The Art of Dining is our design-led food market, and a celebration of why we gather.
We gather to eat, yes, but food is so much more than just sustenance. It’s a ritual, an experience, shared and a comforting routine.
We are bringing together 70+ food and drink makers from across Australia into one delicious event. Join thousands of hungry food lovers across two days and sample the best local flavours in the country.
This special food market series draws on the same ethos you know and love The Finders Keepers for: supporting thoughtful buying through local makers. It’s a design-led, food-lovin’ celebration of why we come together to dine.
At this event, food becomes a design experience. It’s more than just a market; it’s an immersive, thoughtfully curated food journey with flavours that tell a story. This event is part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Special Events program.
Set against the backdrop of Melbourne’s working waterfront, The Art of Dining will take place at Seaworks in Williamstown, a vibrant maritime precinct where history, creativity, and community come together. Once home to bustling shipyards, this harbourside venue now welcomes makers, bakers, brewers, and food lovers to celebrate Melbourne’s thriving local food scene.
Meet the Makers
At the heart of The Art of Dining are the makers.
Across one weekend, you’ll meet over 70 of Australia’s most exciting food and drink makers, plus designers and artists, each sharing their unique stories, practices, and philosophies. Together, they create a collective exploration of sustainability, creativity, and connection. Expect everything from gourmet treats to everyday essentials, art to adorn your tables with and plenty of options for lunch, snacks, and pantry-stocking.
Our Emerging Food & Beverage Debuts section, curated by our friends at the Melbourne Farmers Market, shines a light on new and upcoming producers, giving you the chance to discover the next generation of thoughtful makers.
Knowing where your food comes from changes how it tastes. Check out our full lineup here.
Our markets are built on community, both the makers who have grown with us over the years and those stepping into our creative community for the very first time.
We’re thrilled to introduce a new group of stallholders joining our established creative family. Their ideas, energy and offerings add another layer to the rich tapestry of talent that defines our markets.
The Market Menu by Firecracker
Cassie Lucas and the team at Firecracker Event will bring the flavours of the market to life with an exclusive Market Menu, using as many stallholder products as possible across a generous snack bar and grab-and-go offering.
Market Menu sampler to tickle those taste buds:
- Millet Road Crumpets with Lard Ass Butter and Short Hive or Collins Honey
- Crisps loaded with white anchovies or jamon, guindillas and parmesan
- Focaccia by Akimbo with mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio pesto
- Naked Asian Grocer Vermicelli salad with Duc Nga tofu and veg, and Uncle Tsai Scallion Ginger oil + Umei Foods Mayo
- Cheese platter with Long Paddock Cheese
- Plus! A free hot sauce station will be set up featuring all our market hot sauce brands for you to choose from!
This is our friendly reminder to come hungry, you will be eating a lot at this food market!
Breaking Bread: A Sunday Brunch Hour
‘Breaking bread’ is a phrase everyone knows, but its deeper meaning is often overlooked.
It originates in ancient Jewish tradition and early Christian scripture. It literally means sharing a meal, often bread. But figuratively, it’s a moment of connection, a pause to reconcile and come together. The idea is simple yet profoundly human: something as humble as a loaf of bread can create space for conversation, understanding, and shared experience.
At The Art of Dining Melbourne, we wanted to explore this idea in its fullest expression. That’s how Breaking Bread was born: a one-hour communal brunch designed to nourish, delight, and leave a lasting impression.
Bread and pretzels selected from Baker Bleu, Akimbo, Austro Bakery, and Noisette anchor a generous feasting table, accompanied by whipped butters, charcuterie, pickles, tomatoes, avocados, cloth cheddar, Meredith feta, and a seasonal galette or frittata.
“Breaking bread” means to share a meal.
But it also means to connect. To reconcile. To gather.
This is an event within the event. A small, intentional pause inside a busy market weekend. A reminder that sometimes, the most meaningful moments happen when we slow down together.
Tickets are limited to 24 spots, so make sure to secure them now before they sell out.
UPDATE – we’re sold out!
More Ways to Gather
Throughout the weekend, you’ll find spaces designed not just for shopping, but for staying.
Styled Tablescapes & Sit & sketch
Enjoy our beautifully styled kitchen tables featuring locally made tablecloths, ceramics, and décor, offering inspiration for your own gatherings at home. Immerse yourself in the tablescape through our sketch and sit—take a moment to sketch what you see, sketch what you want to see, or simply sketch yourself in the moment.
Mindfulness Mural
A collaborative artwork by local artist, Good Juju Homewear, inviting visitors to reflect on the mindfulness that goes into each product at the market.
Sailor Grave Brewing & Pirate Tavern Takeover
An exclusive market ale paired with Finn’s Oyster Bar, sea shanties, and a playful nod to the site’s maritime spirit. Don’t forget to recycle your oyster shells when you’re done, with the Shuck Don’t Chuck initiative!
Fin Wines Lo-Fi Bar
A low-intervention wine bar with a lo-fi, laid-back vibe — where process and atmosphere mirror each other.
Tasters Corner by Really Good People
A rotating program of in-situ tastings that spotlight emerging and noteworthy products, championing discovery through experience.
Shuck Don’t Chuck!
After you’ve enjoyed your fresh-as oysters from Finn’s Oyster Bar, you can recycle the shells! The Shuck Don’t Chuck initiative has so far used 825+ tonnes of recycled shells to support the restoration of 49 historical reef beds, including in Port Phillip Bay. These restored reefs improve water quality, biodiversity, and marine habitats. Cool!
The details:
A thoughtfully curated food market celebrating how we gather, share and dine.
Seaworks, Williamstown, Narrm
21-22 March
10am-5pm daily
Extended hours Saturday 5pm–7pm
After the market closes, join us for dinner outdoors by the sea! Free entry from 5pm.