The 2026 Bluff Oyster & Seafood Festival on Saturday 23 May could be the last!
Unless this year's event attracts a capacity crowd there may be no option but to wind up the event say's Festival Chairman, John Edminstin.
Edminstin says, "a range of factors has the event under the very real threat of not being held again after this year but the solution is simple. We need to pack the place to capacity on 23 May."
While the supply of Bluff Oysters has now been confirmed, when tickets initially went on sale organisers were upfront in saying they could not assure that Bluff Oysters would be available at the festival. That has meant ticket sales have been sluggish with plenty of tickets still available when normally the event is sold out well in advance. Despite recent confirmation Bluff Oysters will definitely be on the menu, sales have not rebounded. Add to that a Bluff oyster season is far from certain next year and the fact the committee has had several year's when the festival was not held through covid restrictions and the danger posed by the adjacent Club Hotel and the situation has become dire.
Edminstin says, "we had cash reserves in hand but these have been severely depleted by the many costs associated with demolishing the Club Hotel and the costs of consultants, consents and the like, not only on the Club Hotel but in other requirements around the event. Sometimes it seems we are being held to a much higher standard than many other events. Additional to the costs the pressure on funding organisations at the moment plus the high cost-of-living which affects our outgoings and at some point, you have to take stock and say, is it viable to continue? Had we not had our reserves dwindled by an array of hefty costs we would still be in a great position to weather the storm. We need a capacity crowd this year to boost our reserves to ensure we can open the gates for future festivals."
The festival is a major event for the south with capacity for 4,000 attendees and previous surveys showing that around 60% of those come from outside the region. With them comes significant economic benefit with the accommodation, hospitality and other sectors all benefiting handsomely from the influx of visitors.
Tickets are still available from Trade Me for $50 plus gst (plus shipping), Barnes Oysters in Invercargill and in Bluff at the First National Real Estate Café.
The event takes place in Bluff on Saturday 23 May from 10.30am with Bluff Oysters, plenty of other southern seafood treats such as blue cod, muttonbirds, pāua and more as well as other non-seafood offerings plus great beverages. Music and entertainment complement the food and beverage with the popular Oyster events and a wonderful entertainment programme that features international performer Helen Henderson, Sweet Marie, The Eastern and Band Of Bluffies while the Bluff School Kapa Haka Group and the Mapu-Kuki-Airani Rarotongan drummers also entertain on the Main Stage.