Bluff Oyster Festival Features Fine Food

MEDIA RELEASE 18 APRIL 2007

Bluff Oyster Festival Features Fine Food & Great Entertainment

The annual celebration of the iconic Bluff Oyster and succulent southern seafood takes place at the home of the oyster - Bluff - this weekend.

The Festival will take place in it's traditional venue, the Bluff Events Centre. The doors open on both Saturday and Sunday at 11am and the programme will run until 5pm each day. Both days will feature the same programme with an abundance of Bluff Oysters, plentiful southern seafood and great entertainment each day. The Festival traditionally begins each year with the Piping In Of The Oyster on the first day of the event.

The Festival is primarily about Bluff Oysters and fine seafood and these will be readily available from the many restaurants and oyster bars around the venue. The variety of seafood never fails to impress while a diverse range of award winning wines and Speight's Craft Range beers complement the tasty seafood.

Entertainment is another key component of the Festival with popular guest Frankie Stevens returning as Festival MC again this year. The musical entertainment is headed by the internationally acclaimed Pipeworkz, who are seldom seen in the region as they frequently tour the world to appear at Festivals. The Festival also features it's own totally unique entertainment based around the Bluff Oyster. The very popular Oyster Opening and Eating races always draw huge crowds. The professionals constantly amaze those watching with their demonstration of the skills required to open the tasty molluscs. Keith Lovett opened 50 oysters in 2 minutes 43 seconds to win the Open Men's race last year while veteran Keith Dawson took just 43 seconds to open 10 oysters while blindfolded. The celebrities, by contrast, provide great entertainment with their oyster opening techniques.

Meanwhile members of the audience make up the bulk of the fields for the Oyster Eating races, a Festival favourite. Contestants must devour a plate of Bluff Oysters armed only with a toothpick to win but first they must overcome four - time champion Tom Sawyer of Invercargill who frequently downs 1 dozen Bluff Oysters in a tick over ten seconds. While he is loathe to reveal his winning secret Sawyer does admit to having a passion for the Bluff Oyster.

The celebrities have their own race in the Oyster Eating Competition as well, the pulling power of the Festival evident by the number of celebrities who attend each year. This year included in their number are Paul Holmes and Rebecca Nicholson who will dance for the crowd. Holmes and Nicholson are competing in the popular TV One series, "Dancing With The Stars". Nicholson also danced at the Festival two years ago with her partner in the inaugural series - Mayor Tim Shadbolt.

The Southern Institute Of Technology Creativity Awards are another huge favourite each year. Entries in the Oyster Sack Fashion Parade and the Inspirations Of The Sea Category are vying for the prestigious Supreme Creativity Award. The Creativity Awards feature on the catwalk at 3.00pm each day.

Last year's Festival was a major success after changes were made following the 2005 event. Those changes were well received by the public. However one major change for 2007 is the removal of the Festival currency and a return to using everyday New Zealand dollars to purchase food and beverages at the various restaurants and Oyster Bars.

Tickets for the Festival are available from the Invercargill City Council Booking Office - phone 03 211 1692, via e-mail bluffoysterfestbookings@icc.govt.nz or online at www.ticketdirect.co.nz

Prepaid tickets cost $25 for adults each day and children (14 years and under) $10 each day. At the gate ticket prices increase to $30 and $15 respectively. Group packages are available for both days - groups of 10 people or more at $22.50 each and 20 people or more at $20 each. These must be prepurchased. Family packages are also available for Sunday only with a pre - purchase price of $60 for 2 adults and 2 children.

Several exclusive Festival gift lines are also available during the Festival with products from Rakiura Art, The Seriously Good Chocolate Company, H & J Smith and the Southland Spirit Shop on sale.

The Ascot Park Hotel Southern Seas Cabaret is an event designed to complement the Festival. This will take place on the evening of Friday 20 April at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill. Tickets for the cabaret which are selling fast are available at a cost of $90 each from the Ascot Park Hotel - phone 0800 272 687 or via e-mail at reservations@ascot.ilt.co.nz

ENDS

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