Pauanui Craft Beer and Gin Festival a success

Held at the Pauanui Club, the inaugural event was a sell-out. Photo / Supplied

Beer and gin lovers enjoyed hugely successful Pauanui Craft Beer and Gin Festival last month.

Hosted on-site by the Pauanui Club, the event was a sell-out with 500 tickets snapped up soon after they went on sale.

Enthusiastic festival-goers showed up on Saturday, September 24, and so did the warm spring sun, helping to create a positive festival vibe.

Ticket holders spent the afternoon sampling from a range of craft beer breweries and gin distilleries, with strong representation from local Coromandel brands. A 'zero bar' for non-alcoholic drinks was also offered.

As well as enjoying a tipple in the sun, ticket holders soaked up live music from the Tim Armstrong Band and DJ Mike Plant, stalls and street food from on-site food trucks.

The journey to create the Pauanui Craft Beer and Gin Festival wasn't all smooth-sailing, with the event being postponed twice from the initial date in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions on event gatherings.

Pauanui Club manager Gary Smith said the event was a tremendous success and widely enjoyed by all who attended.

"We were delighted to finally be able to host this exciting new event for Pauanui, and I'm tremendously proud of the team at the club for their hard work behind the scenes," Gary said.

Major sponsor Harcourts Pauanui was delighted to help present the festival, also sponsored by Storms Contracting, Puka Park, East Imperial and Polar Ice.

Once ticket holders have been surveyed for feedback, planning will start for next year's event, which will be bigger and better with double this year's limit of 500.

If the popularity of the inaugural is anything to go by, it promises to be an event not to miss.