Bluff Oyster and Food Festival – 20th May 2023

August 12, 2021November 16, 2022

Every oyster type has a flavor of its own. Bluff oysters are known to have a vibrant flavor that stays in the mind till someone is alive. There is no better place on earth other than the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival to savor this popular oyster type. If you are an oyster lover ticking off the oyster festivals around the world or lives nearby the region, you literally have no reason to skip the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival. Lock the date now so you will not miss the chance to slurp down a heap of Bluff oysters.

Oyster enthusiasts of New Zealand affectionately refer to the Bluff Oysters as “Bluffies”. These beloved Bluffies have a combined flavor of saltwater, rocks, and seaweed covered in a meaty sweetness. Slurp a Bluffy and you will feel a flash of strong brininess followed by a lasting light metallic, sweet, fresh, sea flavor. It is up to make choice and wash down the Bluff Oysters with a great southern ale or one of New Zealand wines. The aphrodisiac qualities of these oysters are too intense to be forgotten.

All the visitors to Bluff Oyster Festival can taste Oysters together with smoked and grilled salmon, pau (abalone) patties, creamed paua, fresh kina, seafood chowder, scallops, crayfish cheese rolls, and prawns. And these all go well with some great New Zealand wines, chardonnay, or champagne. There will be more than 20,000 oysters in the shapes of raw, battered, or specially prepared recipes. Each year visitors to the bluff oyster fest complement the fantastic taste of the bluff oysters.

Bluff Oyster and Food Festival is organized by the locals who have embraced the oyster culture. At this grand celebration of Bluff oysters and other food, you will feel the genuine Southland flavor brought into the event by the friendly locals. In their words it is unsophisticated and they are proud of it. It is one of the major events in the winter calendar of New Zealand attracting thousands of people across the country. Make your warm coats, scarves, and hats ready for the delicious winter experience in May 2023!

Contents hide

1 1. Date

2 2. Location

3 3. Tickets

4 4. Entertainment at Bluff Oyster and Food Festival

5 5. Merchandise available at the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival

6 6. Transportation

7 7. Accommodation

8 8. Contact details

1. Date

20 May 2023

9.00 AM to 6.00 PM (expected, not verified)

2. Location

85 Barrow Street

Bluff, New Zealand.

3. Tickets

Tickets for the Bluff Oyster festival are expected to go on sale in February. Regarding the price, the festival committee has decided to announce their official website and Facebook before tickets go on sale.

4. Entertainment at Bluff Oyster and Food Festival

To add some nostalgic mood to your vibe, don’t forget to grab a good spot to watch the “Piping in of the Oyster” and to listen to the reciting of the “Ode to the Oysters.”

And just in case you crave other food, don’t worry, they are also here, lamb, melting and spicy pork, muttonbird, venison, bacon that smells too good, and egg creations, even escargot in the snell with garlic butter also will be there.

Not only food but there are also many competitions as well. Enter one or two games if you are confident because all the contests are highly competitive.

The highlight of the event is the oyster opening competition. There will be skilled and impressive shuckers. Unlike the other oyster competitions, participants are chosen out of the crowd. You must put your name in the hat for the oyster shucking contest.

Are you dare to enter the Wasabi chili competition? Can you dip 10 Bluff oysters in chili oil and wasabi and eat them as quickly as possible? Then this chance is yours.

A Bluff is a place with artistic scenes. Make sure you enjoy the port township while you are in Bluff. And visit craft stalls and galleries alongside festivals and meet some local artists to encourage them.

Oyster competitions

Oyster Opening, Oyster Eating, and Blindfolded Competitions are signature oyster contests at Bluff Oyster and Food Festival. Oysters and food make people happy but few contests can make us happier. So the organizing committee has ensured that the schedule of the Bluff Oyster Festival is tightly packed with fun games and activities.

Below is the schedule of the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival 2021.

10.30 Mapu-Kuki-Airani Rarotongan Drummers

11.00 Piping in of the oyster by the Invercargill Highland Pipe Band

Ode to the Oyster

11.15 Bluff School Kapa Haka

12.00 Julian Temple Band

1.00 Capitol City – The Commitments Tribute

2.00 Polynesian Dance-Off with Mapu-Kuki-Airani Rarotongan Drummers

3.00 The Freshies

4.00 Capitol City

Check the official website http://bluffoysterfest.co.nz for updates.

Live music

Music can never dilute the fun in any event. Slurp down your Bluffies while sipping a New Zealand wine and there will be live music in the background to double your fun. Capitol City, The Freshies, and the Julian Temple Band will be performing at the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival in 2021.

5. Merchandise available at the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival

T-Shirts $30 and $35
A limited number of Polo shirts ($45) and hoodies ($60)
Wine glasses $6
Wine glass lanyard $6
Caps and beanies $15 each

6. Transportation

The new festival premises of the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival is located just off the main street of Bluff on Lee Street. You can google 85 Barrow Street, Bluff to see the right location of the main entrance.

Buses to/from Invercargill

Price- 20$

Buses leave Invercargill at

9.45 AM
10.45 AM
11.45 AM
3.00 PM

Buses return at

4.00 PM
5.00 PM
6.00 PM

Bus route

Bus Route 1:

Sacred Heart School 435 North Road

Waikiwi Shopping Centre Bus Stop

Dee St – Herbert St Bus Stop

Avenal Hotel Bus Stop

Dee Street – Opposite Mcdonald’s

Movieland Bus Stop – Opposite Wachner Place

South of Clyde St – Tweed St Roundabout

Cnr Clyde St – Elizabeth St

Bus Route 2:

James Hargest College (Snr Campus)

Ascot Hotel – Tay St

Bill Richardson Transport World – Tay St

ALL Bus Stops on the South Side Of Tay St

Elles Rd Roundabout – by KFC

South City Shopping Centre – Cnr Elles Rd/Martin St – through the traffic lights (on Bluff side)

Kingswell Motors Bus Stop – 600 Elles Rd

Some buses on Route 2 will cover the following and not travel down Elles Rd:

Birchwood/Townsman Motels

The staff will also inform you about the transportation and bus routes when you book accommodation.

Any questions? Please contact McDermott Couches Ltd; they provide buses directly from Invercargill to the festival gate.

Phone:– 03-2182419

7. Accommodation

Invercargill in Ingrid, Auckland definitely the place to spend a holiday. You can find lodges at “ The Lodges at Transport World” for the 2023 Bluff Oyster Festival. Since it is a highly recommended location for holidays, and if you are tired after a long festival day, book a place to spend the night.

(Contact The Lodges – Boutique Apartment Accommodation) Click on this link and get in touch with the team. You can add lodges at Invercargill to your wishlist with The Lodges at Transport World.

To get more information on accommodation, check on these sites as well

Accommodation in Bluff Bluff Accomodation

Accommodation in Invercargill Accommodation in Invercargill | Southland, New Zealand