Sarau Festival 2012

The 2012 Sarau Blackcurrant Festival was a hive of vibrant activity marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of a new year for the residents of Upper Moutere.

This year the Festival drew a crowd of around 4,000 people who participated eagerly in workshops, listened to entertainment and supported the 90 stallholders. Most came from the greater Nelson region, but as usual we hosted a few international visitors including (for the 5th time) an Irish couple who were blackcurrant growers themselves for many years.

There were cheesemaking and stonecarving workshops and a guest chef turning out blackcurrant cuisine for us all to try at home. The festival featured local history, blackcurrant cooking, photography competitions, blackcurrant displays, activities for children and a purple hat competition. There was a mountain bike race and a gentle cycle ride, an& aerobatics display and pony rides…..and for those who wanted time out – they sat on hay bales, drank boutique beers or local wines, listened to music and watched the world go by. Everywhere you looked festival goers were relaxed and happy – what more could we ask?

More details of the Sarau Festival, including photos and articles are available from http://www.saraufestival.co.nz