Bernice Klum from Waipu gets into the groove. Photo / Tania Whyte
A popular food and music festival has made a welcome return to Whangārei after a three-year absence with what organisers described as an amazing lineup, a lovely crowd and glorious weather.
The Northland Fritter Festival, held at Semenoff Stadium on Saturday, drew more than 3500 people from all over Northland
and Auckland for an afternoon of music, good vibes, craft beer, fine wine and 19 different types of fritter.
Northland Events Centre Trust general manager Carina de Graaf said organisers were “absolutely over the moon” with the turnout and the positive vibe.
“We haven’t had a fritter festival since 2019 it so was really welcomed by Northlanders. It was a lovely crowd, they were really appreciative, and we had an amazing line-up and fantastic weather.”
With several big public events across the region on Saturday — including Fritter, Mangonui’s Waterfront Festival and the Mahi Tahi teams race at Waitangi Mountain Bike Park — the weekend marked a return to summer normality in Northland after years of disruption caused by the pandemic and more recently extreme weather.
