SIX stages of live music and evening soirees have been added to the menu of Reef Feast Palm Cove on October 6-9 when chefs from the beachside restaurants dish up tasting plates galore.

Reef Feast Palm Cove Event Manager Paul Garnham said the entertainment would be ramped up at Reef Feast 2016 to add to the celebration of the idyllic tropical lifestyle enjoyed in the Great Barrier Reef destination, a short 35-minute drive from Port Douglas. New this year is The Longest Lunch on Friday October 7 where Palm Cove’s restaurants will dish up degustation and set menus beneath the coconut palms on the Palm Cove foreshore.

“Buy tickets at your favourite participating restaurant and sit back to enjoy the view of Double Island and the Coral Sea while you wine and dine your way through a lunch to remember,” Garnham said.

Dining on the Palm Cove jetty will be another tropical experience at the festival with the addition of the live Blues Brothers Band on the Friday evening. Buckets of prawns, freshly shucked oysters and antipasti platters will be popular with punters, who can grab a drink from a pop-up bar and watch the sun go down. The best-dressed Blues Brothers couple will also win a weekend away in Palm Cove.

Latino music lovers are also in for a treat with the Alamanda Chapel hosting a Sunset Soiree featuring Tango Amor’s Kirtley Leigh on violin and Chris Burcin on accordion and keyboard. The Saturday night will take people to Greece with mezzo soprano Katerini Manolatos and classical guitarist Paul Chantril. 

The popular Taste of Palm Cove Under the Stars will also take place on the Saturday, with Palm Cove’s restaurants offering samples at tasting stalls, while being entertained by live music from six stages including The Montgomery Brothers, Tommy Seepoy's Latin Excursion and Melanfunk Collective. During the day, the TNQ Beer Awards tasting panel will be putting local and craft beers to the test at the Sea Temple Palm Cove.

Family favourite the Reef Feast Palm Cove Market Day also returns on Sunday October 9 along Williams Esplanade.

“There will be buskers, circus shows and workshops plus live music from six stages including local award- winning artist Leanne Tennant & The Rockabilly Blues X-Press Band, In The Element and The Choons,” Garnham said.

Port Douglas chef Spencer Patrick and Nick Holloway will do a Rejection to Perfection cooking demonstration on the Sunday at Nu Nu using produce from REAP Cairns and OzHarvest, which collect food to prevent waste and hunger. Nu Nu will use leftover produce for their Longest Lunch and donate proceeds from their ticket sales.

For the latest information on the events look for Reef Feast on Facebook or go to reeffeast.com.au.