Eat, Drink, Play: New Festival to supercharge Wellington's hospitality sector

The festival is a thank you to Wellingtonians for supporting the hospitality sector. Photo / 123rf

A new festival called Eat, Drink, Play and Stay is coming to the capital next month and aims to supercharge Wellington's hospitality sector.

A collaboration between Hospitality NZ, WellingtonNZ and Wellington City Council, the industry-led event runs May 6-16.

More than 100 venues will participate in Wellington-themed food and drink pairings, and headline events include Opera on the Menu, Dirty Little Drag Bingo, a Psychic Supper and a Bootleggers Murder Mystery Banquet.

Hospitality NZ Wellington branch president Paul Retimanu said the festival was a chance for the sector to thank the capital for its support during its toughest year in memory.

"Venues need this and Wellingtonians love getting out so we've created something really special as a way to bring us all together and keep the city humming," he said.

Hospitality NZ CEO Julie White said the idea for the festival had been suggested by some of their members as something "new and fun after such a challenging year".

"As an industry we wanted to support this Kaupapa. Wellington is the cultural capital and needs supercharging right now.

"At the end of the day, we are all about manaaki. This is what we do, bring people together."

White said it would also align perfectly with the opening of the transtasman bubble.

"What a brilliant opportunity for our Aussie cousins to come and experience Wellington, where we have more bars, cafes and restaurants per capita than New York.

"It'll attract people from out-of-town, it'll be great for locals, and the transtasman bubble is the cherry on top."

She said revitalising the hospitality sector would have flow-on effects to all local industries.

"It's a little-known fact that 25 per cent of New Zealand's horticulture revenue is generated from sales to New Zealand restaurants and there is a huge focus on showcasing local produce in this festival.

"Venues are also major employers, hiring staff and paying for entertainers.

"When hospitality is doing well, we are all doing well."