trend in the early 2000s. With the current flooded festival scene that the events industry is operating in, patrons are looking for a niche, they are craving something more. Part of providing a feast for the senses is that it’s critical to offer the highest quality food and beverage. Gone are the days of cattle fencing and en masse RTD ‘can cracking’ - each drink should be perfectly garnished in the way that it would in a high trading city bar operation, in my opinion.”
THE MUSIC 2ND DECEMBER 2015 • 29