Activities and workshops
The Little Food Festival brings together a diverse range of partners to showcase the magic of food and the role we all play in shaping a sustainable future.
Learn all about pollination and make your own seed ball to take home with Rooftop Bees.
Plant a lettuce, silverbeet or edible viola seedling with Bunnings.
Play ‘What’s in the box’ with the United African Farm.
Ready, set, Farm Dash! The race is on between a supermarket tomato and locally grown tomato. Who’s the farmer? You!
Explore how farmers plant tomatoes from seed, care for them and get them to the market. You’ll get to see first hand the difference between two types of farming, then you can decide which you prefer!
Join OzHarvest on their food rescue journey! Experience the day in the life of an OzHarvest Food Rescue Driver by joining OzHarvest big their food rescue journey.
Visit the mini grocer with A Better Choice! and Queen’s Harvest.
Grab your shopping basket & special tokens and have fun playing the shopping game. You’ll be able to change your tokens for some yummy fruit and/or veg to taste.
Get crafty at our Little Shopping List workshop! The very talented Angharad Neal-Williams will help kids create their own list of nutritious, fruit, veg, protein and carbohydrates to take on their next shopping trip.
Play the Ugly Food game with Monash University.
Make your own pickles to take home! Choose your own herbs and vegetables and learn the science behind the pickling process. Pickling is a great way to reduce food waste in our household which helps create a more sustainable planet.
Make your own salt blend using native ingredients with the fabulous chefs at Mabu Mabu!
Make mozzarella magic! Create your own bocconcini skewer using market-fresh cherry tomatoes and fragrant basil. It’s Italy’s classic flavour sensation, thanks to Georgio’s Artisan Cheese.
Learn about how potatoes are grown and why they’re such a wonderful vegetable to use in your cooking. Not only are they full of nutritional value, they’re super yummy!
At the Little Food Festival, you can make (and eat!) your very own clown potato salad with Chef Verena from Free to Feed.
Who loves a delicious, juicy JAZZ™ apple?
These yummy apples are 100% handpicked right from the earth and packed with good stuff that helps you run, jump, and play all day long. Did you know JAZZ™ apples have Vitamin C to help you fight off sniffles, and fibre to keep your tummy happy and healthy? They also have other cool vitamins and things called antioxidants that help keep your body strong. Plus, they're super refreshing and taste like a sweet-tangy hug for your tastebuds!
Grab a JAZZ™ apple at the Little Food Festival for a healthy, tasty snack that's as awesome as you are!
Put on your lab coat and look under the microscope to see the microscopic structure of food. You’ll also learn how the CSIRO helps vegetable growers convert produce waste into healthy edible snacks.
Play the Table Talk game! This super fun card game has been developed but he Kitchen Garden Foundation together with Monash University to encourage conversations around food, and what we love the most about being engaged in our food system.
Discover the gut-brain axis and learn about the role of food in brain health with Monash University - GIN Discovery Program. Fun, hands-on activities will engage kids in how nutrition impacts how we think, feel and grow.
Calling all young explorers! Join CERES school of nature & climate for a fun-filled journey that will dig deep into the world of healthy soil, food waste, and our tiny, but mighty, friends—the worms!
Make your own mini mushroom grow kit to take home! You’ll have mushrooms sprouting in 2 weeks - how fun!
Visit the Bellarine Fungi marquee to learn about the role fungi play in decomposing matter in our environment, building healthy soils, and the ways that fungi can deal with all sorts of environmental problems like plastic pollution and oil spills.
Everyone’s favourite smoothie bikes are back! Use reduced bananas from OzHarvest to blend your very own smoothie to drink. Yum!
Supporting areas
We have a variety of supporting areas at the festival including quiet spaces, food trucks for snacks and the Little Food Library.
REFLECTION ZONE
What action will you take after your fun day at the Little Food Festival? Visit the reflection zone to test your knowledge of food systems with Monash University.
THE LITTLE FOOD LIBRARY
The Little Food Library presented by Melbourne Libraries. Sit down to read a book and listen in to a story time reading from Melbourne Libraries wonderful children’s librarians.
FOOD TRUCKS
Healthy, social enterprise food trucks, to be announced soon!
NGV kids: My favourite food
Spend a day at Fed Square, enjoy the Little Food Festival, and explore the art on display at NGV Australia!
Drop by The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and draw your favourite food with us. Will it be pizza, a bowl of noodles or a big plate of beans? Eating healthy food, drawing pictures and spending time with family and friends helps make us feel good inside and out. Find out more.
Main stage
Our main stage show will be packed with fun and engaging activities to captivate kids with the wonderful world of food education. Stay tuned, we will be announcing the stage schedule soon!
Let’s look back at the 2024 festival!
Get a sense of what’s in store by checking out the 2024 Little Food Festival highlights video.