Donut Festival 2026 Returns to Queen Victoria Market

Donut Festival returns to Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market is bringing back its Donut Festival in 2026, with two days devoted to one of Melbourne's most enduring sweet obsessions.

The free event will showcase a selection of Melbourne donut creators and bakers, turning a regular Market visit into a trail of classic and contemporary treats. Rather than concentrating the action around a single stall, the festival encourages visitors to make their way through the Market and discover different donut styles along the way.

Queen Victoria Market already has a strong connection with the humble doughnut. The Market's food offering spans long-established favourites and newer operators, including specialist doughnut and coffee stall DOH, which takes inspiration from Korean-style cream doughnuts.

DOH's small-batch range includes soft doughnuts filled to order with house-made creams and custards, with flavours such as Earl Grey, matcha, cookies and cream and chocolate custard alongside seasonal creations.

The Market is also closely associated with the hot jam doughnut, a Melbourne favourite that has become part of the food experience for generations of visitors.

A festival made for exploring the Market

The Donut Festival fits naturally into Queen Victoria Market's broader food culture. Beyond the festival treats, visitors can explore the Dairy Produce Hall, Queen's Food Hall and open-air sheds, where traders cover everything from artisan bread, cheese and fresh produce to coffee, street food and desserts.

The festival is free to enter, making it easy to combine a donut crawl with a regular weekend shop or a longer wander through the Market. Individual food and drinks will be available to purchase from participating traders.

Specific 2026 festival dates, operating times and the full line-up of participating donut makers have not yet been confirmed in the available event information.

Getting to Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market is bounded by Peel, Franklin, Victoria and Elizabeth streets, a short walk from central Melbourne. The Market sits within Melbourne's Free Tram Zone, with routes 19, 57, 58 and 59 providing nearby stops. Melbourne Central, Flagstaff and State Library stations are also within walking distance.

Parking is available in the Market's undercover and open-air car parks via Queen Street, while free bicycle and scooter parking can be found around the precinct.