The Friendly Inn hosted over 2000 visitors gathering in the beer garden for the much-anticipated Craft Beer and BBQ Festival 2023. The event was a roaring success. Among the many high points of the festival was the fierce competition among the BBQ teams. Jack’s Creek BBQ Team, hailing from Western Sydney and already making waves as the #8 Ranked Australian BBQ Team, truly showed their mettle by claiming the prestigious title of the ‘Grand Champion King of the Valley.’
The pig races were a highlight as always, racing not just for entertainment but for a noble cause. Their spirited runs raised significant funds, enabling the community garden to purchase a brand-new self-propelled mower (no more manual pushing for Lyn!) and allowing the men’s shed to equip itself with new tools.
And of course, best on ground Dave Kent’s bull, which not only made heads turn but also sparked a spirited ‘Guess the weight’ competition. Adding to the excitement was the Show Mow lawn mower racing! As blogger Bec from @looktheworldintheeye aptly put it, “Lawn mower racing is the activity I never knew I needed to see”. She continued her festival chronicles, “Had a 12 outta 10 time watching the lawnmower racing, and an even better time eating fairy floss whilst sipping on a couple crafty brews”. But for Bec, the sausage eating competition was just a tad too much: “All in all an epic arvo, however if I ever see a sausage eating competition again it’ll probably be too soon.”
The festival atmosphere was palpable – sunny skies, good times, the mouth-watering aroma of BBQs smoking all weekend, and the cool taste of craft beers. Thanks to the incredible staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring such a great day to the valley.
The 2023 Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer and BBQ Festival is now etched in KV history, not just as another event on The Friendly Calendar, but as a spotlight for Kangaroo Valley’s community spirit, good times, and showcasing the area of great producers and makers. Stay tuned for the 2024 dates to be announced soon!
Caroline Lentai