Hokitika Wildfoods Festival facts for kids
The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is a super fun event held every year in early March. It takes place in Hokitika, a town in New Zealand. The main reason people love this festival is the amazing and sometimes very unusual foods you can try, like huhu grubs!
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How the Festival Started
The Wildfoods Festival began in 1990. It was started by a local Hokitika person named Claire Bryant. She made wine from gorse flowers and rose petals. Claire wanted to celebrate all the unique tastes and foods from the West Coast area.
The very first festival happened in March 1990. It was part of Hokitika's 125th birthday celebration. This first event had 30 food stalls and attracted about 1,800 people. A famous chef, Alison Holst, was even a judge!
The festival usually happens on the second Saturday in March. This is often the driest time on the West Coast. In 1992, the festival grew to 3,800 visitors. Because it was getting so popular, the festival moved to a bigger spot called Cass Square in 1993. This new area can hold up to 10,000 people!
Running the Festival
The local Westland District Council took over running the festival in 1993. Mike Keenan became the festival coordinator. Many volunteers also helped make the event a success. By 1996, the festival had grown to its biggest size with 90 different food stalls.
The festival became very popular. By 2003, over 22,500 people attended! That's a lot, especially since Hokitika only had about 3,500 residents at the time. With so many visitors, there were sometimes challenges with managing the crowds. Because of this, ticket sales were later limited to 15,000 to help keep things safe and fun for everyone.
In 2005, the Wildfoods Festival won a special New Zealand Tourism Award for being so creative.
A study in 2012 showed how much the festival helps the West Coast region. It brings in about $6.5 million each year! The festival also helps local hotels and motels, and many residents even rent out rooms to visitors. Most visitors come from outside the West Coast, showing how popular the festival is across New Zealand. It also creates about 47 full-time jobs. Many community groups also run stalls to raise money for their projects, which is a great way to help the local area.
Even though the festival sometimes had financial ups and downs, the Westland District Council kept running it. They knew it was super important for the local economy and community. In 2019, a new group called Destination Westland took over running the festival.
The festival was postponed in 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.
What Foods Can You Try?
The Wildfoods Festival is famous for its really unique and sometimes surprising food choices! Here are some of the most well-known:
- Huhu Grubs: These are the larvae (baby form) of a large New Zealand beetle. They are found in rotten logs. Sometimes, brave people eat them live! But usually, they are cooked on a barbecue. People say they taste "nutty and meaty."
- Westcargots: These are like escargots (snails) but made from European snails found in local gardens. Students from Westland High School and local Girl Guides help prepare them.
- Homemade Drinks: One year, the Hokitika Rotary Club served homemade drinks using a sheep drenching gun – very creative!
Other interesting foods you might find include chicken feet, jellied fish eye shots, lamb tails, crocodile and kangaroo bites, baby octopus, fish heads, pig pizzle, sheep brain pâté, sweetbreads, wild pork, whitebait fritters, pāua, pipi, wasp larvae ice cream, gorse-flower wine, earthworms, possum, pig's trotters, mussels, venison, scallops, hāngī (a traditional Māori way of cooking), crispy tarantulas, cow udders, seagull eggs, live grasshoppers, and whisky sausages.
There are also cooking demonstrations by famous chefs. They show how to make delicious dishes using some of these wild ingredients.
- Food at the Wildfoods Festival
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Splitting wood for huhu grubs
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"Westcargots"
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Other Fun Activities
Many people at Wildfoods love to dress up in funny and creative costumes! The festival even has a "Feral Fashion" competition for the best outfits.
You can also enjoy lots of live music from different bands. Past performers include the New Zealand Army Band, the Black Seeds, and Salmonella Dub. Local musicians also play. The festival usually ends with a fantastic fireworks display!
- Costumes at the 2011 Wildfoods Festival
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"Army Men"
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"Mortal Kombat"
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"Barbie and Ken"
In Movies
The 1999 New Zealand movie Magik and Rose is set around the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival. Parts of the movie were filmed at the 10th festival in 1999. The movie even had its first showing at Hokitika's Regent Theatre during the 2000 festival!
