Port Phillip Mussel & Jazz Festival
Have your say!
The Port Phillip Mussel & Jazz Festival was back with a bang (and a sizzle) for 2024! Thank you to everyone who braved the heat and came along, our traders, artists, sponsors and the South Melbourne community. We can’t wait to do it all over again next year!
Did you attend the 2024 Port Phillip Mussel & Jazz Festival over the Labour Day long weekend? We want to hear from you!
Complete our audience survey to help us improve future events and go in the draw to win one of four Market merchandise packs!
Keep up with Festival news, visit the Facebook event page and sign up the Market eNews.
The Details:
- When: 9 and 10 March 2024
- Times: 11am to 9pm
- Cost: Free!
Cecil Street will be closed to traffic and the Market will come alive with a two-day seafood street party celebrating our favourite mollusc, set to a soundtrack featuring the city's best in jazz and soul musicians. The festival will feature a great range of street food vendors (for the non-seafood lovers, there will still be plenty to choose from!), a main stage of live music, bar, workshops, cooking demonstrations, kids activities, roving performances, giveaways and more! It's free, family friendly and a whole lot of fun.
The Food:
Come hungry! The event is renowned for its delicious seafood offering, with some Melbourne favourites popping up at the two-day event to showcase their mouth-watering mussel and seafood dishes!
If seafood is not your thing, don’t despair, as there will be a diverse range of food stalls at the festival, plus the entire Market will be open during the day, so you can feast on Market favourites including French pastries, porchetta rolls, German street food, cannoli and more!
Be sure to try local favourites, Patient Wolf Gin and the beer and cider selections from Westside Ale Works including their popular South Melbourne Draught and Cherry Springer Cider.
The Drink:
Fancy a crisp white wine, beer or G&T to pair with your mussels? The festival bar will be operating from 11am each day offering a great range of local wines, beers, cider and spritzes.
We are delighted to introduce the sponsors of this year’s Festival Bar, Westside Ale Works and Patient Wolf Gin.
Westside Ale Works
Nestled on Alfred Street in South Melbourne, Westside Ale Works stands as a family-owned and operated craft brewery. Guided by Partner and Head Brewer, Casey Wagner, this establishment pays homage to the microbreweries dotting the U.S. West Coast. From the inviting ambience of their warehouse-style taproom to the hop-forward brews they create, Westside Ale Works takes pride in offering a warm and inclusive experience to all who step through their substantial roller door.
Their beer selection spans a delightful spectrum, including styles such as American Pale Ales, West Coast IPAs, American Sours, and Stouts. Beyond beer, they’ve also delved into a barrel program launched in 2019, with an upcoming Spirit program on the horizon. Whether you’re a seasoned beer enthusiast or prefer other libations, there’s always something on tap at Westside Ale Works, including house-made apple cider and meticulously crafted gin, whiskey, and dark rum.
Patient Wolf Gin
Rooted in Melbourne, Patient Wolf emerges as a relentless and uncompromising force in the realm of crafting premium Australian Gin. Their journey, spanning three years, culminated in the launch of their creation. Driven by an unbridled craft-led ethos, they honour tradition while pushing boundaries.
Nestled in the back streets of Southbank, their urban gin distillery and bar straddles the vibrant space between Melbourne CBD and South Melbourne Market. Against the backdrop of a German-made copper still, patrons can explore gin flights, savour cocktails, and delve deep into the world of gin with a gin masterclass.
The Entertainment:
This event isn't just about delicious seafood! The festival will be soundtracked by a music program featuring some of Melbourne's best jazz and soul musicians.
There will also be cooking demonstrations, kid's activities, roving entertainers, giveaways and more!
Shuck Don't Chuck!
Did you know over six tonnes of mussels are consumed at the festival? That's a lot of shells! South Melbourne Market partner with The Nature Conservancy all year round to recycle oyster, scallop and mussel shells so they don't end up in landfill.
The Shuck Don’t Chuck program sees shells used in a reef restoration project aimed at rebuilding the precious ecosystems in Port Phillip Bay.
Do your bit by putting your shells into the correct bins and making sure no other plastic or other contaminants go into these bins.
CLICK HERE to read more about the Market's sustainability initiatives.
Interested in partnering with the annual Port Phillip Mussel and Jazz Festival or being involved next year? Get in touch!
For all event enquiries, please contact smmmarketing@portphillip.vic.gov.au.
