Come down to the Camden Haven River foreshore this Sunday, where over 60 stallholders will offer up a dazzling array of gourmet food, local wines, craft beer, and produce picked fresh from local farms and gardens.

A 14,000+ crowd is expected on the day, although this number could swell if the weather gods produce another sublime Autumn day.

If past years are anything to go by, families, visitors, food-lovers and picnickers will flock to the festival site to take up a position on the grass, overlooking the river, or in one of the many seating areas in and behind the Laurieton United Services Club, and along the southern end of McLennan Street.

It is easy to pick out the seasoned Slice of Haven-ers; they are the ones who arrive early with a large picnic blanket and an esky full of ice. Once settled you’ll see them taking turns perusing the various stalls, before bringing back armfuls of delicious delights, as if feeding a nest of hungry chicks.

As the early-bird-arrivers know, the prized positions for blankets and picnic chairs are the ones closest to the footpaths, which make it easy to spot and call out to passing friends. The locations with an uninterrupted view of the stage area are also highly sought-after. Who doesn’t want to kick back and enjoy the constant stream of musicians, dancers and the incredible African Children's Choir?

There is a real art to getting the timing right at this type of event too. The food stall queues tend to peak with the lunchtime rush, so it pays to eat a little earlier or later than you might otherwise.

When it comes to deciding which delights to sample, and in what order, no special rules apply. Some people like to start off with a plate of fresh prawns or oysters, just to get the tastebuds going. There is a certain logic to beginning with a delicious cheese plate, and some salty macadamia nuts or local olives on the side, before moving on to richer and more decadent delights.

Those who have their wits about them may remember the year the cupcake stall sold out rather quickly, and head straight there, in case history repeats itself.

One thing is for sure, and that’s the quality and freshness of what’s on offer. Stallholders must be local and must source 90 per cent of their produce from within a 60 “food mile” radius of the Camden Haven to be granted a place at the festival.

The tantalising tasting plates from some of our best local restaurants and cafes also remind us of how lucky we are to call the Camden Haven region home. Nothing beats the taste of one of Tin Hta-Nu’s fragrant curries or home-grown and handmade samosas, or a gourmet pie washed down by a glass of craft beer or local wine.

The important thing to remember is to pace oneself - you really can have your cake and eat it too at Slice of Haven.

The organisers do a great job of keeping everyone in the family happy. Once the kids have had their fill of licorice and ice-cream, they will happily forget all about food as they mess around in the giant sand pit, join in the painting workshop or play with friends in the purpose-built kids’ fun zone.

So, if you find yourself anywhere near Laurieton this Sunday, why not stop in at Slice of Haven?

Whether you go on your own or meet up with family, friends and neighbours, it’s a great place to enjoy the great outdoors, try something new and delicious, listen to great live music, or simply soak up the cruisy atmosphere.

This year's festival theme, 'Food for thought: Celebrating cultural diversity', celebrates the spice of life we enjoy and guarantees there will be something for everyone.

For updates leading up to the festival, 'Like' the Camden Haven Courier Facebook page here or the Slice of Haven page here.

Enjoy!

PROGRAM OF ENTERTAINMENT

10:00am Festival opening – slicing the ribbon Main Entry 

10:10am Musician Trevor Hart, Main Stage: Trevor Hart is a local acoustic soloist from Bonny Hills. He performs nice easy listening acoustic style songs. His range includes the likes of Paul Kelly, Neil Young and Cat Stevens.

10:30am Movement Studios, Main Stage: Movement Studios is a local dance company based here in Laurieton directed by the creative and talented Jo Rowan. All of the students at movement Studios work, play and perform to the best of their abilities, always pushing boundaries and exceeding well past their expectations using Movement as an art form and bringing to the table, new, fresh and expressive works. Their performance at Slice of Haven may get you involved!

10:45am Magic Jake, Main Stage: Magic Jake the magician is 12 years old from Coffs Harbour. He has performed many shows all over the Mid North coast and has Over 12 months performing experience. Magic Jake will blow your Mind, you won’t believe your eyes. Who else in this world can swallow a giant balloon their own size & survive!?

11:00am Live Band – iChoonz, Main Stage: iChoonz is a group based from the ground up to party! Built around a core unit of drums, guitar, and vocal harmonies, backed up with electronic goodness, the group covers classics from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and naughties. With years of experience within the live music scene gives iChoonz the goods to provide a personalised show from a repertoire of over 200 tracks to choose from, with a variety of formats to suit your style. 

12:15pm African Children’s Choir, Main Stage: support around 7,000 children, providing them with care and an education. The African Children's Choir was founded in 1984 by Ray Barnett. The Choir is made up of children from some of Africa's poorest communities. For the last 29 years, the Choir has travelled around the world showing the world the beauty, dignity and unlimited ability of the African Child. The Choir raises funds that currently You will laugh, you may well cry, and you will be touched forever by the warmth and pure joy of these amazing children.

1:15pm Magic Jake, Main Stage 

1:30pm Movement Studios, Main Stage 

2:00pm Live Band – ELK, Main Stage: Elk bring a swinging vibe to the day whether it's cover versions of The Cure or upbeat jazz interpretations of Soft Cell's Tainted Love. They will get hips swinging and bodies swaying to the beat.

2:45pm Magic Jake, Main Stage 

3:00pm Live Band - Stronghart, Main Stage: Stronghart is a local band from Bonny Hills featuring ingeniously talented Young boys Billy Hart, Lachie Smith, Bailey and Flynn Armstrong. Stronghart have even opened for big bands such as ‘Mental As Anything’ and ‘Thirsty Merc’.

4:00pm Finish 

Away from the main stage there are rides, drumming, art workshop, face painting, giant sand pit, stiltwalkers and more!