THE flagrance of barbecues and community spirit will be wafting throughout Broke this weekend with the return of the meat-lovers wonderland.
Smoke In Broke BBQ Festival is back for its fifth edition on Saturday and Sunday at McNamara Park.
"The park's already filling up, the smoke smell is in the air and I can't be more thrilled," said festival co-founder and Broke resident Randi Thraves.
It's been a horror few years for the Hunter Valley village. After enduring bushfires and the pandemic, Broke was decimated by floods in July 2022.
Locals described the deluge as "the worst in the 198-year history of the village."
But with fine weather forecast all weekend, Thraves is expecting 2000 to 3000 people to visit Smoke In Broke.
The festival features cooking demonstrations, food, Hunter craft beer, cider and wine, children's games and jumping castles and live music, headlined by Cessnock's Golden Guitar-winner Travis Collins.
"We have three young kids, so it's a lot about teaching kids about community and doing good things for your fellow humans," Thraves said.
"It's to get people out here, being kind and having a great time together and reconnecting, especially after the last few years."
Also returning this long weekend further up the valley is Merriwa's Festival Of The Fleeces.
For more than 30 years the two-day festival has been attracting families up the Golden Highway to enjoy food, free rides, a petting zoo, shearing, sheep dog competitions and the pinnacle of the event - the grand parade with the running of the sheep.
Foodies are spoilt for choice at the Harvest Festival this weekend.
Held across various villages and farms in the Central Coast hinterland, Harvest Festival provides the opportunity for the public to taste and learn more about where fresh produce is grown.
Families can take bush tucker walks and farm tours, pick pecans and sunflowers and visit farm animals.
If trains are more your thing, there's the Coalfields Steam at the Richmond Vale Railway Museum on Saturday and Sunday.
Families can ride the museum's hopper wagons, view steam engines of the past and model train sets and ride the mini-train.
Closer to home the Carrington Crawl roving music festival returns for a second year on Sunday.
Beginning at 11am at Franky's Noodles, the free music travels around the harbourside suburb at the Carrington Bowling Club, Criterion, Young Street and Seven Seas Hotels, before ending at Earp Distilling.
Local acts performing include dave the band, Georgie Winchester, Where's Jimmy? and The Appointments.
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