MarchFest is a unique craft beer and music festival, held in New Zealand’s sunniest city, Nelson, at the top of the South Island. Set in the beautiful, traffic-free environment of Founders Heritage Park, the eighth annualMarchFest will take place on Saturday March 21 2015.
Their key point of difference is that, unlike other beer festivals, all the beers available at MarchFest have been specially commissioned for the event and have never previously been tasted by the public. Every year, around 15 local craft breweries sign up to produce a brand new beer for the event. Breweries must come from the “Top of the South” region and have included 8Wired, Dale’s, Dead Good Beer, Founders, Golden Bear, Hop Federation, Lighthouse, McCashin’s, Moa, Mussel Inn, Renaissance, Sprig and Fern, Totara, Townshend (Current Champion Brewery of New Zealand) and more…
TheShout recently interviewed MarchFest organiser Mic Dover as research for a feature on his bar The Free House. That article will appear in the October issue of the magazine. However, Mic was also keen to talk MarchFest, an event which has become bigger every year and he believes has “gone from strength to strength.” In 2014 about 2,500 came through the gates, they are aiming for 3,000 next year.
Mic describes the festival beers are a “unique selling point” and admits that breweries from Wellington and Christchurch are disappointed they cannot currently enter. “MarchFest is about local beers, good entertainment and a family friendly event you can take your kids to. As organisers, it has to be an event we want to go to with our families,” he says. Music is an important part of the event and the focus is on acts that are a bit “different” and “non-mainstream.”
MarchFest will also feature local wines, ciders and juices, and regional cuisine (including a beer and food matching lunch). Book early as numbers are limited.
For more information see http://www.marchfest.com/
