Festival offers fantastic food and family fun
THE Port Chalmers Seafood Festival was first established in 2011, and with the communityrun event going from strength to strength, this year is set to be even bigger and better than ever! Give your taste buds a treat, with over 20 seafood and ‘‘land food’’ providers showcasing their specialities, including greenlipped mussels, fish, whitebait, clams, sushi, chowder and more.
‘‘It’s such a great chance to have a foodies day out, whether you love seafood or are just starting to dip your taste buds into it,’’ said Justin Moore, Seafood Festival Committee chair. ‘‘We’ve got a spectacular range of Southern food from great Otago locals, and if you’re looking to learn how to cook it, we have cooking demonstrations to give you the inside tips.’’
Two of the chefs who will be holding demonstrations are Greg Piner of Vault 21 and Bevan Smith of Riverstone Kitchen. This is a rare and exciting opportunity for people to learn expert cooking tips.
There’s also a fantastic range of local beer, wine and cider, including Emerson’s craft brewery, which has created an exclusive festival amber ale called ‘‘Orange Roughy’’, as well as Mt Difficulty wines and Peckham’s cider.
While enjoying the delicious cuisine and beverages on offer, there will be live music throughout the day, with awardwinning singer/musician Hollie Smith and her band headlining, as well as the awardwinning Logan Park High School Jazz Band, the 2015 OUSA Battle of the Bands winners (Ragged), Idol Frets and Mike Rigg.
‘‘We set out to create a schedule of music that really brings the fun back to our family festival, and we’re really happy to have such a fantastic group of musicians that will make the day special,’’ Justin said.
There’s also heaps of fantastic entertainment for the kids, including a giant shipwreck sandpit, fish touch tank, wearable arts competition and lots more.
This year, the festival isn’t letting anyone get away with saying travelling to Port Chalmers is too hard. The festival, which has a family focus, is allowing accompanied children 12 and under free entry and they are once again running free buses to and from Port Chalmers throughout the day.
They’re also running a limited number of trains with Dunedin Railways, and have the support of local harbor cruise providers Monarch Wildlife Tours, which will be operating two boats on the day, ferrying passengers from Portobello to the festival for just $5.