Local Wild Food Festival, Whakatāne

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Local Wild Food Festival, Whakatāne

Returning for 2025 - join us at Mahy Reserve in Ōhope, Saturday 22 February, 12 to 6pm. Tickets on sale now! https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE

10/01/2025

🌿 Meet Sam The Trap Man at the Local Wild Food Festival! 🎣

We’re thrilled to welcome Sam to the 2025 Local Wild Food Festival—his first time at the event!

Hailing from Gisborne, Sam is an author and bushman who shares his life as a dad, hunter, trapper, fisher, forager, and conservationist on his popular Instagram account.

What’s happening?

🧭 Friday, 21 February: Join Sam for an exclusive Foraging Walk on local land. Limited tickets available—don’t miss out! 🎟 Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/UWP

🔥 Saturday, 22 February (Festival Day): Find Sam in the Smokey Zone cooking up a storm with the ingredients foraged on Friday.
🎟 Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE

Read more about our demonstrators here: https://www.whakatane.com/discover/our-stories/meet-our-demonstrators-local-wild-food-festival-2025

07/01/2025

👨‍🍳 We’re excited to introduce another one of our fabulous demonstrators for the 2025 Local Wild Food Festival: Paul Patterson!

Paul is a New Zealand-born executive chef with over 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, spanning five countries—from New Zealand to America and even Paris!

Recently taking the helm at the iconic Fisherman's Wharf Café, Paul is bringing his world-class expertise and passion for incredible flavors to this year’s festival.

Read more about our demonstrators here: https://www.whakatane.com/discover/our-stories/meet-our-demonstrators-local-wild-food-festival-2025

🎟 Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE

03/01/2025

🌿 Get Ready for Wild Food Action! 🍴

The 2025 Local Wild Food Festival is bringing you a stellar lineup of demonstrators, and we’re kicking it off with the incredible Shay Williamson!

Shay, a possum trapper and creator of the popular online channel Keeping It Wild is all about teaching primal skills to put food on the table—hunting, gathering, cooking, and eating!

🍲 What’s on the menu? A Possum Breakdown cooked to perfection in a camp oven and served fresh in the late afternoon and learn how to find, identify and prepare wild berries.

Read more about our demonstrators here: https://www.whakatane.com/discover/our-stories/meet-our-demonstrators-local-wild-food-festival-2025

🎟 Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE

23/12/2024

🎄🎁 Forgot a Christmas Gift? Don’t Panic! 🎁🎄

Why not skip the wrapping paper and give the gift of culinary adventure? 🌟 Treat your loved ones to an unforgettable experience with tickets to the Local Wild Food Festival 2025! 🎉

🎟️ Grab your tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE and make their Christmas extra special!

18/12/2024

🎉 Congratulations to Our Giveaway Winners! 🎉

A big thank you to everyone who participated in our Double Pass Giveaway for the Local Wild Food Festival! 🌿🍽️

✨ And the winners are...
🥳 Jenny Williams
🥳 Ash Reid
🥳 Beaudence Waikato-Pearce

If you’re one of our lucky winners, please DM us to claim your prize. 🎟️ For those who didn’t win, don’t worry – tickets are still available here: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE

Thank you again for all the love and enthusiasm. We can’t wait to see you at the festival!

09/12/2024

🚨 Last Chance to Apply! 🚨

Food vendors, market stalls, and community eco groups—this is your final call to join the Local Wild Food Festival! 🌿🍽️

🗓️ Applications close on 15th December. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to:
🍴 Showcase your unique menu items featuring wild and locally-sourced ingredients
🛍️ Share your artisan products, fresh produce, and handcrafted goods
🌱 Highlight your eco initiatives and connect with like-minded community members

Apply now and be part of this fantastic event!
🔗 Food Vendors: https://form.jotform.com/243018057400849
🔗 Market Stalls and Community Groups: https://form.jotform.com/233249018308858

08/12/2024

🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉

Want to win a Double Pass to the Local Wild Food Festival? 🍽️🌿 Here’s your chance to enjoy a day of delicious wild flavors, live entertainment, and family fun — for FREE!

✨ To Enter: 1️⃣ Like and follow Local Wild Food Festival, Whakatāne 2️⃣ Tag a friend you’d bring along 3️⃣ Share this post for an extra entry!

🍄 Winners announced Wednesday, 18 December. Good luck, foodies!

06/12/2024

🌿 Why Mahy Reserve is the Perfect Home for the Local Wild Food Festival 2025! 🌟

Nestled in the stunning Ōhope in the Bay of Plenty, Mahy Reserve offers the perfect setting to celebrate wild food and sustainable living.

🏖️ Aotearoa’s Most Loved Beach – Enjoy breathtaking ocean views and soft sands just steps away. Perfect for surfing, fishing and foraging.

🌱 Kiwi Capital’s Native Bush – Protected by the hills of native bush that the local kiwi population call home due to its abundance of resources.

🌳 Ancient Pohutukawa Trees – Providing natural shade from our plentiful sunshine creating a magical festival atmosphere.

✨ Mahy Reserve blends the best of coastal beauty and native serenity, making it the ultimate spot for a day of wild food tastings, live music, and family fun.

📅 When: Saturday, 22 February 2025 | 12–6 PM
📍 Where: Mahy Reserve, Ōhope

🎟️ Get your tickets now! https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE

Join us to celebrate the flavors of the wild in one of Aotearoa’s most iconic locations!

30/11/2024

🌿🍽️ Local Wild Food Festival 2025 Tickets on Sale Now! 🍽️🌿

Join us for a day of wild food tastings, demonstrations, cooking challenges and live music set amongst ancient Pohutukawa, overlooking the Best Beach in Aotearoa.

🎟️ Online Sales: $15 (16+ years)

👧 Child Admission: FREE (15 years and under)

💸 Gate Sales: $20 — Book online now and save!

Why pay more at the gate? Secure your spot today and get ready to savor the best local and wild flavors Whakatāne has to offer! 🌱🍄🦐

Get your tickets now: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/URE 🔗

18/11/2024

🌿 Market Stalls & Community Eco Groups—Join Us! 🌿

The Local Wild Food Festival is now accepting expressions of interest and applications for market stalls and community eco groups! 🌱

We’re looking for a variety of stalls that celebrate the abundance of natural resources in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, including:

🛍️ Artisan products
🍯 Locally-made edible goods
🍋 Fresh produce
🌸 Handcrafted items
🤝 Community eco groups focused on sustainability, conservation, and environmental awareness are also encouraged to apply!

🗓️ Applications close on 15th December. Don’t miss your chance to showcase your products and connect with our community at this incredible event.

🔗 https://form.jotform.com/233249018308858

15/11/2024

🌱 Calling All Food Vendors! 🌱

The Local Wild Food Festival is now accepting expressions of interest and applications! 🥳

🗓️ Applications close on 15th December

🍽️ All vendors must provide at least 2 unique menu items featuring wild and locally-sourced ingredients. Get creative and showcase the best of what our region has to offer! 🌿🍄

🚚 Plus, a chance to win $500 in our Food Truck Showdown! Bring your A-game and wow the crowd for a shot at the prize! 💵

Ready to join the fun? Apply now and bring your wild flavours to the table!

🔗 https://form.jotform.com/243018057400849

11/11/2024

🍃🌟 Food Vendors: Get Ready for the Local Wild Food Festival 2025! 🌟🍃

We're thrilled to invite you to our Food Vendor Workshop, where you’ll learn how to align your menu with the festival’s theme of wild, locally sourced ingredients. Attendees have spoken—they want more local and wild food offerings, and we’re here to help you deliver!

📅 Date: Thursday, 14 November 2024
⏰ Time: 9:30-10:30am or 2:30-3:30pm
📍 Location: Whakatāne District Council, 14 Commerce Street

What’s on the Agenda?
🌿 Tips for incorporating wild, sustainable, and local ingredients
🚚 How to showcase these unique ingredients in your food truck offerings
🎯 Insight into our new mission and vision for the event
💡 Collaborative brainstorming to inspire your menu creation

Why Should You Attend?
✅ Align your menu with the festival theme to stand out
✅ Increase your exposure and connect with food enthusiasts
✅ Get a head start on the application process for this iconic event

🎟️ Secure your spot today: https://forms.gle/q9VS98AaVTVXu8mr5

06/11/2024

The Local Wild Food Festival is one of the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s most iconic events, celebrating abundant food found in our diverse natural environment.

Showcasing food from the land, rivers, lakes and sea, the festival brings together resourceful people passionate about sustainable living. You won’t find anything too wild or whacky at our wild food festival – just good food foraged, grown, caught or hunted from our environment.

Join us for a day of wild food tastings, demonstrations, cooking challenges and live music set amongst ancient Pohutukawa, overlooking the Best Beach in Aotearoa.

Tickets on sale from 1 December:

Online Sales – $15 (including booking fee)

Gate Sales – $20 (16 years and over)

Children – 15 and under free.

Address

Mahy Reserve
Ohope Beach
3120

Website

https://www.whakatane.com/wildfood

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