This year’s Channel 7 Mandurah Crab Fest – 16 and 17 March – will be a foodie’s dream with gourmet food stalls, cooking demonstrations, ticketed experiences and local eateries serving up something to suit all tastes.
The City of Mandurah’s Crab Fest, which celebrates Mandurah’s iconic blue swimmer crab, will be dishing up delicious crab-inspired dishes and seafood across the weekend, with free entry for all attendees. But it’s not all about seafood. The festival caters to diverse tastes with over 50 food vendors and local businesses providing savory dishes, sweet treats, and drinks.
The City is proud to welcome chef, media personality and Grow it Local champion Paul West back to Crab Fest this year as the Culinary Ambassador. Paul will be sharing his expertise, passion for sustainable cooking and love of locally sourced ingredients on the Spudshed Cooking Stage throughout the weekend, as well as other appearances throughout the festival. Paul is a passionate advocate of real food, community, regional living and sustainable agriculture. He was the host of four series of A River Cottage Australia which followed his journey to grow an abundance of farm-fresh food and then cook and share it with his local community. Paul travels Australia hosting cooking demonstrations and can be seen on River Cottage Australia, Catalyst, Gardening Australia and Back Roads.
This year’s Spudshed Cooking Stage host will be Pete Curulli, one half of Mix94.5’s Pete & Kymba for Breakfast Show, who is no stranger to seafood and food culture. Coming from a proud Italian foodie and fishing family, he spent many days in the waters up and down WA’s coast, and many nights scooping for crabs in Mandurah. Pete grew up in his family’s fresh seafood business Curulli’s Seafood Markets, so he knows his way around fish and seafood from catch to plate. With that knowledge, a love of cooking, and his cheeky energy on full display, he’s sure to rev up the crowd and the celebrities gracing the stage at this year’s Crab Fest.
During Crab Fest weekend, Event Ambassadors Home and Away star James Stewart and former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden AM and his television presenter daughter Grace Hayden will take to the Spudshed Cooking Stage for live demonstrations. A host of Channel 7 personalities including Blake and Amanda Proud from My Kitchen Rules Season 10 and 7NEWS Perth host Susannah Carr will also take to the stage to make their mark.
There will be a huge range of food and drink options to tantalise the taste buds including food trucks, pop-up licensed bars, Spudshed’s Yellow Brick Road experience, and the Taste of the State stalls featuring local kitchens cooking fresh food all weekend. Mandurah’s local bars, cafes and restaurants will also be hosting a range of special events in the lead up to and during Crab Fest, including the Crack a Crab event at Wood and Stone Cafe over the weekend.
For something different during Crab Fest, several ticketed food experiences are now on sale including the Cocktails and Canapes Masquerade Sundowner, Beer N’ Beef, Beer Yoga and Cocktail Masterclasses. The 2024 Crab Fest footprint will stretch from the City Centre and along Mandurah’s Eastern and Western Foreshores, Mandjar Square and over to the award-winning Mandurah Ocean Marina.
Highlights of the 2024 Crab Fest include the Seaside Estate Main Stage with headline acts The Potbelleez, Pacific Avenue and Tarryn Stokes, family entertainment, activities, a dedicated Children’s Stage, action sports, water activations, fireworks, pop-up food stalls, licensed bars, an interactive SciTech display and the action-packed WA Police Force Careers Expo.
The Channel 7 Mandurah Crab Fest is a City of Mandurah event, supported by the State Government through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program.
To secure a spot at the Crab Fest ticketed events and to download the official Crab Fest program, go to crabfest.com.au.
