At a glance
- When
- Saturday 9 January 2027, 9:30am to 5:00pm (Victorian time, AEDT)
- Where
- WG Little Reserve, Portarlington, on the Bellarine Peninsula; the City lists the address as Littles Reserve, 23 Newcombe Street, Portarlington VIC 3223
- Cost
- Adults $10; children under 16 free (festival website and City of Greater Geelong)
- On the day
- Live music on three stages, mussels cooked in many styles, more than 200 market stalls, an art show, cooking demonstrations and kids’ activities
- Rules
- No alcohol may be brought in, and no dogs except service dogs
- Who it’s for
- Food and music fans, families, and anyone who wants a Bellarine summer day out; stallholders and volunteers can apply
- What to do now
- Buy tickets online, decide between the festival shuttle, the ferry or the Recreation Reserve car park, and note that stallholder applications close on 8 November
- Last checked
- Thursday 29 October 2026, against the festival’s website (home, about, what’s on and transport pages) and the City of Greater Geelong’s event page
- Not yet confirmed
- Set times for each act, this year’s exact shuttle and parking arrangements, and the wet-weather plan
The Portarlington Mussel Festival returns on Saturday 9 January 2027, from 9:30am to 5:00pm on the Portarlington foreshore, with adult entry at $10 and children under 16 free. Parking in the town is very limited, so the festival’s own advice is to use the ferry, the free local shuttle bus or the signed car park at the Recreation Reserve.
When is the Portarlington Mussel Festival, and what does it cost?
The festival’s website gives Saturday 9 January 2027, 9:30am to 5:00pm. The City of Greater Geelong’s event page agrees on the date and the hours. Entry is $10 for each adult, and children under 16 are free. The website says tickets are on sale and recommends buying them online ahead of the day to avoid queues, and it says card readers are at every entrance and there is an ATM inside.
| Detail | What the festival and the City say |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday 9 January 2027 |
| Hours | 9:30am to 5:00pm |
| Adult entry | $10 |
| Under 16 | Free |
| Payment | Card readers at every entrance; ATM on site |
| Contact | portmusselfest@gmail.com on the festival’s website; the City’s page lists a different email address |
The festival describes itself as a one-day event run entirely by volunteers. According to its About page, it has returned more than $230,000 to the local region, and all profits from entry fees go back into the region.
Where is it?
The festival’s website says WG Little Reserve in central Portarlington, set against Portarlington Beach. The City’s page lists the venue as Littles Reserve at 23 Newcombe Street, Portarlington VIC 3223. The two names refer to the same reserve as far as the pages show, but the street details differ, so use the festival’s signs and its own map on the day.
Who is playing in 2027?
The festival’s What’s On page headlines its “2027 Entertainment Line Up” with nine acts. It does not publish set times, so use the list as a guide to who is on, not when.
| Act | The festival’s description |
|---|---|
| Tusk | The Fleetwood Mac tribute show, billed as Australia’s leading Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks experience |
| The Divinyls Story: It’s a Fine Line | A tribute to the Divinyls featuring Chrissy Burrell; the page notes that Chrissy Amphlett grew up in Geelong |
| Robbie Williams Experience | Melbourne performer Louie Feltrin with a live band |
| Andrea Robertson Band | Blues, roots, folk, rock and alt-country |
| Sam Hanson | Bellarine frontman of 10HF, also a solo performer |
| David Jones | Rock singer-songwriter who has played with the Choirboys, Taxiride and Chocolate Starfish |
| Brett Wood | Singer, guitarist and songwriter who worked with Pete Murray for 20 years |
| Caitlin and Tim Rizzoli | Father and daughter duo, winners of The Voice Generations |
| Taxiride featuring Jason Singh | The band’s hits including “Get Set” and “Creepin’ Up Slowly” |
What else is there besides music?
The What’s On page describes stalls serving mussels “in a variety of styles”, plus other food, local Bellarine wines, craft beers and soft drinks for children. Down at the pier, the mussel boats offer freshly harvested mussels to take home. In the cooking tent, hourly demonstrations run in Rie’s Kitchen, where local chefs show how to prepare mussels and other local produce.
The Mussel Festival Art Show runs in Parks Hall and features more than 30 artists from across the Bellarine. Works are available to view and buy on the day. The festival’s home page also lists kids’ activities and entertainment, and says there are more than 200 market stalls.
Why mussels in Portarlington?
The festival began as a small street festival in 2007 to celebrate and promote the local mussel industry. Its About page says the industry grew from a handful of farmers in 1982 to more than 20 mussel farms in Port Phillip Bay, and that the blue mussel is the most commonly farmed variety. The City describes the festival as promoting the Bellarine Peninsula’s food and wine and particularly the mussel industry, produced by the local community.
How do I get there and where do I park?
The festival’s Transport page is undated, so treat its figures as the organisers’ general advice and check it again closer to January. It says more than 30,000 visitors are expected and that car parking in Portarlington is very limited. The drive from Melbourne takes around 90 minutes, and can be longer because of traffic coming into Portarlington.
| How you travel | What the festival’s transport page says |
|---|---|
| Drive | Follow festival parking signs to the designated car park at the Portarlington Recreation Reserve, off Sproat Street. It is an 8 minute walk along the foreshore, or take a free shuttle bus |
| Ferry from Melbourne | Port Phillip Ferries fast catamaran from Docklands, foot passengers only, 70 minutes to Portarlington |
| Ferry from the Mornington Peninsula | Searoad ferry between Sorrento and Queenscliff, hourly each way from 7am to 6pm, seven days a week; book early if taking a car |
| Free local shuttle bus | Runs 9:00am to 5:30pm from Portarlington and Indented Head; book before 11:00am on festival day; children aged 7 or under cannot travel on the bus |
| Train | Use the Public Transport Victoria journey planner |
The shuttle’s pick-up stops include the Indented Head General Store, Dylene Caravan Park, Fairhaven Family Holiday Park and the Bellarine Bayside Holiday Park, and to go home you wait at the front of Parks Hall. The booking contact is on the festival’s Transport page.
What are the rules?
The festival says strictly no alcohol can be brought in, and dogs may not be brought in unless they are service dogs. Local beer and wine are on sale inside. For the City’s facilities list, see the event page: catering, children’s activities, first aid, parking, seating, toilets, undercover areas, change rooms and wheelchair access.
Can I have a stall or volunteer?
The festival’s website says stallholder applications close on 8 November, and the site has separate pages for stallholders, volunteers and the art exhibition. Use the contact details on the festival’s website for any of these.
What should I check before I go?
- Your tickets, bought online before the day
- The festival’s Transport page, again in December, for this year’s shuttle and parking details
- Your ferry booking if you are crossing the bay, including the Searoad booking if you are bringing a car
- The festival’s website the week before for set times and the wet-weather plan, neither of which has been published
Sources
- Portarlington Mussel Festival: home page (read 29 October 2026)
- Portarlington Mussel Festival: About (read 29 October 2026)
- Portarlington Mussel Festival: What’s On and 2027 line-up (read 29 October 2026)
- Portarlington Mussel Festival: Transport (undated; read 29 October 2026)
- City of Greater Geelong: Portarlington Mussel Festival (read 29 October 2026)
Featured image: Coastline at Portarlington, May 2010 (photo: Rexness / CC BY-SA 2.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the Portarlington Mussel Festival or the City of Greater Geelong. Event details can change; check the festival’s website before you go.