The highly anticipated Ballarat Winter Festival officially returns this Saturday 27 June, bringing with it the ultimate competition for sweet tooths and flavour seekers alike: Ballarat’s Hot Choc Showdown.
Starting this weekend, the city transforms into a decadent hot chocolate playground, inviting you to drink your way through a trail of more than 30 custom hot chocolate creations from Ballarat’s finest cafes, bars, and bakeries, before voting for the ultimate winner.
Whether you’re looking for a family-friendly chocolate treat or a boozy winter warmer, this is your chance to sip, dip, and judge the best in the business.
A sneak peek at the lineup:
- Hideaway Coffee Bar: A traditional style Paris hot chocolate served warm with a side of thick whipped cream and topped with shaved chocolate. It’s a viral Paris experience right in the middle of Ballarat.
- Roy Hammond: Spices, coconut, raspberry, chocolate, rhubarb, black tea, orange and Biscoff come together in a surprising combination of flavours that work together to take your taste buds on an adventure.
- La Miette Patisserie: Their Grounded Pleasures hot chocolate infused with a house-made honeycomb and served with a fluffy honey marshmallow. Plus, a chunk of extra honeycomb for dipping into your drink.
- Maggie & Kate: A rich spiced orange hot chocolate served with whipped cream and warm, buttery orange madeleines. It’s comfort in a cup designed for dipping, sipping, and slowing down.
- The Shared Table: Decadent Dutch hot chocolate ‘affogato’ served over house-made vanilla ice cream with a chocolate tuille. Guests 18 and over may order a shot of ‘mischief’ on the side – a wattleseed infused vodka with dark cacao and cream liqueur.
- Cattelya Signature: A rich and velvety dark chocolate infused with classic Thai aromatics – lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and ginger layered with coconut milk, pandan and palm sugar for smooth fragrant finish. Spiked with dark rum topped with light coconut pandan cream, it delivers warmth, depth and subtle hint of spice.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Ballarat Winter Festival is firing on all cylinders until Sunday 19 July. Make a full weekend of it by lacing up your skates at the Pop-Up Ice Rink, witnessing the spectacular Winter Wonderlights at Sovereign Hill, or stepping into a medieval fairytale at Kryal Castle’s Knights of Fire. With large-scale art experiences like Hidden at Civic Hall and up-close animal encounters at the Ballarat Wildlife Park, there is no better place to escape for the holidays.
KEY FESTIVAL INFORMATION
- When: 27 June – 19 July 2026
- Location: Various sites across Ballarat
- More information:ballaratwinterfestival.com.au