The Stomp Festival was devised by the local chamber of commerce to showcase Cessnock as the gateway to Hunter wine country and a vibrant community encompassing food, fashion, wine and beers.

Chamber coordinator Zia Rohan said the festival is a great way to wrap up the school holidays, with plenty of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.

The festival will take place in Vincent Street (between Hall Street and Wollombi Road) from 10am to 4pm.

Highlights include the Mad Hatter’s High Tea, grape stomping competitions, Peterson House’s ‘Bubble Lane’, craft beer stalls, markets, fashion parade, live entertainment and a whole range of kids’ amusements, rides, and face painting.

Sample award-winning wines from over 20 vineyards, and if you want to get closer to the process, enter the Great Cessnock Stomp where the aim is to crush as much juice as you can in two minutes.

Tickets for the grape-stomping competition are $25 and must be booked online on the Stomp festival website.

If two minutes seems too long, visit Selfie Stomp area outside Vine Valley Inn, where festival-goers can enjoy a casual stomp and grab a selfie for just $5 on the day.

Another new addition to this year’s program is the inaugural Drayton’s Wines Pub Stomp, featuring teams from four local hotels. Stay tuned to the Advertiser’s Facebook page for our live coverage at 1.30pm.

Tumble down the rabbit hole and join Alice and the Hare for a Mad Hatter’s High Tea. 

With three sessions throughout the afternoon all you need to do is choose your time and sit back and relax and watch the festival unfold around you.

Join six local fashion houses for the Stomp fashion parade on Vincent Street.

Enjoy a craft beer at Beer Haven courtesy of Hunter Valley microbreweries Hunter Beer Co, Hope Brewhouse, The Lovedale Brewery and Iron Bark Hill Brewhouse.

Some of Australia’s most talented chefs and restaurateurs will provide a gastronomic journey.

The kids will have a ball with amusements, rides and jumping castles in abundance, including the Hunter Valley Zoo who will bring along some friends.

Local bus company iHop will be doing complimentary pick-ups from most accommodation around the valley dropping off into Cessnock.

It’s the second year the festival has run. Last year organisers hoped for 4000 people and got 11,000. 

This year that figure is expected to swell as visitors add the event to their bucket list.  

Tickets for the high tea and grape-stomping challenges are still available at cessnockstompfestival.com.au.

10am – official opening ceremony

10am – wineries, Beer Haven and Peterson House Bubble Lane open for tasting

10.30am – Drayton’s Wines Grape Stomp Round 1

11am – Mad Hatter’s High Tea

11am – Stomp Fashion Parade

11.30am – Drayton’s Wines Grape Stomp Round 2

12.30pm – Drayton’s Wines Grape Stomp Round 3

12.45pm – Mad Hatter’s High Tea

1pm – Stomp Fashion Parade

1.30pm – Drayton’s Wines Pub Stomp Challenge

2pm – Performability

2.30pm – Drayton’s Wines Grape Stomp Round 4

2.30pm – Mad Hatter’s High Tea

3.30pm – Drayton’s Wines Grape Stomp Round 5

3.30pm – Wine tasting concludes

4pm – Festival closes