Newcastle Tuna Festival onboard MV Calmer

MV Calmer is hosting a lunch cruise for the Newcastle Tuna Festival on Sunday 26 July, a day that puts fresh tuna and Japanese culinary theatre right at the centre of the afternoon. It's presented by All Event Cruises and sponsored by First Creek Wines, and it's one of the ways the city is celebrating its coastal dining identity this year. The whole thing takes place on the harbour, so you're out on the water rather than sitting in a restaurant.

The main draw is a live tuna cutting demonstration by a Japanese chef, who carves the fish right there in front of you. That freshly sliced sashimi becomes the entrée course, so you're eating what you've just watched being prepared. From there, the meal moves into a three-course lunch: the tuna sashimi to start, followed by a choice of eye fillet wrapped in prosciutto or a roasted vegetable wellington, and then dessert. Before the meal even kicks off, there are canapés and bubbly on arrival to hold you over while you settle in.

It's a premium dining experience, and the setting is a big part of it. You'll be on the MV Calmer, cruising Newcastle Harbour with the city as your backdrop, so the view changes as the afternoon goes on. The focus is on fresh seafood, Japanese artistry, and local wine, all served up while you're out on the water. It's a specific way to do the festival — instead of a meal on land, you're taking the whole thing out to sea.

Tickets are A$136.20 per person. Check-in is at the Queens Wharf Ferry Terminal on Wharf Road in Newcastle, which is where you'll board the MV Calmer before it heads out into the harbour.