More than six tonnes of mussels will be on the menu at the annual Port Phillip Mussel & Jazz Festival as it celebrates its 10th birthday at South Melbourne Market on March 8 and 9.
The free, family-friendly event is renowned for its delicious seafood offering, with local restaurants and pop-up vendors showcasing mouth-watering seafood dishes, with mussels as the main attraction.
Vendors include iconic Melbourne seafood restaurant, Claypots Evening Star, Simply Spanish and Bambu plus pop-ups from Western Port Mussels, Billy Van Creamy and Squid & Things, offering up its popular ‘Squid on a Stick’.
There will also be cooking demonstrations featuring local Chefs using fresh mussels from the market’s iconic fishmongers, Aptus Seafoods, South Melbourne Seafoods and Gem Pier.
If seafood is not your thing, don’t despair, as there will be a diverse range of food stalls, plus the entire market will be open during the day, so you can feast on favourites including burrata sangas, French pastries, bargain boreks and German street food.
The festival will again recycle mussel shells as part of South Melbourne Market’s partnership with The Nature Conservancy. The Shuck Don’t Chuck program sees mussel, oyster and scallop shells collected, cured and then used to rebuild lost reefs and ecosystems in Port Phillip Bay all year round, with more than 90 cubic metres collected last year alone.
The much-anticipated music program features a diverse line-up of Melbourne jazz and soul musicians set to take the stage, including Charlie Needs Braces, the latest project from Naarm-based musician, Charlie Woods, acclaimed French chanteuse, Noria Letts and the booty-shaking powerhouse, Miss Lizzy and the Night Owls.
The program also features a line-up of Melbourne jazz favourites, including Margie Lou Dyer, Hoodoo Mayhem and The Shuffle Club.
City of Port Phillip Mayor, Cr Louise Crawford, invites locals and visitors to come down and celebrate great food and music at this free, community event.
"The Port Phillip Mussel & Jazz Festival embodies everything South Melbourne Market represents – it’s a celebration of food, culture and community. We welcome everyone to come along and enjoy a day out with family and friends, feasting, dancing, and enjoying the delicious food offer and live music program at this free event.
"In addition to the festival, there is also the Emerald Hill Library Open Day and the annual Porsche & Coffee Meet on Clarendon Street, so it’s the perfect weekend to explore all South Melbourne has to offer.” she says.
South Melbourne Market will be open from 8 am to 4 pm each day, with the event and live music kicking off from 11 am each day.
