FESTIVALE DAY TWO: Event gets 'thumbs up' from stallholders

Preparing for the third day, event stallholders were already singing the praises of organisers on Saturday night.

The team from Last Rites Brewing Company made their way up from Cambridge for their first Festivale and head brewer Phil Zakaria said he loved the vibe of the event.

“Last year we were just setting [the business] up so we sort of missed the festival season, so this year we’re more organised and we’ve always heard good things about Festivale so we put our name in the hat and we were stoked to get in,” he said.

“It’s just been lovely weather, a great setting … everyone’s in a good mood, having a few drinks and a bit of food, it’s just great.”

Mr Zakaria said events like Festivale were an important way of encouraging local business.

“This is what Tassie is all about, fresh food … we use local products whenever we can, pretty much everything we can source locally … we do and that’s basically a way of showcasing everything we have to offer here [in Tasmania].”

Beyond the drinks, Melissa Burr was on site providing ice cold cheesecake on a stick for those who enjoy a little dessert.

Returning for her fourth year, the owner of Cheesecake Baculo said although it hadn’t been as busy this year, the crowd had been amazing. 

“We get a lot of people saying that they have come to Festivale just to get our desserts,” she said.

“I love the atmosphere, you can’t get a better setting, it’s one of my favourite events.”

While patrons enjoyed the food and drinks, MC David Lay said the entertainment was also a big hit.

“There’s so much to see and do at Festivale especially at the KPMG stage, which is sort of the chillout stage, there’s everything from dance and music to seeing young talent on stage,” he said.

“Not many people would normally get to see these young talented people perform and Festivale is a great venue, a nice relaxed atmosphere, and it exposes them to all sorts of people who might not have seen them before.

“This is my 10^th or 11^th year and  it’s always fun each year. I just love food, beer, wine, cider and all the other wonderful things at the event, it’s just great.”

Mr Lay’s top pick for entertainment on Sunday was he Amazing Drumming Monkeys, a children’s musical puppet show. 

“They are just fantastic, they are supposed to be kids entertainment but I just sit there and be amazed at them each time they perform. The celebrity chefs cooking in the conservatory will be great as well.”