Case Studies / Festival of Dangerous Ideas (FODI)
Carriageworks • 2023
Pop-up canteen & wine bar for Australia’s most disruptive festival.
FODI isn’t a food festival — it’s a gathering of thinkers, provocateurs, and cultural leaders. The brief was to design a food and beverage experience that matched the festival’s spirit of disruption while serving 12,000+ ticket holders across multiple sessions.
Approach
I created a Kitchen by Mike pop-up canteen for breakfast and lunch, serving honest, seasonal food with speed and scale.
In the evenings, the offer transformed into a natural wine bar, creating a convivial space for debate and conversation after the talks.
The menus leaned into my ethos of simplicity, generosity, and wholefoods, aligning with FODI’s progressive and challenging ideas.
Outcome
Fed 12,000 festival-goers across the program while elevating the overall guest experience. Food became an integral part of the festival’s rhythm — fuelling critical thinking during the day and sparking connection at night.
This partnership reinforced Kitchen by Mike’s ability to operate beyond restaurants, embedding itself into Australia’s most influential cultural events.
