29 July 2021

We're not chicken kiddin' you, there's a wing festival coming to town

| Lottie Twyford
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Korean wings from Gami Chicken & Beer.

The Chicken Wing Festival will be asking local bard and restaurants to supply their best efforts to share with excited punters, or should we say munchers. Photo: Daniella Jukic.

Believe us when we tell you that there’s no fowl play happening here – there really is a chicken wing festival coming to Canberra.

If you have to ask what there is to celebrate about fried chicken, you probably shouldn’t come along.

For those who do have a particular penchant for the sticky, gooey, spicy, barbecue goodness that is chicken wings, this festival is set to be held on Sunday 3 October at an as-of-yet undisclosed ‘secret’ location.

Chicken wing enthusiasts are likely to make the journey from far and wide for the day and tickets are limited, so event organisers are urging keen punters to get in quick.

chicken wings at bootleg

New kid on the block, Bootleg’s Chicken Wings are acknowledged to be pretty darn good. Photo: Amelia Bidgood.

Alongside chicken wings of all tastes and flavours of the world made by local bars and restaurants, there will be lashings of craft beer and other alcohol alongside food challenges – most of which are to be centred around the messy, sticky treats.

Wet wipes might be a good idea.

READ ALSO Hot in the City: Take a seat and stay a while at Bootleg

Bring along the whole family to keep bellies full for an entire week, or challenge your mates to see who can handle the spiciest wings in a food challenge of epic proportions.

Live entertainment and other competitions will also keep you entertained if chicken wings aren’t your thing. At this stage, there are no plans to have vegan wings available, but event organisers say things might change on this front.

Likewise, the live entertainment has not yet been confirmed, so there could be opportunities for interested local artists.

READ ALSO Hot in the City: Mochachos is dishing up flame-grilled chicken and Mexican food in Kingston

Events company Explore Hidden is the mastermind of weird and wacky ideas behind the event. It’s the same company which is set to bring The Wizard’s Den magical pop up bar to Canberra next month and has previously been behind dining in the dark experiences at restaurants around town.

They’ve also previously run events interstate and overseas like themed runs and various virtual reality escape rooms, themed brunches and immersive bar experiences of all shapes and sizes.

A spokesperson for the company said they want to encourage locals to come out and have a fun day while also being able to support local businesses, which they say is “ultra important in the current environment”.

“It seemed like a cool concept and the majority of people love chicken wings,” the spokesperson said when asked about why a chicken wing festival is ready to come to Canberra.

Giveaways are planned on their socials closer to the event date, and the location will also be revealed at a later date – so keep your eyes peeled.

Tickets for The Chicken Wing Festival are $55 and can be purchased from Explore Hidden.

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