Maketu Kaimoana Festival February 2016

Sarah Rameka of Tauranga at this year's Maketu Kaimoana Festival. Photo/File

Maketu will host it's ninth annual Maketu Rotary Kaimoana Festival on February 6, 2016.

The Maketu Kaimoana Festival is known for its family, friendly picnic atmosphere, as well as for having a high calibre of performers, both regional and national.

After a last minute change of venue last year, the festival is returning to its home at Maketu Sports Ground for 2016, a decision that is strongly supported by the majority of locals to keep a Maketu flavour.

The Kaimoana Festival is the major fundraiser for Maketu Rotary, and over the years of the festival, the event has contributed approximately $90000 in total for Maketu community projects that include supporting the marae, schools, the local surf club, fire brigade, coastguard, youth projects and local conservation projects.

Maketu Kaimoana Festival this year. Photo/File

Waitangi Day's feature artist is 60's and 70's rock star Shane, singer of the award winning 1969 hit "St Paul".

Shane continues to perform with other big artists from the 60s and 70s, such as Suzanne Donaldson, Ray Columbus and Ray Woolf, to name a few. He will be supported at the Kaimoana Festival by band Shadz.

Other artists are still being confirmed, and will include some of the local favourites as well as acts from Tauranga, Whakatane and Rotorua.

Maketu's festival is the original Bay of Plenty Kaimoana festival and promises a wider range of food vendors than ever before as well as variety of wines and beers to cater for the 2000 people who attend every year.

Kaimoana this year include a wide range of seafood dishes from registered food vendors with Maketu Pies and their delicious seafood treats, scallops, fish sandwiches, paua fritters, mussels, sea food chowder.

There will also be a select range of craft stalls from local crafts people and artists too.

Tickets are available at www.eventfinda.co.nz/2016/kaimoana-seafood-festival/maketu