The Hunter River Times

By Jem Anshaw

The community have been asking when the Denman Wine and Food Affair will be on again, and we are pleased to be able to announce the date – Saturday November 2, 2024.

“We’ve got lots of great entertainment planned as well as all our local wineries and eateries from locally and throughout the Upper Hunter, hopefully it’s all copy and paste from our 2018 event, which was a huge success and our biggest one to date,” Denman Chamber president Amanda Collins told The Hunter River Times.

“It’s going to be a family community day so we will have free kids entertainment, everything from jumping castles and merry-go-rounds and face painters.”

The 2024 event has come back to life with support from Muswellbrook Shire Council who will be helping to bring it all together, as well as tying it in with another major local event being the Blue Heeler Film Festival.

“When I first got on council this term, one of the big things was to talk to the community organisers to get it back happening, and how it could happen,” Muswellbrook Shire mayor Steve Reynolds shared of the Denman Wine and Food Affair.

“Incorporating it with the Blue Heeler Film Festival to see it back up and running is going to bring a different niche to the festival as well, because we have the films and the actors there, so it’s one big celebration.”

To avoid event fatigue Council plan on running the Denman Wine, Food and Film Festival in alternating years with Rock In The Brook which will make its return next March.

Cr Reynolds also shared that we can look forward to bringing in the new year right here in Muswellbrook with event planning underway.

“Council is looking into fireworks for this New Year’s Eve, which will potentially have a backup plan of lights, drones, or a vivid type display – everything’s on the table,” he shared.

“It’s really about brightening our community with events and having people socialising and being inclusive. It brings back the pride and brings people out and about.”