Come winter, Kangaroo Valley is awash with lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits. But while the region’s trees produce more than locals can realistically use, much of the seasonal bounty never makes it to the table.
A new festival hopes to change that. Citrus Fest will make its debut in Kangaroo Valley from 31st July to 2nd August, bringing together chefs, growers and the local community for a weekend of farm tours, preserving workshops, long lunches and family activities centred around one of the region’s most abundant winter crops.
The festival has been created by chef and food sustainability advocate Angie Prendergast-Sceats, founder of The Valley Table, whose career has focused on reducing food waste.
“It broke my heart moving to the valley and seeing so much beautiful produce go unused year after year, especially when I’ve spent my entire career building systems to prevent exactly this kind of waste,” she says.
“Citrus Fest was born out of a simple idea: how can we come together as a community, share skills, and make sure we preserve, taste and celebrate every single piece of produce our valley gives us?”
A festival with sustainability at its core
Before moving to Kangaroo Valley, Prendergast-Sceats led food rescue initiatives with the Youth Food Movement, championed the NSW EPA’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign and co-founded social enterprise Two Good Co.
She has brought that experience to Citrus Fest, which combines practical workshops, local produce and community events designed to make the most of the region’s annual citrus harvest. Activities will take place at Kangaroo Valley Hall and participating farms across the valley.
Farm tours, preserving workshops and a global citrus feast
The weekend kicks off on Friday with a self-drive tour of local orchards, before Prendergast-Sceats hosts the headline Citrus Without Borders Dinner. The four-course menu takes diners on a culinary journey through the world’s citrus-growing regions, with dishes inspired by Peru, Thailand, Persia, Morocco, Italy, Mexico, India and Spain.
Visitors will get to indulge in dishes including seafood leche de tigre, black lime chicken, harissa grilled lamb with dates and orange and bergamot Basque cheesecake.
Additionally, tickets include a welcome Yuzu Gin cocktail or Finger Lime Soda, and guests are welcome to BYO wine.
Learn new ways to use citrus
On Saturday, visitors can join the Preserve Your Crop workshops, running alongside the Kangaroo Valley Agricultural Show. Sessions will cover everything from marmalade making and fermented citrus sodas to citrus-infused skincare and essential oils.
Then, as the sun sets, botanical drinks specialists Trolley’d will host the Citrus After-Dark Cocktail Crafting Workshop, exploring citrus in seasonal cocktails.
Finally, the festival wraps up on Sunday with a Kids Citrus Craft & Discovery Workshop, where children can experiment with lemon batteries and citrus stamp art. Rounding out the weekend is the Citrus Cake Swap & High Tea, where guests are invited to bring along homegrown citrus, preserves or baked treats to share over tea and coffee.
Key details
- What: Citrus Fest
- When: Friday, 31st July – Sunday, 2nd August, 2026
- Where: Kangaroo Valley Hall and participating farms across Kangaroo Valley
- Friday event: Self-drive farm and orchard tour; Citrus Without Borders four-course dinner with a welcome drink
- Saturday highlights: Preserve Your Crop workshops covering marmalades, fermented sodas, citrus skincare and essential oils; Citrus After-Dark Cocktail Crafting Workshop with Trolley’d
- Sunday highlights: Kids Citrus Craft & Discovery Workshop; Citrus Cake Swap & High Tea
- Tickets: Weekend passes cost $145. Individual event tickets start from $25 for adults, with selected children’s tickets $15–$22 and even some workshops free for children under 12.
- Bookings: Capacity is limited across all events so book now.
