35 years of “one hell of a party”

“The Wine and Food Festival has always been a great day to get all our staff involved, shutting the restaurant for the day and everyone pulling up their sleeves to lend a hand. It has always been one hell of a party - I remember fondly the days of 20,000 capacity, festival franks, when we couldn’t serve the drinks quick enough! And they were corks too! It was a real team effort to keep the wine cold and serve it quick. I remember it being a smaller event, with hay bales, less stalls, but always a memorable day followed by a huge after-party. These days creativity is definitely key to making your stall stand out, it’s no longer just a 3x3 square with a trestle table, everyone is keen to add some flavour, Wairau River now has silver rocket caravan they use for something different.”

Lindsay Parkinson - CEO, Wairau River

The Wairau River family has been involved with the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival since the early 1990s and has always been a significant event on their calendar for staff and their overseas guests to attend.