23-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
More space for oyster fans at this year's festival
Lindsay Beer. PHOTO: NINA TAPU
It will be a full floor when the Bluff Oyster & Food Festival takes place today.
The festival returned last year — the first time since 2021 — after a break of a few years because of Covid and health and safety issues.
But today's festival will be bigger and better, as the entire space originally planned for the festival will be available for the first time.
The trust bought the rundown Club Hotel, a Category 2 heritage building, and the land in 2014.
However, there were health and safety concerns associated with the hotel on the festival site.
The trust then attempted to sell it but failed to attract a buyer, so it applied to the Invercargill City Council in 2019 for resource consent to demolish the building.
The festival organisers finally gained consent to demolish the old hotel building in January last year after a previous attempt.
A year on from the demolition, there is another 800sq m of floor being used and it will give the sold-out crowd plenty of room to roam.
Bluff promotions officer Lindsay Beer said more space would be great for those attending.
Tickets for the event had sold out weeks ago and 4000 punters would be rolling up to enjoy the food and refreshments on offer.
About 60% of the people who attend come from outside Southland. A plane of 180 grab-a-seat passengers is flying into Invercargill from Auckland this morning and they are set to head back to Auckland later today.
Mr Beer said people from all round the world turned up for the day.
The weather in Bluff had been a bit rough earlier this week but a decent day was forecast for today.
Mr Beer confirmed the oysters arrived yesterday and were all set to be eaten by the masses today.
One of the highlights of the day are the races, which involve professional oyster openers racing each other with events for men, women, novices, factory relay teams and a blindfold race.
Xavier Fife, of Calders Oysters, won the Men's Open last year, opening 50 oysters in a time of 3min 9sec. Mr Fife is back to defend the title this year while a two-time champion, Ricci Grant, is confirmed to be in the field as well.
Vic Pearsey had won 10 titles in a row in the Women's Open before standing aside last year when Peg Bishop took over the mantle getting through 50 oysters in 3min 34sec. Ms Bishop is not competing this year, so the title race is wide open.
Team Barnes won the Factory Relay race in 2024 but face tough competition this year from a Calders Oysters team of previous men's champions.
After the openers have demonstrated their skills, volunteers from the crowd are invited on stage to find the fastest competitor to down a dozen of Bluff's finest.
