Following the success of the Gascoyne Food Festival this year, Western Australia’s Gascoyne region will once again take centre stage in April 2026 with the launch of the Exmouth Wild Prawn Festival — a first-of-its-kind celebration honouring one of Australia’s most iconic and sustainably harvested seafood treasures.

For more than 50 years, the Exmouth Gulf has produced what many chefs and seafood experts now regard as the best prawn in Australia: the Exmouth Wild Prawn. Born of one of the nation’s most pristine and carefully managed marine environments, this premium prawn is the hero of a brand-new festival set to elevate Exmouth as a leading culinary destination.

The Exmouth Wild Prawn Festival will be held 9–12 April 2026, giving locals and visitors the chance to experience the fishery, its people and its produce like never before.

From immersive experiences to unforgettable feasts, the festival will reveal a side of Exmouth often unseen — the working port, the culinary talent, the local pride and the environmental stewardship behind every prawn.

The Welcoming of the Fleet — 9 April

A tradition usually witnessed only by locals, the fleet returns to harbour with the first catch of the season. Chefs from across Exmouth gather along the wharf waiting for their first glimpse of the Gulf’s annual harvest — the sweetest prawns of the year. It is raw, real and emotional; a rare opportunity for visitors to witness Exmouth’s fishing heartbeat up close.

The Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Feast – 10 April

The region’s hospitality shines at this progressive beachfront dining event. Guests move between six culinary stations, each serving Exmouth Wild Prawns prepared in a different style — from wok-fried and chilled to grilled, smoked and raw. Each station is paired with curated WA wines, with live music setting the tone as the sun drops behind Ningaloo Reef.

The Wharf Celebration — Salt, Stories and Seafood – 11 April

A lively afternoon celebration on the Exmouth wharf, complete with vessel tours of working prawn trawlers, buckets of freshly cooked prawns, local distillers and microbreweries, food stalls, cooking demos and a bustling community market. Families sit along the water peeling prawns while music fills the harbour — an authentic snapshot of Exmouth at its best.

The Exmouth Prawn Trail

Throughout  the month of April, eateries across Exmouth will each create a signature Exmouth Wild Prawn dish — everything from dumplings to tacos, linguine, brioche rolls, laksa, ceviche and grilled classics. An edible adventure across town, celebrating local talent and creativity.