The Guide
The East Gippsland Winter Festival is a month of fire, food and music across East Gippsland. It runs from Friday 19 June to Sunday 19 July 2026 - the sixth annual program, with more than 100 events across the region. The Metung Winter Festival is the Metung day of that program: a free festival day on the Village Green on Saturday 27 June. This guide covers that day and everything else happening in and around the village.
I live in this part of the world. This guide is for anyone planning a winter weekend or a full week in Metung and wanting to know what is actually on, where to eat, where to drink, and where to stay. Exact dates and tickets for each event are on the official program. Everything below is what you need to plan around it.
The Quick Version
When
Friday 19 June to Sunday 19 July 2026. Four weeks of programming across Metung and the broader East Gippsland region.
Where
Metung village on the Gippsland Lakes, plus events in Nicholson, Lakes Entrance, Paynesville, Swan Reach, Bairnsdale and Orbost.
Who runs it
The East Gippsland Winter Festival was started in 2021 by a small team of passionate East Gippsland locals, with Adam Bloem as founder and director. 2026 is the sixth annual program. The official 2026 program was launched at the Metung Country Club on 9 May 2026.
Headline events to plan around
- First event on the program: Nicholson River Trestle Bridge Long Lunch, Friday 19 June (150 guests)
- Metung Winter Festival day on the Village Green by Bancroft Bay
- Metung Winter Market and Metung 'Oodie In
- Metung's Igloo Dining Experience (new for 2026)
- The Riversleigh Masquerade Ball
- Wrap Party at the Paynesville Hotel, Saturday 18 July
Full dates, times and tickets are at egwinterfest.com.au/program.
What's On In Metung
Metung Winter Festival
Saturday 27 June 2026 | Village Green by Bancroft Bay | Free | Family-friendly
This is the one people travel for. The Village Green is right on the water and it gets a full festival day, put on by the Metung Business and Tourism Association. The 2026 headline is live chainsaw carving in front of the crowd, with music, food and family entertainment running through the day. The full lineup is on the official program.
Bring layers, bring cash, bring kids.
The Metung Winter Festival day is free entry. If you are working out which events to budget for and which to just walk straight into, my free and ticketed events guide covers the whole festival.
Metung Winter Market
Saturday 11 July 2026 | Bancroft Bay
Lakeside winter market with fresh local produce, homemade treats and handmade goods. Smaller and warmer than a summer market, which is the whole point. Worth a slow lap with a coffee.
Metung 'Oodie In
Village Green | After the Winter Market
Exactly what it sounds like. Pull on your Oodie, head down to the Village Green after the market wraps, and join in for games, prizes and treats. The Oodie In supports Variety - the Children's Charity, so the gold coin in your pocket actually does something.
Metung's Igloo Dining Experience
Saturday 27 June 2026 | Hosted with The Local Metung and Bancroft Bay Distillery | VIP
New on the program this year. Private igloos, a long menu and a small number of seats, hosted with The Local Metung and Bancroft Bay Distillery. It sold out almost immediately - watch the official program for any released tickets. For a wider look at which ticketed events are worth the spend, see what's free and what's worth paying for.
The Riversleigh Masquerade Ball
Friday 10 July 2026 | The Riversleigh, Bairnsdale
Candlelit, live music, roaming canapés, dancing. The Riversleigh is a grand 1886 boutique hotel on the Mitchell River in Bairnsdale, twenty minutes from Metung, and exactly the right room for a masquerade. Black tie energy without being uptight about it.
Metung Bloodhounds' Op Shop Ball
Saturday 18 July | Swan Reach Pub | 7:30pm | Music: Xtra Cover
The other ball on the calendar, and the polar opposite. Op shop dress code, pub setting, Xtra Cover on stage, locals out in force. This one runs the same night as the official festival wrap at the Paynesville Hotel, so the whole region is out for it.
Opening and closing
The first event on the 2026 program is the Nicholson River Trestle Bridge Long Lunch on Friday 19 June - a daytime long lunch on the historic trestle bridge for 150 guests. The festival closes with the Wrap Party at the Paynesville Hotel on Saturday 18 July. Both are ticketed and both tend to sell out early. Nicholson River Winery also runs sunset yoga during the festival.
Where To Eat
Metung is a small village, but the kitchens here pull their weight. These are the locals' picks any winter weekend, festival or not.
The Local Metung - A true paddock-to-plate experience, with produce grown on the owner's olive grove and farm or sourced from East Gippsland farmers. Artisanal Italian wood-fired pizzas, Mediterranean roast lamb, seasonal vegetable boxes and seasonal harvest salads - every sauce and every dish made from scratch with mostly organic produce, no nasty preservatives. Not to be missed. No bookings required, but call ahead for takeaway as they can get very busy. They cater for any dietaries. Check out The Local on Instagram.
Metung Hotel - The waterfront pub, pouring since 1870. Bistro lunch and dinner daily, and the deck over Bancroft Bay is the best beer-with-a-view in the village.
Cafe Chez Joe - International fusion done properly, breakfast through dinner, a few doors along from The Local.
Aroma @ Metung - Modern Australian coffee house and eatery with water views. Open daily to 4pm, dinner on Saturdays.
Metung Bakery & Cafe - Family-run village bakery. Fresh bread, proper pies, and a pastie for the drive home.
Metung Country Club and Metung Hot Springs both keep their kitchens running through winter. If you are booked into the Country Club for the program launch crowd or a meal, you are in good hands.
Eating in Lakes Entrance or Bairnsdale instead? Those towns are getting their own dedicated guides soon.
Where To Drink
The drink list for this festival is the part I would not skip. East Gippsland has quietly built a serious lineup of distillers, brewers and winemakers, and they all turn up for this one.
Bancroft Bay Distillery - Metung. The local gin distillery, and co-host of the Igloo Dining Experience this year. Hot toddys are the move on a cold night by the water.
Metung Hotel - The front bar and deck right over the water, local taps, and a 150-year head start on atmosphere. Xtra Cover play the pub from around 8pm on Saturday 27 June, once the Metung Winter Festival day wraps up on the Village Green. More at metunghotel.com.au.
The wider region's makers - Lightfoot Wines, East Gippsland Distillery, Sailors Grave Brewing and Nicholson River Winery among them - pour at festival events all month, so catch them at an event rather than crossing the map.
Where To Stay
Metung punches above its weight for beds, from motel rooms to luxury apartments, plus the Metung Hot Springs accommodation up on the hill.
The Moorings at Metung - Waterfront two and three bedroom apartments and suites. The headline stay in the village.
Metung Waters - Motel rooms and self-contained apartments between Lake King and Bancroft Bay, two minutes' walk to the village.
McMillans of Metung - Cottages and spa villas on eight acres opposite the boardwalk, built for families and groups. Stay three nights and their Stay 3, Pay 2 winter deal makes the third free - and it's not on the booking sites. Visit the McMillans website to take advantage of this offer.
5 Knots - Luxury apartments out at Shaving Point, for when the weekend itself is the treat.
If Metung is full, both Lakes Entrance (15 minutes east) and Paynesville and Bairnsdale (20 minutes west) put you inside easy festival range.
Planning a budget weekend? My budget guide for the festival shows what to book ahead and what to just turn up to.
Run a business in East Gippsland and want to be featured here or on other future local guides? Flick me a line at matt@yourmateagency.com.au. No catch, no fee. If your business helps visitors have a better festival, I'll happily add it to the guide.
Getting There
From Melbourne: About 4 hours via the Princes Highway. Plan for a Friday-night arrival if you are coming for the opening weekend, traffic east of Sale eases up after 6pm.
From Bairnsdale: 20 minutes. Bairnsdale has the regional airport (East Gippsland Airport) if you are flying in.
From Lakes Entrance: 15 minutes via the Princes Highway.
From Sydney or Canberra: Plan on a full day's drive via the Princes Highway through Eden and Cann River.
Getting around during the festival
Most Metung events are walkable within the village. For events at Nicholson, Paynesville, Swan Reach, Orbost or Lakes Entrance, you will need a car or a designated driver. If you are booked into a ball or the Wrap Party, sort accommodation in that town so you can walk home.
What to pack
Layers, a beanie, a proper jacket, and waterproof shoes if you are heading to the festival day on the green. East Gippsland winters are crisp, not brutal, but evenings near the water need a coat. Cash for market stalls is handy but most vendors take card.
FAQ
When is the Metung Winter Festival 2026?
The Metung Winter Festival day is Saturday 27 June 2026 on the Village Green. The wider East Gippsland Winter Festival runs Friday 19 June to Sunday 19 July 2026 - the first event is the Nicholson River Trestle Bridge Long Lunch on 19 June and the wrap party is at the Paynesville Hotel on 18 July.
What is the Metung Winter Festival?
The Metung Winter Festival is the Metung event day of the East Gippsland Winter Festival - a free festival day on the Village Green run by the Metung Business and Tourism Association, on Saturday 27 June 2026. The wider festival was started in 2021 by a small team of passionate East Gippsland locals and 2026 is the sixth year, with more than 100 events across the region - food, music, lakeside markets, long lunches and balls.
What happens on the Metung Winter Festival day?
A free, family-friendly festival day on the Village Green by Bancroft Bay on Saturday 27 June 2026, run by the Metung Business and Tourism Association. The 2026 headline is live chainsaw carving, with music, food and family entertainment through the day. The full lineup is on the official program.
Is the festival family-friendly?
Yes. The Metung Winter Festival day, the Winter Market and the 'Oodie In are all family-friendly events. The Riversleigh Masquerade Ball, the Op Shop Ball and the Wrap Party are adult evening events.
What is the Metung Igloo Dining Experience?
A new VIP dining experience for 2026. Diners sit inside private igloos on a winter night in Metung. Seats are limited and tickets sell through the official festival program.
Where can I see the official program?
At egwinterfest.com.au/program. The 2026 program was officially launched at the Metung Country Club on 9 May 2026, so it is live now.
How do I get to Metung?
Metung is in East Gippsland, Victoria, on the Gippsland Lakes. About 4 hours from Melbourne via the Princes Highway, 20 minutes from Bairnsdale (and the regional airport), and 15 minutes from Lakes Entrance.
Where should I stay for the festival?
Stay in Metung if you can. If Metung is booked out, Lakes Entrance, Paynesville and Bairnsdale are all within a 15-20 minute drive. Holiday house rentals are a good option for groups.
What other events are on near Metung in June and July 2026?
The whole East Gippsland Winter Festival program runs in parallel. Beyond the Metung-based events listed here, you will find programming in Nicholson, Lakes Entrance, Paynesville, Swan Reach, Bairnsdale and Orbost. Guy Grossi's Inverno Part III at Sodafish in Lakes Entrance is a stand-out food event for 2026.
Related
For a wider look at what is on across the whole 2026 festival, see the Free vs Paid Events Guide. Every free event, every ticketed highlight worth booking.
For more about what I do, the about page has the short version.
A Note From Matt
G'day. I wrote this guide partly to help visitors and partly to show what happens when a regional business has a proper online presence during peak event traffic.
Right now, thousands of people are searching for "metung winter festival" and most of what they find is a stale 2023 accommodation blog or a sponsor's logo page. There is no proper visitor guide on page one of Google. So I wrote one.
If you run a business in Metung, Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale or anywhere across East Gippsland and you want to be findable when the next big search wave hits, flick me a message. I build websites that rank for the searches that matter to your business, and I work mostly with local operators across Gippsland and the Sapphire Coast. No big retainers, no jargon, no hot air.
Email matt@yourmateagency.com.au, call or text 0478 101 521, or grab a 30 minute slot in my calendar and we'll have a chat.