Big scoop: ice cream festival Melted coming to Tauranga this summer

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream and our screams have been heard.

Melted, a new summer festival dedicated to ice cream and frozen desserts, has been launched today.

It will be held on February 9 on Tauranga's waterfront.

Festival director Luke Schroder believed the festival was the first of its kind and scale in New Zealand, with the only thing similar he had heard of being an ice cream market in Auckland last year.

A professional event organiser, Schroder said a family-focused festival dedicated to ice cream was a "crazy idea" he had a few years ago.

"The idea never went away," he said.

Luke Schroder is the festival director of Melted, an event dedicated to ice cream and frozen desserts. Photo / George Novak

He said New Zealanders were among the highest consumers of ice cream in the world with an estimated average of 23 litres consumed per person annually.

"I've eaten a lot of ice cream in the name of research."

He said Tauranga was a "natural choice" to host the event as one of New Zealand's most popular summer hotspots, and the waterfront provided a scenic location near parking, bus stops, eateries, retails and playgrounds.

The festival would be split into three identical sessions: morning, afternoon and evening.

Early bird tickets were on sale until December 9 for $10 a person.

He said there would be a wide range of ice cream, gelato, ice blocks, sorbet, fruit ice cream for tasting and on sale at the event.

There would be non-dairy and vegan-friendly options, he said.

Every person would be issued a reusable spoon upon entry, to minimise waste creation.

There would also be dessert creation demonstrations, live music, food trucks, entertainment, competitions, and other fun activities for the whole family.

Presentations on the day would include "creative expressions of ice cream", he said.

He expected to make an announcement later this month about some of the brands that had signed on.

Schroder said he hoped to see the event become a summer annual in the Bay of Plenty, and possibly have it expand into a nationwide event over time.

Melted festival
Date: February 9, 2019
Time: Sessions at 10am, 2pm and 6pm
Location: Tauranga waterfront, The Strand
What: Festival dedicated to ice cream and frozen desserts

Tickets:
Early bird
- $10 per person
- Limited release
- Available until December 9

Standard
- Adult $15
- Child (under 14) $10
- Youth (under 18) $12
- Family (four people from same family) $40

- Plus booking fee
- Available at melted.co.nz