Can the show go on? Great South keen to help with potential oyster festival options

Thursday, 15 December 2022

The famous Bluff oyster, which is the star of the show at the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival. [File photo].

Great South officials say if there are alternative ways to ensure the 2023 Bluff Oyster and Food Festival still goes ahead they will work with the organisers to help make it happen.

The festival’s organising committee announced on Tuesday that it had cancelled the 2023 event.

The festival, which attracts 4000 people, was to be held on May 20, but has been cancelled due to a former hotel adjacent to the site having a dangerous building notice on it.

The announcement has prompted calls from some to shift the 2023 festival to Invercargill for a year to ensure the region still gets the economic spin-offs which the one-day festival creates.

* Bluff Oyster Festival organisers urged to shift event to Invercargill

The festival committee had previously stated in resource consent documentation the event was estimated as having a $4 million economic impact on the region. Although it added that that figure could well be more now.

The Bluff Oyster and Food Festival was to be held on May 20 next year but has been postponed due to the Club Hotel, on Bluffs main street, adjoining the festival site, being declared a dangerous building and requiring demolition.

Great South tourism and events general manager Mark Frood said the festival is one of Southland’s unmissable events.

Great South is Southland's regional development agency.

“We know there will be huge disappointment locally and around the country, including for our Southland accommodation providers and businesses who rely on events like this outside of the busy summer season,” Frood said.

“If there are alternative options that will allow the event to go ahead we will look at ways to work with the event organisers to help make that happen.”

It’s the second year running that the festival been cancelled, with Covid-19 the reason in 2022.

Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark confirmed he has reached out to the committee with some potential alternative options.

However, Clark said he wouldn’t be making any public comment in regard to what those options were at this point.

He wanted to leave it to the committee to work through and let them come back to him.

“I don’t want them to be pressured into anything they don’t feel comfortable about,” Clark said.

“The shots to be called are with the oyster festival committee, it’s not with me. This is their event, and they can do with it want they want. We are just trying to help make it happen, but it’s their call.”

Clark recognised the importance of the event to the region.

ILT Stadium Southland general manager Nigel Skelt confirmed he was keen to help provide a temporary solution for the 2023 festival if the organising committee was interested.

He said they could put 6000 through the stadium on May 20 if needed. The Bluff Oyster and Food Festival traditionally attracted a sell-out crowd of about 4000.

“Bluff comes to Invercargill, one year only …I t could be a fantastic co-ordination between Bluff Promotions and Stadium Southland,” Skelt said.

“We could hold [our seafood own festival] but we wouldn’t want to run one in opposition to them. It’s not our game from a community perspective.”

Skelt was keen to see the event take place in 2023 for the region’s sake.

“When you think of all of the people that come from out of town, we’ve got a fantastic opportunity to showcase Invercargill and Southland. What better way to showcase the fantastic new hotel, The Langlands.

“If it’s for one year only [in Invercargill], that’s fine.”

Southland Racing Club president Sean Bellew has also offered up the Ascot Park Raceway as another potential site in Invercargill to host the 2023 festival.