All 450 tickets to the popular FOOD Week event flew out the door in 10 minutes, compared to three in 2016, owing to problems on the website from 9.30am.

FOOD Week Inc president James Sweetapple said the website provider worked urgently to boost capacity, allowing more ticket buyers in.

“We had over 30,000 hits in under an hour, it was amazing,” he said.

The number available in the general round was fewer than last year because the Friends of FOOD purchased their full allocation of 1000 – they had an 18-hour headstart on the rest of the public.

“The members didn’t use all theirs last year,” Mr Sweetapple said.

He encouraged those who missed out to become a Friend of FOOD, which includes newsletters on events and access to pre-sales for $50 a year, or join the waiting list.

“But there’s lots of great events that people can go to,” Mr Sweetapple said. 

To access the full program, visit https://orangefoodweek.com.au/events/