Darling Square Moon Festival 2022
Every year, Asian countries and communities celebrate the harvest, the changing of the seasons and the full moon. In the northern hemisphere the festival falls during autumn (in China it’s called the Mid-Autumn Festival, and also the Lantern or Mooncake Festival), but in Australia it falls during spring – right now, in fact.
Inner-city dining precinct Darling Square is home to dozens of restaurants and retailers representing a diverse range of countries and cuisines, and it’s bringing Mid-Autumn to Haymarket with its very own Moon Festival.
Hundreds of lanterns in shades of pink, turquoise, yellow and orange have been strung up along Darling Square’s covered walkways and in trees leading to the centrepiece Exchange Building. They’re lit up every night from 5pm for the duration of the festival.
Lots of eateries have special deals and dishes lined up: Auvers is making Once in a Blue Moon mooncakes and serving a new soft-shell crab dish; Wingboy is deep-frying its Moonboy ice-cream; there’s taiyaki (a fish-shaped waffle) filled with lotus bean paste from Tsukiyo; a pumpkin soft-serve from Ume Burger; and new banquet menus from Chinta Ria at different price points.
Gong Grocer, a new supermarket brand from the team behind Thai Kee IGA, is also hosting a pop-up stall from September 1 to 10 with lava mooncakes from XOPP and Golden Century, plus other variations from Wing Wah, Meixin and more.
An immersive cube is also popping up in the middle of the square to transport you to Korea. Step inside and you’ll be greeted by projections of the South Korean landscape, city skyline and natural wonders.