The Wildfoods Festival is an event that celebrates the diversity of wild-harvested foods and wild ingredients and supports sustainable forms of food production. It was created by Rowan Mollison (Wild Food Adventures) in response to developments in the catering industry and its impact on the environment and animal welfare. It is a festival truly bringing the wild into your culinary experience. The Wildfoods Festival aims to bring back the practices lost quickly. It also aims at spreading awareness about the numerous edible wild plants that are exceptionally nutritious & that by proceeding with the seasonal harvests, the community wins all around, safeguarding nearby knowledge and biodiversity and reinforcing the local economy & food security. The first Wildfoods Festival was held in Jatiarjo village & this year, the Terra Madre Day celebrations moved to Galengdowo town, East Java. This article will find what the Hokitika wild food festival is.
What is the Hokitika wild food festival?
After understanding the wildfoods festival, let’s discuss the Hokitika wild food festival. Hokitika is a small town located on the South Island of New Zealand. It is famous for its wild food festival. The festival has been held since 1990 and is one of the largest festivals in New Zealand. It attracts people from all over New Zealand as well as other countries. The event is held annually in mid-February. It provides an opportunity for people to explore their relationship with the natural world, appreciate its beauty, learn about local flora and fauna, and have fun exploring what they can find along their way! The Hokitika wild food festival includes guided walks through the bush, cooking demonstrations, food tastings, live music performances, craft market stalls, kids’ activities, and lots more!
It’s the biggest event of its kind in New Zealand, so it’s a pretty special event. The 30-plus stalls will be featuring a mix of food from around the country, matched with local produce, Hawaiian flower lei, exotic fruits, and hot soups for your tastebuds. There’s also a wild foods market section to buy healthy, non-processed, and sustainably sourced snacks. The Hokitika Wild Food Festival has become part of the annual spring calendar for the past five years. It celebrates local foods and lifestyles to educate New Zealanders about important aspects of their culture and the environment. This is a great event for food lovers and wine aficionados and is a must-visit for any visitor to the area. The objective of the Hokitika Wild Food Festival is to encourage people to make use of native plants and animals that are abundant within the Hokitika region.
Reaching Hokitika from New Zealand
How do you reach Hokitika from New Zealand? If you have airline tickets and don’t mind taking some time off from your trip to check this city out (you won’t regret it!) The fastest and easiest way is by taking a bus which could take around 30 minutes and cost around INR 250 for the ticket. Take a flight from Christchurch International Airport to Hokitika, which will consume approx 45 minutes to arrive at your desired location, costing around INR 4500 – INR 19000, depending on the airline & your time of travel. With the help of this below-mentioned table, it will become easy to know about the venue, address, duration & other essential details about the wildfoods festival.
Venue | Cass Square |
Address | 36 Weld Street, Hokitika, New Zealand |
Type | Weird food festival, Haute cuisine, Artisan food fair, Folk fair, Local food fair |
Dedicated to | Wild foods |
Serving | A wide range of wild foods, including game meats, Maori hangi, quality seafood, mountain oysters, worms, scorpions, horse semen, huhu grubs, whitebait patties, marinated tuna, gourmet sausages, wasp larvae ice cream, smoked salmon, and escargots |
Highlight | Offer Foods at food stalls |
Duration | 1 day |
Frequency | Annual |
Since | 1990 |
Hokitika Wild Food Festival 2022: Wildfoods Festival Cancelled
- It was the first time in 34 yrs of running that the Wild food festival 2022 celebration had been cancelled. If things improve, then it will be celebrated in 2023.
- Chief Executive Melanie Anderson of Destination Westland said, “We’re thrilled to secure Wildfoods festival 2022 celebration for 2023 event, so you would not miss out on an eye-catchy lineup of Sir Cassie Henderson, Dave Dobbyn, Zed & Greg Johnson”.
- The words by Andy Thompson are that “2022 is the only one year in which Wildfoods festival would not be happening. But not a big issue.
- All the booked Tickets will be valid for the new upcoming date of the wildfoods festival & holders don’t need to book again.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can easily conclude that the wild foods festival is the most famous festival held every year in Hokitika. The festival has been running for over 34 years, and it is one of the most popular events in town. The Wildfoods festival also has live music, cooking demonstrations, and a market offering products from regional stallholders & food vendors. The festival features a wide range of cooking demonstrations and live music performances from local musicians and DJs. The event draws in thousands of visitors each year with its mouth-watering dishes and lively atmosphere. It’s easy to get to this event if you’re travelling from New Zealand or even just visiting nearby areas like Queenstown.
