Marquees are going up in Bluff ahead of this year’s Oyster and Food Festival — but behind the scenes, organisers fear the event’s future may be on the line.
The annual event is one of Southland's major economic drivers, attracting thousands of visitors to the region and injecting an estimated $4 million into the local economy.
Festival chairman John Edminstin told 1News this year's event had fallen well short of expectations, catching organisers off guard.
"None of us had foreseen this. We had dropped roughly 45% of our ticket sales," he said.
The event had faced a string of setbacks in recent years, including two Covid-19 cancellations and significant financial strain following the demolition of the neighbouring historic Club Hotel.
Uncertainty over whether enough Bluff oysters would be available for the event had also added further pressure.
“At the start of it, we had to tell the punters that we didn’t know what was going to happen with the oyster season,” Edminstin said.
Despite confirmation oysters would be there, ticket sales had still failed to bounce back.
Organisers feared the cost-of-living crisis and heightened fuel prices had also taken a toll, with around 60% of festivalgoers travelling from outside the region.
Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell said the loss of the festival would be significant for Southland, but that council would consider stepping in with support if needed.
“There’s always been circumstances where we have underwritten it by that means, and I guess we’d consider that again if they were in that situation," he said.
There had also been calls to broaden the event beyond oysters alone, with tourism agency Great South suggesting a larger regional kaimoana festival built around the iconic Bluff delicacy.
“We’ve already had a few discussions about having a wider kaimoana festival for the region,” Great South chief executive Chami Abeysinghe said.
“Maybe over a couple of days, maybe it could be week-long, but the Bluff Oyster Festival would be the anchor point to that.”
The festival will take place in Bluff from May 22-25.
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