Air New Zealand backs the festival’s flavour and fun through its regional events programme.

There are food festivals, and then there is Hokitika’s Wildfoods Festival, an experience that dares you to try the unexpected.

Returning on Saturday, 14 March 2026, the long-running West Coast celebration invites visitors to embrace the region’s adventurous spirit, unconventional flavours and unmistakable sense of fun.

Now firmly established as the Coast’s signature event, Wildfoods has spent more than three decades building a reputation for curiosity, creativity and a healthy disregard for culinary caution. It’s now a rite of passage.

“It’s a celebration of all things wild,” says Cary Lancaster, the festival’s vendor organiser. “This is the West Coast. We’re surrounded by a very natural, very rugged environment, and the festival reflects that. It’s about trying flavours and textures you wouldn’t normally encounter. Plus, I don’t know of any other festivals that celebrate the feral side of life.”

Over 35 years, the festival has grown from a small local gathering into the West Coast’s premier annual event, attracting thousands of visitors and boosting Hokitika’s population for the weekend.

Backing events across Aotearoa

That regional significance is precisely why Air New Zealand is backing the festival through its Regional Events Sponsorship Programme, which supports 20 events across 20 destinations throughout Aotearoa. From Northland to Southland, Air New Zealand’s Regional Events Programme highlights events at all 20 destinations on its network.

“Hokitika Wildfoods is exactly the kind of event our programme was designed to support,” says Scott Wilkinson, Chief Commercial Officer at Air New Zealand. “It is distinctive, unique, proudly local and draws visitors into a part of the country that thrives on tourism.”

Wilkinson says that festivals like Wildfoods play a vital role in regional economies, and if Air New Zealand can play a part in encouraging visitors, “that’s a win for us and the region”.

“Festivals drive visitation, fill accommodation and create opportunities for local businesses. Beyond the immediate economic impact, events build a profile that lasts well beyond a single weekend. They encourage people to return and explore more deeply, which is good for the region and good for the wider tourism ecosystem.”

What draws people back year after year is not just the novelty, but the atmosphere, says Lancaster.

“There’s a real sense of ownership,” he says. “When you’re at Wildfoods, you feel like you’re part of it. Visitors are treated with West Coast hospitality. You’re welcomed like someone’s neighbour.”

Expect the unexpected (and then some)

Wildfoods’ reputation rests, of course, on its famously daring menu.

Among the returning favourites are garlic fried garden snails, huhu grubs and mountain oysters, a delicacy otherwise known as sheep’s testicles that Lancaster describes with a laugh as “not as bad as you think… it’s just the thought and the texture”.

Crickets remain a crowd pleaser.

“They’re actually really nice,” he says. Fried, served on a toothpick, “they taste like crispy fried chicken bits. The wings can get stuck in your teeth though. You’re chewing on those for a while.”

Other offerings include meal bugs suspended inside lollipops, wild game creations like “Tahr-cos” made from Himalayan mountain goat, kina shots and a rotating menu of inventive interpretations from around 50 vendors. To drink, sip on wild honey mead, foraged fruit slushies and local beers.

While the festival proudly embraces its feral edge, Lancaster says there’s something for everybody, including children under 11, who can attend for free.

“People sometimes get nervous about the wild aspect, but there’s plenty of food. Amazing brisket, Argentinian flame-grilled dishes, all sorts of options.”

Music, mayhem and Feral Fashion

Wildfoods is also known for its entertainment, and this year’s line-up sees Sir Dave Dobbyn, Tadpole, Sonar Flare and The Lady Killers with special guest Annie Crummer perform a full day of live music that transforms Cass Square into a distinctly West Coast party.

Adding to the theatre is the much-loved Feral Fashion competition, where festival-goers unveil elaborate, often surreal creations made from flowers, feathers, mud, leather, native foliage and more.

These original outfits are judged in categories “Wild Child” for under 11s and “The Feral” or “Feral Flock” for adults. “Most people dress up,” says Lancaster. “It’s part of the fun. The whole town feels different that day.”

More than a festival

Air New Zealand’s Scott Wilkinson says Wildfoods is a great example of an authentic event that feels “very Kiwi”.

“New Zealanders have always had a slightly mischievous streak and a willingness to give things a go. Wildfoods captures that perfectly. Where else would you see a community turn its most unconventional ingredients into a nationally recognised celebration?”

For many visitors, Wildfoods becomes a reason to spend more time on the West Coast.

“The Coast rewards those who stay a little longer,” Wilkinson says. “I would encourage visitors to explore the Hokitika Gorge, take in the dramatic coastline and, if time allows, head further south towards the glaciers. The landscapes are incredible and iconically New Zealand.”

And for anyone still questioning their stomach’s resilience?

“Just come for the atmosphere,” says Lancaster. “Hang out with your friends, enjoy the music, soak up the sun and get a real grip on the West Coast culture.”

For festival tickets and information, visit www.wildfoods.co.nz. For more on Air New Zealand’s Regional Events Sponsorship Programme, visit www.airnewzealand.co.nz/regional-events-sponsorship-programme.