Festival committee member and Gourmet Port Fairy president Shane Clancey said the weekend had been a huge success.

“The concept is to attract people from outside the region to Port Fairy,” Mr Clancey said.

“We took note of where visitors were coming from and there was quite a strong representation of people from Melbourne and regional Victoria staying for two nights. There’s benefits for accommodation providers, for cafes where they eat breakfast, and for the visitors who get to experience the town and beach in a quiet time of the year.”

Mr Clancey said Gladioli’s Matt Dempsey was invited to join the Royal Oak Hotel’s Producers Lunch on Saturday, as one of the most renowned chefs in regional Victoria.

“The long, languorous Saturday lunch had a great atmosphere.”