Clare Valley Festivals Through the Year
The Clare Valley's year turns on two festivals: the Gourmet Festival in May and the Festival of the Lamb in September. The Clare Valley Gourmet Festival draws the bigger crowd, and around the two sit the October long weekend and the monthly markets. This guide gives the dates, what each is, how to get around without driving, and how far ahead to book your bed and your tour. The Clare Valley winery tours fill the days in between.
When is the Clare Valley Gourmet Festival?
The next one runs from 14 to 17 May 2027. Its organisers, the Clare Valley Wine and Grape Association, call it Australia's longest running wine and food festival. It returns in a condensed four-day format, and the full programme launches in February 2027.
May is late autumn in the valley. BoM records an average high of 17.2 °C at Clare that month, and a low of 6.4 °C, so pack a warm layer for the evenings.
What happens at the Gourmet Festival?
The festival shows off the region's wine and food at venues across the valley. You move from one cellar door or kitchen to the next, and each sets its own event. The details come with the programme in February.
The festival sells an official Gourmet wine tumbler, which is your passport to festival events. It goes on sale for pre-purchase once the programme launches. Watch for that date if you plan to go.
How do you get around without driving?
The organisers promise plenty of no-drive options. Hop-on hop-off shuttle buses run between the festival venues. The curated Gourmet Bus Trails offer a full day's itinerary, with the transport staying with you all day.
The other no-drive choice is a guided day. The local guide's scenic day collects you from your accommodation, and the private day for four shapes its route around your group. Check the booking page for your date, since a festival weekend is the one time a small car can sell out early.
Where should you stay in festival weeks?
Book the bed first. The organisers say accommodation fills fast during Gourmet, and that planning ahead is paramount. Any of the towns the local guide collects from works as a base: Leasingham, Watervale, Auburn, Clare, Burra, Penwortham or Mintaro.
If the valley is full, stay in Adelaide and come up for the day. The Clare Valley Wine Escape collects you from city and Glenelg hotels for 8 hours. The Clare Valley tours from Adelaide page sets out what that drive costs you in valley time.
When is the Festival of the Lamb?
Each September, at the spring equinox. The 2026 festival ran from 23 to 27 September. Clare Valley Tourism describes it as a festival that combines the first buds of the vines with the best time for new-season lamb.
The programme is spread across the valley's venues. In 2026 it took in a festival dinner, Friday night drinks at the Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre, a lamb masterclass at Kilikanoon, and whole-lamb cooking each lunchtime at Pauletts. Clare Valley Tourism posts each year's programme on its Festival of the Lamb page.
What does spring look like in the vines?
Spring is budburst, when the first buds open on the bare canes. The festival is timed to it. It is also the season the South Australian Tourism Commission recommends for cycling, walking and cellar doors, along with autumn.
Away from the vines, Spring Gully Conservation Park has spring wildflowers and orchids, and up to 50 bird species. On the Rattler Trail, 19 km from Auburn to Riverton, the canola is in flower in spring. September at Clare averages a high of 17.5 °C, and October 21.3 °C.
What is on over the October long weekend?
Clare Valley Tourism publishes a long weekend programme each year. In 2026 it began on Friday 2 October, with drinks and live music at cellar doors and an exhibition by the Clare Valley Quilters for their 40th anniversary.
The Saturday brought The Skilly Valley Way, in its second year: a ride-all-day bus pass on a hop-on hop-off loop of the Skilly Valley's venues. It is one more way to taste without a driver. Cellar doors set their own long weekend hours, so check before you go.
What else is on in spring?
Two country days close the spring calendar. The Clare Show is on Saturday 17 October 2026 at the Clare Showgrounds, 8510 Horrocks Highway. The Clare Agricultural and Horticultural Society runs it, with exhibits from livestock to baked goods, art and home-grown vegetables, and amusement rides. An evening event follows at the north end of the arena, with local gin, Skillogalee wine and a fireworks display.
The Jim Barry Clare Valley Cup is on Sunday 22 November 2026 at the Clare Valley Racing Club, at Stanley Flat on the Horrocks Highway. Gates open at 11:30am, and seven races run from 12:30pm. Free shuttle buses run to and from Clare, so nobody has to drive home from the track.
What about summer and winter?
There is no big festival in either season, and each changes the visit in its own way. Summer is hot and dry. January averages a high of 30.5 °C at Clare, with rain on fewer than three days. Parks and the Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre close on Catastrophic Fire Danger days, so check the fire rating before a trail or park day.
Winter is cool and wet. July averages a high of 13.0 °C and rain on about ten days, so pack a coat for the walk between car and cellar door. Clare Valley weather has all twelve months.
Are there markets through the year?
Yes, and they set a rhythm for a weekend visit. The Clare Show Market runs on the second Saturday of most months, from 9am to 1pm, at Ennis Park and Clare Town Hall. The Auburn Market is on the third Saturday of each month, 9am to 1pm, on the corner of Henry Street and Main North Road.
The Saddleworth Country Market runs on the first Sunday of the month, from 9.30am to 2pm. The markets sell fresh seasonal produce, so plan a trail day for a market Saturday and pick up lunch for the ride.
How far ahead should you book?
For the Gourmet Festival, book your bed as soon as the dates are announced, and your tour when the programme lands in February. For the Festival of the Lamb and the October long weekend, a few weeks ahead is sensible, but the small cars hold five or six guests, so there are few seats on any date.
Booking early costs little. The day tours refund in full up to 24 hours before they start. The 3-day Flinders Ranges tour has longer terms, with a full refund only up to 6 days before. If your dates are flexible, pick a quiet weekend between the festivals.
What is the festival weather like?
Averages from the Bureau of Meteorology's Clare High School station, 1994 to 2026.
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rain | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May (Gourmet Festival) | 17.2 °C | 6.4 °C | 51.6 mm | 7.2 |
| September (Festival of the Lamb) | 17.5 °C | 6.0 °C | 55.9 mm | 7.7 |
| October (long weekend) | 21.3 °C | 8.0 °C | 45.2 mm | 5.7 |
All three are cool, mild months, with rain on six to eight days. Bring a jacket, and shoes you can walk in on wet grass.
The Clare Valley year compared
| When | Event | What it is | Book ahead | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May: 14-17 May 2027 | Clare Valley Gourmet Festival | Wine and food events across the valley's venues | Beds as soon as you can; tours when the programme launches in February | High 17.2 °C, low 6.4 °C |
| September, at the equinox | Festival of the Lamb | Budburst and new-season lamb, with dinners and lunches at venues | A few weeks for tours; earlier for beds | High 17.5 °C, low 6.0 °C |
| Early October | October long weekend and The Skilly Valley Way | Cellar door events and a hop-on hop-off bus pass | A few weeks | High 21.3 °C, low 8.0 °C |
| Mid October: 17 October 2026 | Clare Show | A country show, with an evening event and fireworks | No booking | High 21.3 °C, low 8.0 °C |
| Late November: 22 November 2026 | Jim Barry Clare Valley Cup | Country racing, with free shuttles to and from Clare | Dining is booked with the club | High 24.9 °C, low 10.7 °C |
| Every month | Clare Show Market and Auburn Market | Second and third Saturdays, 9am to 1pm | No booking | Varies by month |
Frequently asked questions
When is the Clare Valley Gourmet Festival?
When is the Festival of the Lamb?
How do you get around during the Gourmet Festival?
What is The Skilly Valley Way?
Are there markets in the Clare Valley?
When is the best time to visit?
Tours for a festival weekend
Clare Valley Scenic Wine Tour with Local Stories
Six hours with the local guide, collected in one of seven valley towns, five guests at most, with the tastings and a winery lunch paid.
From $174 per person
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Group of Four Private Clare Valley Wine Tour with Lunch
Only your group of up to four, a route shaped around the wines you like, and the scheduled tastings and lunch in one group price.
From $535 per group, up to 4
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Clare Valley Wine Escape
Eight hours from your Adelaide or Glenelg hotel to Auburn, Taylors, O'Leary Walker, Hill River and Pikes, with tastings and lunch in the fare.
From $341 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: found your weekend? Book the day that fits it from Clare Valley Tours.