Thousands expected for Port Chalmers seafood festival

An array of transport options, including rail, bus and not one, but two harbour launches will ferry thousands of people expected at the Port Chalmers Seafood Festival on Saturday.

With more than 2000 tickets already sold, a successful funding campaign completed for this year, support from a variety of sources and enthusiasm from the Dunedin City Council, the festival looks on track to become a major, ongoing city event.

Organising committee chairman Peter Cole said he hoped money would be left over for Port Chalmers community groups.

The festival will be held at Port Otago's Shed A and wharf area, usually used for cruise-ship passengers.

Part of the Real New Zealand Festival this year, put in place for the Rugby World Cup, the festival received $50,000 from the Lottery Grants Board, $20,000 from the council, and $8000 from the Community Trust of Otago.

Mr Cole said he expected a late rush of sales, and hoped between 5000 and 6000 would turn up.

The event would feature about 40 food stalls, displays by groups including the Dunedin Community Salmon Hatchery and the Port Chalmers Fishermen's Co-operative, and the Portobello Aquarium.

A vessel would be on hand to ferry people from the aquarium across the harbour to the festival.

Monarch would take people from Dunedin, and Mr Cole said passengers from both vessels would disembark from the gangplank "right into the middle of the festival".

Buses, and trains paid for by a gold coin donation, would be running from the railway station to the port during the day, and musicians David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights, along with poet Sam Hunt, would perform.

Television fishing show Gone Fishin' host Graeme Sinclair would be running a fishing competition, and cooking demonstrations, fish filleting, and fishing boat unloading demonstrations would feature.

Cr John Bezett, chairman of the Dunedin City Council's events funding committee, said the committee was trying to identify events that could attract national and international visitors, and the seafood festival was one.

"We thought, 'Hey, this is a very good idea'," Cr Bezett said.

Funds had been granted for this year, but the organisers had been told the council was keen to help it grow into something similar to the Bluff oyster festival.

"We think it has the potential to grow into a very, very successful local event," Cr Bezett said.

Mr Cole said the festival had attracted good support from Port Otago, which provided the venue, electricity and chillers, and a variety of local businesses had provided funds.

He hoped Irish and Italian rugby fans would turn up to the festival, the day before their Rugby World Cup game and tickets had been provided to the Italian team management.

- david.loughrey@odt.co.nz