Countdown is on for the 2015 Whitianga Scallop Festival
With the annual Whitianga Scallop Festival only 42 days away, it is expected over 100,000 scallops will be shucked and
cooked in a myriad of ways. The 50 plus available cuisine stands have all been booked by a mix of local chefs,
restaurants and community groups.
One of our local restaurants, Castle Rock Café have created a mouth-watering dish just for the 2015 festival, of Pan
Seared Scallops with black pudding, cauliflower puree, lime chilli chutney and pancetta sticks you can find them on site
35 in the Asahi Marquee.
Celebrity Chef, Ray McVinnie who helped us celebrate the Scallop Festival 10 year anniversary can’t wait to return to
the New World cooking stage for 2015 festival and joining him we welcome the Winners of Masterchef 2014 - Karena and
Kasey Bird .
All our chefs will be cooking 2 scrumptious scallop recipes on stage and the crowd will have a chance to taste their
creations, and pick up a copy of the recipes to take home and try.
Keeping the New World cooking stage together once again Tracey- Lee Hooton (of Masterchef fame) will be exchanging her
cooking utensils for the MC microphone for the day.
Entertainment throughout the day with Troupe Waihi, an amazing group of talented students from Waihi College, who will
amaze the crowds with their unique blend of street theatre. Along with the Mullet Man who needs no introduction, there’s
something for everyone including the Classic Photobooth where you can take home a photostrip for your fridge with your
memories of the day. We will have the festival favourites back again this year, the Sea Creature Stilt Walkers along
with Neptune and his mermaid.
New to the festival entertainment line-up this year, Two Gents from a Queen Tribute band, who will be bringing their
unique blend of music to the Mills Reef stage. Local Artist Tim Armstrong is also back performing at Stage on the Point.
Past crowd favourites and rising star Coral Pitcher will include variety of her original compilation as well as her own
spin on some covers and The Vegas Brown Band will also be back performing on the Whitianga Waterways Music Stage keeping
the crowd rocking!
If you fancy a round of golf, to make room for a few more scallops on the Saturday, register for the Mercury Bay Golf
Club – Scallop Festival Open. Make a long weekend of it and come and enjoy what the picturesque Mercury Bay and
Coromandel Peninsula has to offer.
Don’t forget to Vote and Win on our Facebook Page Whitianga Scallop Festival, vote for your favourite Scallop Dish and go in the draw to win the Ultimate Whitianga Weekend for 2 adults, including
accommodation, festival tickets, scallops from CCM stand, wine from Mills Reef, glass bottom boat tour, a Lost Spring
pool pass for two and more. We also have amazing prizes up for grabs for PowerCo best dressed, so get creative and
colourful. Be sure to put your form in with your Vote and Win Page inside the festival programme with even more amazing
prizes.
Tickets are on sale at www.scallopfestival.co.nz and Eventfinder. Event organiser, Linda Simonsen says, “Don’t delay in getting your tickets as they are selling fast.
Only a limited number of tickets are available and once they are sold, there will be no gate sales on the day of the
festival.”
ENDS