Robertson Potato Festival

Rebecca Varidel
2nd Mar 2022

The humble potato doesn’t get the accolades it deserves, but all that is about to change...

Whether you prefer wedges, traditional mash, a salty fry or deliciously distilled vodka, Expertise Events is thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural Robertson Potato Festival in the heart of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

The potato growing town of Robertson, the home of the Big Potato, will welcome potato lovers and spec-taters from all over NSW to the Robertson Showgrounds between 30 April and 1 May for the first ever Robertson Potato Festival, brought to you by Expertise Events - https://potatofestival.com.au/

Proving not to be a small fry event, the Robertson Potato Festival has plenty of a-peel with everything from cultivation and culture to culinary experiences and artmaking on hand, with plenty of competitions and activities that will keep the entire family entertained.

From mash to moonshine, there will be opportunities to explore and celebrate the diversity and importance of this staple food that is recognised as the world’s fourth largest food crop.

“Robertson, with the Big Potato as the town tourism pit stop, is surrounded by rich red soil and known to be one of the best potato producing areas in the country. We look forward to bringing an event to celebrate the humble spud and this wonderful region!” said organiser Gary Fitz-Roy, who has farmed in the area for 25 years.

The ‘spud-tacular’ event has a potato-packed schedule and will include:

Cooking demonstrations from leading local chefs and the likes of celebrity chefs including ‘Fast’ Ed Halmagyi.

Competitions with major prizes such as Hessians On The Field, featuring handmade potato sack couture that will strut the catwalk for a chance to win a heavy duty Singer sewing machine and a cash prize worth $1000.

Family friendly activities and competitions with prizes up for grabs including competitive peeling and mashing, spud ‘n’ spoon races, sack races, spud survivor and more.

Live entertainment from a variety of local musicians and artists and The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race, a tongue-in-cheek live play written by Melanie Tait, will be performed at the nearby Community Hall. Tickets need to be purchased separately for this show.

And of course, there'll be bags of vendors selling delicious potato-based food dishes from around the world and drinks sure to a-peel to all your senses.

“There will be plenty to inspire and inform from kids activities through to adult competitions. It’ll be interactive in a fun, old school way and our goal is to shine a spotlight on Robertson as a fun town to visit and encourage tourism to the district,” added Fitz-Roy.

potatofestival.com.au