April 9, 2024
Woolooga’s annual Big Rosella Field Days will be making their 2024 outing on May 4-5, bringing an explosion of colour, flavour and creativity with a new program that includes chef demos, farm tours and a brand new creative experience.
The iconic event – formerly known as the Big Rosella Festival – is a weekend-long celebration of the harvest of tangy, crimson-coloured rosellas (also known as wild hibiscus).
Now in its ninth year, the farm-to-fork weekend has continued to expand, not only drawing in local foodies and green thumbs but also a growing crowd of city and interstate visitors looking to soak up the fresh farm air and delicious food.
This year the program is also adding a ticketed VIP experience – an open-air ‘paint and sip’ session in the rosella field – to its popular line-up of farmers markets, chef demonstrations, farm tours, gardening talks and live music.
The Big Rosella Field Days are hosted by the Petersen family, believed to be Australia’s biggest commercial grower of rosellas.
The bush food was popular in many Queensland kitchens in the old days but is now enjoying a gourmet resurgence.
Guests can experience everything that goes into growing and enjoying the fruit first-hand, with tours of the family’s brightly coloured crop of more than 2000 plants, and fun rosella-peeling contests.
Chefs including Neil Yates and Timo Van Hest (from Bar Soma) and Valerie Ferdinands (from My Kitchen Rules & New Farm Bistro) will showcase many ways to use this unique ingredient in cooking and cocktail demonstrations.
Food stalls will feature rosella-themed dishes on their menus, as well as fan-favourite Aussie and Filipino meals and snacks from farmer Cecilia Diaz-Petersen’s family recipes.
Meanwhile, children (whose tickets are free) will be kept entertained with fun activities including face painting, egg hunting, and Little Miss Rosella and Junior Farmer competitions.
Live music and dancing will also feature throughout the weekend, providing a chance to relax and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
The Field Days will run from 8:00am to 3:00pm on both days and tickets are $10 (under 12s are free).
Tickets can be bought at the farm gate or booked online.
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