ILT announced yesterday a series of events to celebrate the 80th anniversary.
It would start with an Emerson’s Brewery and ILT-wide birthday happy hour.
To mark the significant milestone, ILT and the award-winning brewery have crafted a limited-edition hazy ale, aptly named "Matey We’re Eighty".
This exclusive brew will be available at selected venues.
"We’re thrilled to celebrate 80 incredible years of being for our community," ILT president Paddy O’Brien said.
"This anniversary is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come together, have some fun, and acknowledge the occasion."
The brew reflects the spirit of celebration and community that has been at the heart of ILT for decades.
Partnering with Emerson’s Brewery has been a winning formula for the organisation. Their "Good Decisions" brew, crafted for the 75th anniversary, proved very popular.
ILT chief executive Chris Ramsay said working with Emerson’s Brewery to produce something truly distinctive and exclusive to ILT was a lot of fun.
To officially launch the birthday celebrations ILT is inviting patrons to join them for a special happy hour tomorrow, from 5-7pm. The festivities will be spread across ILT bars, with the bottle stores and accommodation hosting their own celebratory activities, complete with cake and other birthday goodies.
"This is a milestone we all can be proud of, and we want to share the celebrations with our community. We’d love for people to raise a glass to eight decades of ILT and Invercargill," Mr Ramsay said.
He said there were more festivities planned to mark the occasion.
The "Matey we’re Eighty" brew will be available on tap at various ILT establishments while stocks last.
After 38 years of prohibition, Invercargill voted in the trust system back in 1944.
ILT was given three mandates at that time: firstly to provide quality hospitality businesses; secondly, to operate those businesses in the interest of public wellbeing; and thirdly, to distribute profits back to the community by way of grants and donations.
Since its creation, the ILT has given about $216 million back to the community.
