Wellington On a Plate Is Returning This August with 17 Burger- and Beer-Filled Days

It's that time again — when burger lovers block out their diaries and ditch their diets. Burger mania is about to sweep through the capital as Visa Wellington On a Plate and its beloved Burger Wellington is set to officially return in August.

This year marks the first time the festival is dedicating its full program to burgers and beers, with a heap of Wellington favourites creating inventive and sometimes unholy burgers as part of the festivities.

On the beer side of things, two-day beverage festival Beervana will be celebrating all things hoppy between Friday, August 18–Saturday, August 19 at Sky Stadium. Across four different sessions, beer enthusiasts will be able to sample brews from some of the country's top producers, snack from the range of food stalls between drinks.

"Wellington is the craft beer capital of New Zealand and Wellingtonians are absolutely obsessed with burgers, so this year we are going all-in for the August edition of the festival, embracing the burger as well as amplifying the city's craft beer offering around Beervana," says Festival Director Sarah Meikle.

According to Meikle, more than 1.5 million burgers have been enjoyed as part of Burger Wellington since the festival first started back in 2010. That's a whole lot of buns.

Beervana

Some of the notable burger creations to keep an eye out for include Cafe Medici's A Perfect Swine which combines a chorizo patty with maple bacon, salt and pepper squid, mozzarella, gin-marinated cucumber and Tabasco aioli; the pork belly and prawn combo Belly and Jelly at Myrtle; GPO's The Half Doz which stars a half dozen battered oysters; and the absolutely wild Big Maclary at The Library which sees a 'toffee pop' brûléed chocolate patty paired with blueberry ketchup, lemon creme fraiche mayo and potato chips.

Combining the two elements of this year's festival, the 2022 best burger winner Chaat Street has teamed up with Garage Project to create a hazy All India Permit pale ale. The limited-time beer is infused with tropical Mosaic hops, pomegranate seed, dried green mango, tamarind and Indian spices — and it's available for purchase at Chaat Street's Auckland and Wellington restaurants, as well as all Garage Project venues.

The Half Doz

Visa Wellington on a Plate is returning with Burger Wellington and Beervana between Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 27.

Top image: Not Your Grandma's Pearls burger