Your Guide to Pair'd Margaret River Festival
Four days of world-class wine and food, and a coastal base to come home to. Here's what to expect from Pair'd Margaret River Festival, and how to spend the hours in between at Pullman Bunker Bay Resort.
Once a year, the Margaret River Region turns its full attention to the table. From 19 to 22 November 2026, Pair'd Margaret River Festival brings together some of the country's most respected chefs, winemakers and musicians for 4 days spread across the region's wineries, beaches and open paddocks. It is the kind of event worth building a trip around, and Pullman Bunker Bay Resort makes an easy base to run it from.
A festival built around the region itself
Pair'd is curated with a sommelier's eye, which shows in how the program comes together. Long lunches at working wineries, chardonnay tastings, wine dinners paired with Michelin-recognised chefs, and a beach club that turns the coastline into part of the event itself. The 2026 line-up features names like Matt Moran, Dave Pynt, Rodney Scott and Mindy Woods, alongside a soundtrack from acts including Kruder & Dorfmeister, all set against the backdrop of one of Australia's best-known wine regions.
The program runs Wednesday through Sunday, with the bulk of events across Thursday to Saturday, giving guests a genuine 4 days to move between tastings, dinners and everything in between, rather than one big weekend rush.
Choosing your own festival rhythm
Part of what makes Pair'd work is the flexibility. Some guests will want to book out the marquee events, a long lunch one day, a wine dinner the next, and leave the rest of the schedule open. Others prefer to pick two or three standout experiences and spend the remaining time exploring the region at their own pace, whether that means a cellar door they have been meaning to visit or simply more time at the coast. Either approach works, and staying close by makes it easier to do both.
Coming back to the resort between events
Festivals like this tend to run on excitement and a fairly packed calendar, which is exactly why having somewhere to relax in between matters. Pullman Bunker Bay Resort sits a short drive from the festival's wineries and venues, close enough to make the most of the program without spending half the day in the car, and far enough from it all to feel like a genuine retreat once you're back.
Dinner at Other Side of the Moon
On the nights that are not booked out with a festival event, Other Side of the Moon offers its own take on the region's produce, with alfresco dining looking straight out over Bunker Bay and a fireplace-warmed bar for something more relaxed. It is a fitting way to keep the festival's food and wine focus going without needing to leave the resort.
Vie Spa and the balcony
Four days of tastings, long lunches and late dinners can catch up with anyone, and Vie Spa is there for exactly that reset, whether it's a massage between festival days or simply an hour in the Relaxation Lounge. On quieter afternoons, the villa balcony is perfect, with nothing on the agenda beyond a glass of something local and a view of the bay.
Slow mornings and coastal walks
The mornings after a festival night out are worth protecting, and Pullman Bunker Bay Resort makes that easy. A walk along the beach before the day heats up, breakfast on the deck, or simply a slower start than the festival itself demands, all help balance out four days that otherwise run at full pace. It is often this rhythm, festival by night and coastline by day, that guests remember as much as the events themselves.
Whether you are planning a full festival itinerary or picking a handful of key events, Bunker Bay gives you a coastal base worth returning to each night. Book early, since accommodation across the region fills quickly in festival week.
Image Credit: Tourism Western Australia