Whitianga Oceans Festival will feature a range of live entertainment and cuisine.
Whitianga Oceans Festival will feature a range of live entertainment and cuisine.
An annual celebration of Coromandel seafood born nearly 20 years ago will return in 2024 after surviving three punishing years of Covid-19 and experiencing a rebirth in 2023.
Planning began 12 months in advance with months of behind-the-scenes preparations.
“Its economic impact on the Mercury Bay region is over $1 million.
“The event fills accommodation beds, restaurants, cafes and bars and gets the retail tills ringing; the festival also incorporates many community groups providing a service to the festival or having a food stall, raising much-needed funds,” Tod said.
The 2023 event raised $10,000 for LegaSea – a non-profit organisation dedicated to restoring the abundance, biodiversity and health of New Zealand’s marine environment.
Tod said the event had been named a finalist for the best sustainability initiative category in the 2024 New Zealand Event Awards.
The festival celebrates Coromandel seafood.
The idea to stage a seafood-themed celebration in the Coromandel town came about when a Destination Coromandel staff member identified the need to create an event to draw people to the eastern seaboard in the shoulder periods and identified that “scallops” could help captivate people’s attention, Tod said.
“He was right, he gathered a small group of keen locals together to form a committee and the event was born in 2005.
“Once established, Destination Coromandel bowed out, and the organisation and running of the event has continued with keen locals who volunteer their time to make this event happen.
“All coming from a desire to promote Whitianga and recognising the importance of bringing income earning opportunities to the region in the quieter shoulder season.”
She described it as one of New Zealand’s iconic food and wine festivals, “held in the stunning Coromandel and sustainably produced”.
“It features Kiwi bands playing the hits people know and love, entertainers including stilt walkers and street performers alongside quirky interactive games, incorporating a selection of tasty dishes matched with refreshing beverages.
“Also being held in a picturesque waterside Whitianga location, celebrating pure Coromandel goodness.”
This year, punters could expect a festival “that was as lively as the Coromandel itself, and one of the region’s highlighted weekends of the year,” she said.
