New Innovations And Old Favourites at Oyster Festival

A capacity crowd will enjoy some new innovations and plenty of old favourites plus of course the big favourite, the iconic Bluff Oyster, at the 2018 Bluff Oyster & Food Festival in Bluff on Saturday (26 May).

Alterations to the Festival site will ensure the capacity crowd will be comfortably accommodated while the reason many will travel from around New Zealand and beyond is the Bluff Oyster which will be in plentiful supply along with other treats such as salmon, blue cod, paua, fresh kina, seafood chowder, muttonbirds, scallops, prawns and the popular crayfish cheese rolls. For those not enamoured with seafood there is lamb, pork, venison burgers, pork belly burgers, bacon & egg ciabatta and even escargot in the shell with garlic butter and more to enjoy. A range of beer and wine plus barista and instant coffee and hot tea are available to accompany the tasty fare.

Gates open at 10.30am to allow festival goers into the site prior to the traditional Piping In Of The Oyster and the reciting of the Ode to the Oyster at11.00am. Well known former Bluff man Tony Laker steps into the big shoes of another Bluff icon, Spencer Morrison, to recite the Ode this year. Sadly Spencer, who performed the Ode since it was written many years ago, passed away shortly after last year’s Festival. After the Ode, Festival Chairman John Edminstin will declare the event officially open.

The Cook Island Drummers will entertain in Shed 3 before the popular Oyster events commence from 12.30pm with the Men’s and Ladies Opening Races, the Blindfold Race and Factory Relay Race with a new innovation this year the Novice Oyster Opening race. Of interest will be the appearance of Vic Pearsey of Bluff in the Ladies Open as she chases her eighth straight opening title.

The Oyster Eating competitions follow with participants chosen from the crowd to down one dozen of Bluff’s best in the fastest possible time armed only with a toothpick. Watch out this year for a new competition sure to provide hot competition – the Wasabi/Chilli Challenge. The Bluff Oysters in this event will be dipped in chilli oil along with wasabi making them somewhat more of a challenge.

Musical entertainment is a staple of the event and on the main stage the popular Bluff School Kapa Haka Group will commence proceedings with a great line up to follow. Lachie Hayes, recently crowned Southland Entertainer Of The Year, leads off followed by Otepuni Moonshine, USA based Helen Henderson supported by the Mollymawks and Gore born, Nashville domiciled, Jackie Bristow. Bristow has opened for Bonnie Raitt and Foreigner, impressive credentials indeed. Dunedin modern rock quartet, The River Jesters, then take to the stage to rock through to the end of the day.

A return bus service for which a timetable and details can be found at bluffoysterfest.co.nz operates from Invercargill on the day at a cost of $20 return and festival merchandise is on sale at the Festival venue. Once again this year Festival organisers are offering a prize for the Best Costume, a reward for those who put so much preparation into their day out.

Air New Zealand jets from Auckland and Wellington will bring in over 300 people on a day trip package to attend the Festival. The jets arrive early on the day before departing late in the afternoon. Eight buses transfer the passengers to and from the Festival from Invercargill Airport.

It is not unusual for the Bluff Oyster & Food Festival to sell out but this year the event sold out in record time with all tickets having been snapped up by the beginning of February. Tickets for the 2019 Bluff Oyster & Food Festival scheduled for 25 May 2019 will go on sale at 6pm on 26 May as the curtain comes down on the 2018 event.

The 2018 Festival takes place at the Bluff Oyster & Food Festival site, Lee Street, Bluff with gates due to open at 10.30am.

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