One of our favourite days of the year, the James Street Food & Wine Trail is set to return for 2024, running on Saturday 27 July and Sunday 28 July. Once again, it will of course include a huge Market Day, closing down James Street from McLachlan to Arthur Street to transform the precinct into a huge urban picnic, filled with endless things to eat and drink. To say we're excited is an understatement.
This year's Market Day line up has the highest number of participating food and bar venues to date, with new and iconic James Street venues like ēmmē, Sushi Room, James & Antler and Agnes Bakery joining regulars like Gerard’s, Harveys and Hellenika out on the street. Between 10am and 5pm on Sunday 28 July, head on down to eat your way through bites like rooftop honey pork belly from Lobby Bar, wagyu skewers from ESSA, soft shell crab bao from Same Same and Agnes Bakery’s famous doughnut holes (with cinnamon sugar, caramel and chocolate sauce toppings—hello sugar overdose).
With food in one hand, you'll want a drink in the other, and there'll be plenty of pop-up bars ready to supply one. Knock back Japanese-inspired cocktails from Sushi Room, palomas and tea highballs from The Nixon Room or charred pineapple mojitos from Sixes and Sevens, just to name a few. There'll also be a live music stage and DJs scattered throughout the precinct and, as always, entry will be totally free.
Gelato Messina has of course come up with a limited edition treat for the special occasion, as they always do. Introducing their Cinnie Bunstein—a doughnut gelato packed with cinnamon buns, peanut praline, baked cheesecake and brown sugar caramel that will be on offer all weekend. They'll also be pulling out all the stops for Market Day, serving up Scoff It Down, a waffle cone filled with cheesecake gelato, chunks of baked cheesecake and biscoff spread; and the Only Crunch, Coco Pops-inspired gelato with milo fudge, marshmallows and coco pops covered in milk chocolate.
On the Saturday leading up to Market Day, some of James St’s residents will also offer one-off menu pairings, set menus and tastings, with Jocelyn’s Provisions, Cru Bar + Cellar, ESSA, ēmmē, King Arthur and The Lobby Bar serving up everything from loaded traditional lamingtons to four-course champagne lunches.
You can browse the program for Trail Days and Market Day and plan your James Street Food & Wine Trail here.
The Details
When: Saturday 27 July and Sunday 28 July
Where: James Street, Fortitude Valley
Find out more here.
Image credit: James Street | Supplied