Portarlington Mussel Festival

About

A one day food & wine festival hosted by the Portarlington Community, Saturday 11th January 2025, 9.30am-5pm!

Mussel Industry

Since 1982, Portarlington has been producing some of Australia’s tastiest mussels. These tasty blue mussels are sweet in flavour, high in protein and low in fat.

Stallholders

Over 200 stalls for you to browse though, including wonderful homemade crafts, food trucks, beer tastings and of course so many mussels! Can you try them all!?

Volunteer

The entire festival is run by a team of over 100 volunteers. Join us, have fun and give back to your local community. Volunteer applications are now open.

What’s On

Featuring incredible local musicians, our headline cover band, roving kids entertainment and cooking demonstrations.

Transport

Port Phillip Ferries packages from Melbourne or Geelong are available. Packages include return ferry tickets with express entry into the festival.

Uncategorized

BACK IN 2025!

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Frequently Asked Questions

It costs just $5 cash per adult, and free for kids, to enter the Portarlington Mussel Festival with all surpluses redistributed to local charities and community organisations for the benefit of the community.

Can I bring my dog?

We ask that you don’t bring dogs to the festival, as it can be very crowded – Service dogs exempt.

When is the festival?

The Portarlington Mussel Festival is held from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM on the second Saturday in January every year in the picturesque village of Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria. The next festival is Saturday 11th January, 2025.

Does the festival run all weekend?

No, this is just a one day festival on Saturday. We hope to see you there.

Can I volunteer?

YES! The event is run solely by volunteers, including the organizing committee, so we are always on the look out for volunteers, for the set up, on festival day, and pack down of the festival. Please register your interest on the Volunteer page.

Can I have a market stall?

Stallholder applications can be found on the Stallholders page. Applications close on 8th November. Each year we host over 200 stall sites and a wide variety of food, drink and market style stalls to cater for everyone.

Can I enter the art show?

For those Bellarine artists wishing to exhibit this January, please the entry form on the Art & Photo Exhibition page.

Can I BYO alcohol?

No, strictly no alcohol can be brought in to the festival. There will a range or stalls selling local beer and wine.

Is there an ATM onsite?

There are card readers at every entrance for quick and easy card payments. There will be an ATM near the entrance but it is always very busy, so PLEASE bring small cash denominations with you. Most stallholders do have EFTPOS facilities. The closest ATM outside the festival is at Bendigo Bank, on the corner of […]

Is the festival eco-friendly?

Each year we strive to become more eco-friendly, and since 2019 we have removed plastic straws and encouraged the use of reusable bags. We also have a water fountain on site where you can fill up your drink bottles, and we have recycling bins throughout the festival site.

Contact

For all enquiries, please email portmusselfest@gmail.com and we will forward your query to the relevant person.

Volunteer manager: volunteer.pmf@gmail.com

Postal Address: PO BOX 377, Portarlington, VIC 3223

Please help us by reading the FAQ’s before submitting an inquiry.