Why Horizontal Festival in the Southern Highlands belongs on your October calendar

The NSW Southern Highlands has become one of the country's most exciting food and wine destinations, and this October long weekend, Horizontal Festival returns to showcase exactly why.

Held from 2–4 October 2026 at Centennial Vineyards in Bowral, the festival brings together more than 80 NSW wine, food and beverage producers across a three-day program of tastings, live music, art and immersive dining experiences. This year, the festival is also expanding beyond the vineyard with a series of satellite events throughout the Southern Highlands, offering visitors even more reasons to make a long weekend of it.

Among the headline attractions is internationally acclaimed Argentine chef Francis Mallmann, who will make his first visit to Australia's east coast in 15 years. Best known for his mastery of live-fire cooking (he's been called the 'Godfather of Fire'), Francis will lead intimate experiences as part of the festival's Our Food Stories program, where guests will gather around the fire as dishes are prepared over wood and embers.

Francis says, "I would like to say thank you for letting us come to the Highlands. We shall share every fragment of our knowledge that is rooted in the climate and mountains of my Patagonia."

Festival creator and director Amanda Fry says his appearance marks an exciting milestone for the event. "To host him in the Southern Highlands, after 15 years away from the east coast, brings an opportunity to shine an international spotlight on the produce of NSW."

Australian chef Matt Moran also joins this year's program, beginning with Bites & Barrels with Matt Moran on Thursday, October 1. Hosted inside the Centennial Vineyards cellar door, the one-night event pairs six seasonal bites with the estate's cool-climate wines in an intimate setting. Matt says, "Horizontal Festival is a fantastic showcase... bringing together great food, wine and community in one of the country's most beautiful regions. I'm excited to be a part of it."

Across the festival itself, visitors can explore wines, craft spirits, beers and ciders poured by the producers themselves, alongside artisan cheeses, charcuterie and seasonal food from pop-up kitchens. Live music, art installations and relaxed conversation spaces encourage guests to slow down and enjoy the experience throughout the weekend.

This year's expanded program also includes new community events celebrating regional produce. The Battle of the Banger (competition for the best sausage for those not in-the-know) returns to Berrima after a 14-year hiatus, while The Jam Exchange invites home preservers, growers and makers to swap homemade jams and browse a marketplace dedicated to small-batch preserves.

Festival tickets are on sale now, with General Admission from $59 and Platinum Passes from $149, offering additional benefits including exclusive tastings, lounge access and return transfers from Bowral Railway Station. Tickets for Bites & Barrels with Matt Moran are $225 per person, while Osborn House Fiesta del Fuego with Francis Mallmann on Monday 5 October offers a six-course live-fire lunch to round out the long weekend.

For tickets and the latest program announcements, visit horizontalfestival.com.au.