Those looking forward to carefree weekends filled with food, wine and friends will need to hold out until later in the year, with three major festivals cancelled following the Federal Government’s announcement today.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, which was just six days from its opening night party, has made the decision to postpone its March 2020 program until later in the year.

“We understand that news of this postponement will be a great disappointment to our guests. Everyone in our organisation is heartbroken by this turn of events,” said Anthea Loucas Bosha, CEO of Food + Wine Victoria.

“The investment in the festival from the hospitality industry, from partners, sponsors, suppliers, volunteers and staff has been tremendous, and this decision has been made with great reluctance and the utmost seriousness.”

The festival, which was scheduled to run from March 9 – 16, 2020, was set to feature top international talent by the likes of Alison Roman, Lee Tiernan, Eyal Shani and Fuschia Dunlop.

Next door in SA, the state’s premier food and wine festival, Tasting Australia, has announced that it will also delay its celebrations until later in the year.

The festival was scheduled to run March 27 – April 5 and was comprised of more than 140 events.

Festival director Simon Bryant and Events South Australia executive director Hitaf Rasheed issued a joint statement that cites “an overabundance of caution” as the reason behind their decision.

“The decision also follows concerns that a number of our international and national talent were assessing their ability to participate in the festival at this time, and some had already indicated they were unable to travel.”

“The decision to postpone Tasting Australia is the right one as we want to ensure a spectacular, and importantly, safe experience for all. In light of today’s announcement, we would not have been able to deliver the experience that Tasting Australia patrons have come to expect or deserve to receive.”

The festival directors are currently working on a revised date, possibly in October or November this year, with ticketholders able to transfer their tickets or apply for a refund.

Meanwhile, in NSW, the Sydney Royal Easter Show has been cancelled for the first time in a century, with the only other occasion being 1919, following the outbreak of the Spanish Flu.

The annual show was to be held from April 3 to 14 and is the largest of its kind in the country, with 900,000 visitors attending last year.

A statement read: “The safety and well-being of our patrons and visitors is paramount and out of precaution, and in consultation with NSW Health, The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW has decided this is the best course of action.

“We appreciate that the cancellation of the Show is a huge disappointment for our Show community, particularly exhibitors and visitors from rural and regional NSW who love attending the Show to catch up with friends and celebrate with us every year.”

The event will not be rescheduled. Ticketholders will be contacted in the new five working days regarding refunds.