Indulge in fresh seafood, sip local wine among the vines, or be adventurous and try something new at one of New Zealand’s many food festivals.
Taste of Auckland
Delight your palette at Taste of Auckland, where you will find the city’s top restaurants and artisanal producers. Stroll around the many marquees or sit in on a lesson and get inspired by fellow foodies and award-winning chefs.
Cadbury Chocolate Carnival
New Zealanders seldom miss a chance to celebrate the things they love and the sweetest of them all is Dunedin’s Cadbury Chocolate Carnival. Held annually in July, the Carnival highlight is the Jaffa Race where thousands of candy balls roll down the world’s steepest street.
Hokitika Food & Wine
Celebrating the unique food and drink of the West Coast, Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is unlike any other food festival. From crocodile bites to deep fried pigs ears, you’ll need to be adventurous to sample the locals’ culinary creativity.
Whitianga Scallop Festival
One of New Zealand’s most popular seafood events, the Whitianga Scallop Festival sees many food stalls turning out mouth-watering dishes. Entertainment from famous New Zealand performers and seafood cooking demonstrations by iconic NZ chefs help round out the exceptional scallop celebration.
Seafest Kaikoura
No list of New Zealand food festivals would be complete without Seafest Kaikoura – a celebration of life by the sea with great entertainment, food and beverages and good company. Dress up as a pirate, mermaid or shark to make a big splash!
Marlborough Food and Wine Festival
With more than 100 events taking place across the culinary capital as part of Visa Wellington on a Plate, you will find cooking classes, banquets and food trails on the menu. Held over two weeks in August, the whole region comes to the party, including the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa wine country.
Bluff Oyster & Food Festival
Combining quality wines, gourmet food and live music, the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival is New Zealand’s original and most successful wine events. Sample the crisp sauvignon blanc that the region is famous for and be entertained on one of the wine region’s oldest and most beautiful vineyards, Brancott Heritage Estate.
Wellington on a Plate
Where better to sample the famous Bluff oyster than in Bluff itself? Locals of the salty seaside town play host in this festive winter event that promises a variety of seafoods including crayfish, paua (abalone), scallops, salmon, blue cod and whitebait. Grab your hat, scarf and a winter coat for an event filled day of live music, along with oyster shucking and eating competitions.
Hawke’s Bay Food and Wine Classic
Hawke’s Bay produces such a wealth of food and wine that it celebrates this success with a festival held twice a year, in November and June. Running for 10 days, F.A.W.C! gathers the east coast region’s finest producers and purveyors into an event-laden feast of indulgence for an expanding audience of hungry locals and visitors.
Toast Martinborough
Martinborough’s picturesque setting has been a major drawcard for wine-lovers since the festival started in 1992. There’s no better time to try the region’s best wines than at Toast, when top-flight Martinborough wineries team up with some of the region’s best chefs and musicians to offer a fully immersive and indulgent experience to suit all tastes.
Source: NewZealand
