Friends and families gathered at the Food and Wine Festival on Saturday, with the festival being the first big event many have experienced in the city for over two years.

"I definitely haven't been to a big event like this in Wagga for a long time," local resident Amanda Small said.

"It's pretty exciting to have some time out with the girls ... to have a chat, bit of a catch up and listen to some good music."

Kooringal resident Peter Nicol was attending the festival for the very first time and was delighted to see the city pack the gardens after a hard couple of years.

"It's been very exciting and it's just nice to see events like this up and running in Wagga," he said.

Gobbagombalin resident Janelle Eastwood said the event had a "nice atmosphere" and that people were clearly happy for the chance to catch up.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: