Pearl Beach Food And Wine Fair 2026: Markets And Seafood From Daleys Point
On Saturday 24 October 2026 the little village of Pearl Beach opens its Memorial Hall for its annual food and wine day, with boutique wines to taste and local producers selling cheese, olives, honey, chocolate and more. It is the headline of a very good food spring on the Woy Woy Peninsula, where weekly produce markets, monthly makers' markets and a working fishermen's wharf all sit within a short drive of Daleys Point. This guide covers the fair, the markets worth timing your stay around and how to turn it all into a relaxed long weekend of shopping, cooking and eating well.
Key Takeaway
The Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fare runs on Saturday 24 October 2026 from 10am to 4pm, according to the Pearl Beach Progress Association. Pair it with the Ettalong Fresh Food Market that same morning, a seafood lunch or takeaway from Woy Woy on another day, and one of the Peninsula's monthly markets, and you have a full food weekend with very little driving.
Before You Head Out
Small community events and markets can change times, move venues or pause for weather, so a few quick checks save disappointment.
1Confirm the date: Check the Pearl Beach Progress Association events page in the week before the fair.
2Pick a driver: The fair is built around wine tastings, so decide early who is driving home.
3Bring a cooler bag: Cheese, seafood and market produce travel better with an esky or insulated bag in the car.
Build The Weekend Around Three Food Moments
You do not need to visit every stall on the Peninsula. Give the weekend three anchors and let the rest stay flexible.
1A morning market: Ettalong Fresh Food Market on Saturday or the Woy Woy farmers market on Sunday.
2A tasting outing: The Pearl Beach fair, followed by a swim or a slow walk in the village.
3One big shared dinner: Cook what you bought and eat it together at home with the view.
Why Daleys Point Works As A Base For A Food Weekend
Daleys Point sits on the eastern shore of Brisbane Water, on the Bouddi Peninsula side of the bay, facing west across the water toward Ettalong, Booker Bay and Woy Woy. That position matters for a food weekend because the Peninsula's busiest market and seafood strip is on the other side of that water, but only a short drive around it.
Using an online route planner, the drive from Daleys Point to Ettalong Beach is roughly 2.7 kilometres and about five minutes. Woy Woy is about eight minutes away, Umina Beach about nine and Pearl Beach roughly 10 kilometres and fifteen minutes. Allow a little more on market mornings and busy weekends, when parking takes longer than the drive.
That short radius is what makes this kind of trip enjoyable. You can shop the Saturday morning market, drop the produce back in the fridge, head to Pearl Beach for the fair and still be home in time to light the barbecue. Nobody spends the weekend in the car, and nobody has to carry soft cheese around in the sun all afternoon.
The best food weekends here are short loops: market, home, village, home again, dinner with a view.
Pearl Beach Food And Wine Fair 2026: The Essentials
The Pearl Beach Progress Association lists the 2026 event, which it calls the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fare, for Saturday 24 October, 10am to 4pm. Its event page for the previous fair gives the venue as the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall at 9 Diamond Road, Pearl Beach. Many locals and local media simply call it the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fair, so you will see both spellings when searching.
This is a long-running village event rather than a big commercial festival. Coast Community News described the October 2025 edition as the 18th annual fair, run by the Progress Association, with free entry. The 2025 event page described boutique wines available for tasting and purchase, local gourmet producers selling cheeses, mushrooms, biscuits, sauces, smoked goods, spices, chocolates, olives, honey and eggs, gluten-free options, a café on the hall's back deck and a raffle of gourmet food baskets with proceeds going toward upkeep of the Memorial Hall.
Last year's line-up, as reported by Coast Community News, included Hunter and local boutique wineries such as Old Inn Road Winery, Millbrook Estate Winery and The Mulled Wine Co, alongside producers including Little Creek Cheese, Hunter Olives, Sweet As and Natural Hive Honey. Stallholders change, so treat those names as a guide, not a promise for 2026.
When
Saturday 24 October 2026, 10am to 4pm, as listed by the Pearl Beach Progress Association.
Where
Pearl Beach Memorial Hall, 9 Diamond Road, Pearl Beach. About 15 minutes' drive from Daleys Point.
Cost
Entry was free in 2025. Check the 2026 details before you go, and budget for tastings, produce and lunch.
Confirm before you travelCommunity events can change times or arrangements late. Check the Pearl Beach Progress Association website or social pages in the week of the fair for final details, parking advice and any weather changes.
How To Do The Fair Well
Arrive close to opening if you can. Pearl Beach is a small village with narrow residential streets, and a popular Saturday brings a lot of cars into a place that normally has very few. An earlier arrival usually means an easier park, a better look at the stalls before the popular items sell out and more time to talk to the producers.
Take a lap before you buy. The smartest purchases tend to come on the second pass, once you know what you want to cook that night. Think in meals: a cheese board for drinks, olives for a balcony lunch, honey and eggs for a slow breakfast.
Plan the drive home before the first glass. Pearl Beach is an easy fifteen-minute trip back to Daleys Point, but it is still a drive. Choose a designated driver, pace the tastings and remember that most of the wines are there to buy and take home for the evening. NSW drink-driving rules apply, and the safest plan is always the one agreed before you leave.
Bring an insulated bag or esky for the car. Soft cheeses, smoked goods and chocolate do not enjoy a warm car in late October, and having a cold bag means you can stay for lunch or a walk without worrying about the shopping.
Make A Day Of Pearl Beach
Pearl Beach deserves more than a quick visit to the hall. The official Central Coast tourism site describes the beach as pleasant, relatively quiet and good for swimming, with a popular ocean rock pool for lap swimming. Late October is warm enough for many people to swim, and a dip after a morning of tasting is a very good idea.
Pearl Beach is not on Central Coast Council's list of patrolled beaches, so there are no red and yellow flags there. Swim only when conditions are calm, stay within your ability and keep children within arm's reach. If the group wants a patrolled swim, Surf Life Saving NSW volunteers raised the flags for the 2026–27 season on Saturday 26 September, patrolling on weekends and public holidays through to Monday 27 April 2027, and council lists Umina Beach, Ocean Beach and Killcare Beach among its patrolled beaches. Check patrol times on the day before you go.
The village itself is part of the charm. Central Coast Tourism notes that almost all of Pearl Beach's streets are named after gemstones, which is why you will find yourself on Diamond Road, Crystal Avenue and their neighbours.
For views without a hike, the tourism site points to Mt Ettalong Lookout, looking out over a bay that is usually dotted with white sails, and to Paul Landa Reserve, a pleasant spot for a stroll down to a rock ledge over the point. Both are good ways to stretch your legs between tastings and lunch.
Buy the cheese, take the swim, then wander the gemstone streets. Pearl Beach rewards a slow afternoon.
The Pearl Beach Arboretum: A Quiet Hour In The Bush
A short walk from the fair, the Pearl Beach Arboretum is one of the most restful places on the Peninsula. Its own website describes it as a natural botanic garden that has been in Pearl Beach since 1976 and is open to the public for free. Central Coast Tourism calls it a flora sanctuary with grassed areas, wetlands, patches of temperate rainforest and open forest, crisscrossed by very easy walking trails.
You will find it at the western end of Crystal Avenue, with established paths, boardwalks and bridges. It is a good choice for older guests, young families and anyone who wants shade and quiet after a busy morning in the hall.
There are rules worth knowing before you go. The Arboretum says no domestic animals, fires, barbecues or smoking are allowed except with special permission. If you are travelling with a dog, plan for someone to stay with it outside or leave the Arboretum for a dog-free part of the day.
Music in the Arboretum, Saturday 10 OctoberThe Arboretum is promoting Music in the Arboretum on Saturday 10 October 2026. Coasties Magazine lists it as "50 Years of 1976", 2pm to 5pm, with tickets at $50, $40 for members and $25 for under-15s. Book through the Arboretum and confirm details directly.
Walk Off Lunch: Patonga To Pearl Beach And Warrah Lookout
If the group has the legs for it, Pearl Beach is the end of one of the best short bushwalks on this side of the Central Coast. NSW National Parks lists the Patonga to Pearl Beach walking track in Brisbane Water National Park as 3 kilometres one way, 1.5 to 2 hours and grade 5 on its track scale, so it is a walk for reasonably fit, sure-footed people. It runs between the end of Patonga Beach and Crystal Avenue at Pearl Beach, passing Warrah Trig, Warrah Lookout with views over the Hawkesbury River and the Pacific, and sandstone caves with a hanging garden of native ferns.
For a shorter option, National Parks describes Warrah Lookout as roughly a 15-minute walk one way from its carpark, with steps and rough ground, and scenic views of Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River. Locals know the area as the Waratah Patch because it is one of the park's best places to see waratahs flowering in late winter, so by late October the main bloom may have passed.
National Parks lists a vehicle entry fee of $8 per vehicle per day for Brisbane Water National Park, payable at card machines or through the Park'nPay app. Both the walking track and Warrah Lookout pages showed active alerts when this guide was researched, so check the current NPWS alerts before setting out.
Do this walk before the tastings or on a different day, and carry drinking water, a hat and sunscreen.
Other Pearl Beach Dates This Spring
Pearl Beach runs a busy community calendar, and several dates fall inside the next few weeks. These are listed by the Pearl Beach Progress Association for 2026 unless noted otherwise.
Saturday 3 October
Spring Fair, 9am to 2pm, a community market with plants and local homemade goods. The village Art Trail runs 10am to 4pm the same day, and Oktoberfest fills the Memorial Hall from 5pm to 8pm, with tickets on sale.
Sunday 4 October
Breakfast BBQ and market, 8am to 11am, with bacon and egg rolls, pastries and local produce. Pink Pearlie Drinks, a social event for the LGBTIQA+ community, friends and allies, runs 5pm to 7pm.
Sunday 25 October
Community Morning Tea, 9am to 11.30am, with tea, coffee and pastries. It falls the morning after the food fair, which makes a gentle second visit easy.
Saturday 14 November
Words at Pearls literary celebration, 10am to 4pm. A good fit for a quieter weekend once the October rush has passed.
The October long weekend falls in the middle of the NSW spring school holidays, which the NSW Department of Education lists as Monday 28 September to Friday 9 October 2026. Expect Pearl Beach and the Peninsula to be busier than usual over that stretch.
Saturday Mornings: Ettalong Fresh Food Market
For a food-focused stay, the most useful market on the Peninsula is also the closest. The Ettalong Fresh Food Market runs every Saturday from 7.30am until about midday at the Broken Bay Scout Hall, 1 Picnic Parade, Ettalong Beach. That is about five minutes' drive from Daleys Point.
Its listing on iCentralCoast describes fresh fruit and vegetables, organic produce, free-range eggs, local honey, mushrooms, fresh bread, dairy, flowers and pantry goods, plus stalls with coffee, cakes, jams, chutneys, prepared meals and even dog treats. Entry is free, there is live music, parking is described as plentiful and the beach is within walking distance.
On fair day this market is the natural first stop. Shop for breakfast and salad ingredients at 7.30am, get the fresh food home and into the fridge, then drive to Pearl Beach for the 10am opening. On other Saturdays it makes a relaxed start to the day before a walk along the Ettalong foreshore.
Go early for the best choiceProduce markets are at their best in the first hour. If you want particular bread, eggs or mushrooms, get there soon after opening and bring your own bags.
Ettalong Markets At The Galleria: A Weekend Wander
The Ettalong Markets are a Peninsula institution. Coasties Magazine's Central Coast markets guide, last updated in September 2026, lists them at The Galleria, 189 Ocean View Road, every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm, and notes they were established in 1979. The market is undercover and mixes art, jewellery, books and food.
Because it is under cover, this is one of the best backup plans on the Peninsula when a spring shower rolls across Brisbane Water. Allow an hour and pair it with a waterfront walk if the weather clears.
The Monthly Market Calendar For October And November
Several Peninsula markets run on a monthly cycle, and one runs every Sunday. Using the schedules published by Coasties Magazine, these are the dates they should fall on over the next eight weeks. Monthly markets can skip a month or move for weather, so check each market's own page before planning around it.
Kincumber Car Boot Markets
First Saturday of the month, 8.30am to 2pm, Kincumber Uniting Church. Expected dates: 3 October and 7 November. About 15 minutes' drive.
Makers Market At The Banger Rebellion
Second Saturday, 10am to 3pm, 46 The Esplanade, Ettalong Beach. Local artists, designers and crafters. Expected dates: 10 October and 14 November.
Downtown Pre-Loved Night Markets
Third Friday, 5.30pm to 8.30pm, 212 Memorial Avenue, Ettalong Beach. Vintage and pre-loved fashion. Expected dates: 16 October and 20 November.
Umina Beach Markets
Third Sunday, 9am to 2pm, Sydney Avenue Recreation Precinct. Quirky local stalls. Expected dates: 18 October and 15 November.
Skeleton! Farmers Market
Every Sunday, 10am to 2pm, 63 Trafalgar Avenue, Woy Woy. Local produce, about eight minutes' drive. A good Sunday shop before heading home.
A Friday arrival on 16 October or 20 November lines up nicely with the night market in Ettalong, which makes an easy first evening before a quieter weekend.
Seafood On The Water: Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf
No food weekend on Brisbane Water is complete without seafood. Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf runs a restaurant, a seafood market and a takeaway. Its website says the restaurant is open for lunch Thursday to Tuesday from 12pm to 3pm, and the seafood market and takeaway are open every day except Wednesday.
The market has a display of fresh seafood and an oyster bar, and the takeaway cooks fish and chips to order using fish and seafood from the market, with cold seafood platters also on offer. For a group, the most practical approach is often to buy fresh seafood from the market and cook it at home, or pick up takeaway on the way back to eat on the balcony at sunset.
Note the Wednesday closure for midweek stays, and call ahead for a weekend restaurant booking.
Fresh from the wharf, cooked at home, eaten on the balcony as the sun drops behind the hills: that is the Brisbane Water dinner.
More Food And Community Dates Worth Knowing
Coasties Magazine's what's-on guide lists two more nearby extras in the coming weeks.
Woytopia Sustainable Living Festival, Sunday 11 October: listed at Woy Woy South Public School with around 50 eco-market stalls, talks, music and a clothing swap. It is close to Daleys Point and falls on the Sunday after the school holidays finish.
Davistown Putt Putt Regatta and Wooden Boat Festival, Sunday 8 November: classic timber boat races at Illoura Reserve, Davistown, with more than 70 market and food stalls, live entertainment and waterfront displays. A route planner puts Davistown about 20 minutes from Daleys Point by road, so allow extra driving time.
Why Carinya Coastal Escapes Suits A Food And Markets Weekend
A market weekend is really a cooking weekend, and that is where Carinya Coastal Escapes at Daleys Point earns its place. The listing describes a kitchen with granite benchtops, a dishwasher, cooktop, oven and plenty of bench space, set at the heart of the home and connected to the dining area and outdoor terrace.
Two details suit this trip in particular. The kitchen includes a Thermomix with a family-friendly recipe book, and a De'Longhi espresso and cappuccino machine for the morning coffee before the market run. Fresh produce from Ettalong on Saturday morning can become a proper breakfast or a slow-cooked dinner without anyone needing to track down equipment.
Outside, the listing highlights a private water-view balcony with a 4-burner barbecue and 10-seat outdoor dining. That is the setting for the seafood from Woy Woy, the cheese board from Pearl Beach and the wine you brought home from the fair. The home's western aspect over Brisbane Water is described as capturing sunsets, which is exactly when you will want to be sitting down to eat.
The listing sleeps up to 10 guests across four bedrooms plus a sofa bed, with two bathrooms, a private laundry with washer and dryer, fast Wi-Fi and onsite parking for three cars. It is pet-friendly for up to two pets by approval. Stairs connect the home's top, middle and bottom floors and continue down to the garage and driveway parking, so guests who find stairs difficult should read the full listing before booking.
About this stay
Where Carinya Coastal Escapes fits your food fair weekend
Carinya Coastal Escapes turns a market weekend into a cooking weekend: a granite-bench kitchen with a Thermomix and recipe book, a De'Longhi coffee machine for the early market run, and a water-view balcony with a 4-burner barbecue and 10-seat outdoor dining.
Ettalong's Saturday market is about five minutes away and Pearl Beach about fifteen, so you can shop, taste, and be home to cook as the sun sets over Brisbane Water. The home sleeps up to 10 across four bedrooms plus a sofa bed, with pets considered by approval.
With up to ten people, the easiest food weekends divide the work. One or two early risers take the car to the Ettalong Fresh Food Market at 7.30am on Saturday. Everyone else sleeps in, makes coffee on the espresso machine and has the table set by the time the bread and eggs arrive.
The fair then becomes a group outing, with one designated driver per car. Two cars fit easily into the plan, and the home's onsite parking for three cars means nobody is hunting for a spot when they get back.
In the afternoon, the house takes over. Some guests use the upstairs retreat or reading nook for a quiet hour, others prepare dinner, and the balcony is there for drinks as the light changes.
A Food Fair Weekend: 23 To 25 October Itinerary
Friday: Arrive And Settle In
Arrive in the afternoon, unpack and pick up basic supplies on the way in. Keep dinner simple: fish and chips from Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf takeaway, eaten on the balcony while the sun sets over Brisbane Water. Check the wharf's hours before you set out.
Saturday: Market, Fair, Swim And Feast
Be at the Ettalong Fresh Food Market soon after 7.30am. Drop the shopping back at the house, then drive to Pearl Beach for the fair's 10am opening. Taste, buy and have a light lunch at the hall café if it is running again this year. Walk to the Arboretum or take a swim in calm conditions, then head home in the afternoon for a long dinner built from everything you collected.
Sunday: Morning Tea, Farmers Market And A Slow Exit
Early risers can return to Pearl Beach for the Community Morning Tea from 9am. Otherwise, sleep in, make a market breakfast at home and visit the Woy Woy farmers market after 10am for produce to take back to the city. Pack the esky before you leave.
Keep one meal unplannedFood weekends go best with slack in the schedule. Leave one lunch or dinner open so the group can follow whatever looked best at the markets.
A School Holiday And Long Weekend Plan
The NSW spring school holidays run from Monday 28 September to Friday 9 October 2026, and the October long weekend falls in the middle, with Labour Day on Monday 5 October. This is one of the busiest times on the Peninsula, and also one of the most fun.
On Saturday 3 October, families can start with the Ettalong Fresh Food Market, then head to Pearl Beach for the Spring Fair from 9am to 2pm and the village Art Trail. Kincumber Car Boot Markets also fall on that first Saturday. On Sunday 4 October, the Pearl Beach Breakfast BBQ and market from 8am to 11am is an easy family morning.
With children, split the days into one outing in the morning and home or beach time in the afternoon. The patrolled flags at Umina Beach, Ocean Beach and Killcare Beach make those the better choices for younger swimmers on weekends and public holidays during the patrol season.
Expect markets and parking to be busier than on a normal weekend, and pack reusable bags, a cooler bag with ice packs, hats and sunscreen for every outing.
Plan Your Stay
If the food fair or one of the October market weekends suits your group, check availability for Carinya Coastal Escapes early, particularly for the long weekend and the fair weekend of 23 to 25 October. You can also browse all WTP stays on the book your stay page.
For more ideas around Daleys Point and the Bouddi Peninsula, including walks, dog-friendly outings and spring events, see the full collection of WTP Holiday Home Guides.
Before You Leave Home: Your Food Weekend Check
1Fair details: Confirm the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fare date, times and arrangements with the Progress Association.
2Markets: Check each market's own page for weather cancellations or changed dates.
3Seafood: Confirm Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf hours and remember the Wednesday closure.
4Driver: Agree on a designated driver for the fair before anyone starts tasting.
5Parks: Check NPWS alerts and bring payment for the $8 vehicle entry fee if you plan to walk in Brisbane Water National Park.
FAQs About The Pearl Beach Food And Wine Fair And Peninsula Markets
When is the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fair in 2026?
The Pearl Beach Progress Association lists the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fare for Saturday 24 October 2026, from 10am to 4pm. Check its website in the week before the event for final details.
Where is the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fair held?
The fair has been held at the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall, 9 Diamond Road, Pearl Beach. It is roughly 15 minutes' drive from Daleys Point.
Is the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fair free?
Entry was free at the 2025 fair, according to Coast Community News. Tastings, produce, lunch and raffle tickets are extra. Confirm 2026 arrangements with the organisers.
What can you buy at the Pearl Beach Food and Wine Fair?
Past fairs have featured boutique wines for tasting and purchase, plus local producers selling cheeses, olives, honey, chocolates, mushrooms, smoked goods, sauces, spices, eggs and gluten-free items, with a café on the hall's back deck.
Can you swim at Pearl Beach?
Central Coast Tourism describes Pearl Beach as good for swimming and notes its ocean rock pool. Pearl Beach is not on council's list of patrolled beaches, so there are no flags. Swim only in calm conditions and choose Umina Beach, Ocean Beach or Killcare Beach for a patrolled swim.
When does the Ettalong Fresh Food Market run?
Every Saturday from 7.30am until about midday at the Broken Bay Scout Hall, 1 Picnic Parade, Ettalong Beach. It is about five minutes' drive from Daleys Point.
Are the Ettalong Markets open every weekend?
Coasties Magazine lists the Ettalong Markets at The Galleria, 189 Ocean View Road, every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm. They are undercover, which makes them a good rainy-day option.
Where can I buy fresh seafood near Daleys Point?
Woy Woy Fishermen's Wharf has a seafood market and takeaway open every day except Wednesday, and a restaurant open for lunch Thursday to Tuesday from 12pm to 3pm. Woy Woy is about eight minutes' drive from Daleys Point.
Can I bring my dog to the Pearl Beach Arboretum?
No. The Arboretum says no domestic animals, fires, barbecues or smoking are allowed except with special permission. Check NPWS guidance before bringing pets into Brisbane Water National Park.
How long is the Patonga to Pearl Beach walk?
NSW National Parks lists it as 3 kilometres one way, taking 1.5 to 2 hours, grade 5. It passes Warrah Lookout. Check current park alerts and pay the $8 vehicle entry fee where it applies.
How many guests does Carinya Coastal Escapes sleep?
The listing sleeps up to 10 guests across four bedrooms plus a sofa bed, with two bathrooms. Check the live listing for the current configuration before booking.
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