It was an idea dreamed up by a group of mums at the school fence, and last year’s inaugural BaconFest in Kingaroy was a resounding success. And so, the event is back in late August 2019!
According to SunPork Fresh Foods CEO Dr Rob van Barneveld, the humble pig is very important to the region. The plant in Kingaroy employs hundreds of people and processes 95% of Queensland’s pork. Rob says it’s also the most eaten meat in the world, “because it tastes fantastic, it’s good for you and it’s actually good to grow, good for the environment, a very efficient meat”.
As a meal option, pork is much more versatile than many people assume, and Saucy Fork chef Roberta Schablon’s creative approach to pork dishes will be on display when she caters some of BaconFest’s signature events, like the Wine and Swine cocktail party.
There’ll also be smoke-off bake-offs, a long table breakfast, cooking demonstrations and a bacon-eating competition, where the winner is awarded a year’s supply of bacon.
Food is obviously the focus of BaconFest, but they’re selling more than the sizzle, with a Kevin Bacon Film Festival and something called the Rail Trail Rasher’s Rush. It offers a choice of a 4-km walk, 10-km run or 40-km bike ride along the Kingaroy stretch of the region’s rail trail. Think of it as the perfect way to justify eating your body weight in bacon.
The Rasher’s Rush is an all-ages affair, but competitors are all expected to dress in pig-themed costumes as they “wee wee wee all the way home”.
There’s a lovely sense of community to the weekend, so why not join local celebrity mascot Bacon Man and his friends for BaconFest from the 23rd to the 25th of August 2019?
