Shore Leave will be back in Geraldton again as the festival officially announces its 2024 dates

Mark it in your diaries and calendars — the dates for the 2024 Shore Leave festival have been set. The signature event celebrating the best of Mid West seafood, produce, lifestyle and culture will be back next year from April 24 to 28. This year’s event was bigger and better than ever, with bumper crowds flocking to popular events featuring celebrity chef Matt Moran, the long table lunch at the Abrolhos Islands, food markets, back-of-boat crayfish sales at Fisherman’s Wharf and the pop-up headquarters known as the Helm on the foreshore. The coast has always been the setting for the festival, but this year one of the marquee events — Paddock to Plate with Moran — was set on Yanget Farm east of Geraldton. Next year’s event will be the fourth Shore Leave. The first Shore Leave received funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development as well as the Mid West Development Commission. Tourism WA then agreed to fund the next three years of the event from 2022-24. That means the future of Shore Leave is up in the air after next year. On social media, organisers said the “fourth annual Shore Leave festival is set to be our biggest festival yet”. “Visitors can expect a host of spectacular foodie, community and cultural events,” they said. “Family-friendly events such as the Beach Price Markets presented by the Geraldton Fishermen’s Cooperative and The Helm bar featuring live music from local artists will provide free community entertainment to suit all tastes.”