Craft beer celebrated in style
CRAFT beer enthusiasts could finally enjoy a welloverdue cold one this weekend.
After being postponed due to Covid19, The Southland Beer, Wine and Wild Food Festival on Saturday attracted thousands of people to the ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill.
Invercargill woman Jena Young said she and her group of friends had not missed any edition of the event.
‘‘It is so good to have this event back in Invercargill.
‘‘It is something we can do with our mates during the day and have a great time,’’ she said.
She and her friends were dressed as Wally with red and white striped shirt, bobble hat and glasses.
‘‘We came here and saw some people dressed up at the first edition and from there we just decided that we would come up with a different theme every year. So we already been beer cans, road cones, beer pongs.’’
Her friend Kiri Hogan said they had already started to plan for next year’s costume.
‘‘We are thinking about a six pack or Jenga,’’ she laughed.
Event manager Kevin Downie said it was a great opportunity for people to have a good time while having a taste — and a sip — of the best products of the region.
The event had expanded from the old Hop N’Vine Food Festival and now included more options, he said.
‘‘It celebrates quality food and beverages produced across
Southland.
‘‘We’ve got 19 breweries, 11 food stands, so we have a lot of variety.
‘‘We have many wild foods, Southland food content, to actually attract people from other areas to come and visit the area.
‘‘There have never been so many breweries in the Southland and Otago area. So it is a great opportunity to showcase the quality of the product,’’ he said.