Hops & Vines festival coming to Whanganui's Majestic Square

Hops and Vines will round out Whanganui's festival season. Photo / Sharna-Lee England

Lost Arts Events Management is following up the debut of its Taste Whanganui festival last year with an event at the tail end of summer.

Hops and Vines will be held at Majestic Square in March, and organiser Koert Wegman said, unlike Taste Whanganui, it would focus almost exclusively on New Zealand-made wine and beer.

"We learned a few things from taste and there were things we got right and things we didn't get right," Wegman said.

"This one is more of a focused event, and we took feedback from people into consideration. It won't be saturated with a whole bunch of spirits and things like that.

"People will know exactly what they're in for and exactly what it's about."

Wegman said local craft brewers such as Lads Brewing Company and Roots Brewing, along with a number of New Zealand wine makers, would have stalls at the festival.

Covers bands will be playing on the sound stage at the square throughout the day.

"I think that area is a bit more suited to this kind of event (Taste Whanganui was held at the War Memorial Centre Forecourt), because it's not so flat and 'concretey'," Wegman's said.

"We don't have to pay for a stage either, and people can wander around and sit down on the steps. It's gong to be really cool, I think, and we're aiming to have around 400 there.

"The aim is definitely not to do some huge thing and try and make a s**tload of money. We're aiming to make something quite cosy.

"We learned from the last event that if you say it's a food and beverage event, the emphasis goes on the food. This time it's simple - beer and wine."

Hops and Vines is an R18 event and will take place on Saturday, March 6.

*To win a double pass to the festival, email editor@whanganuichronicle.co.nz with your name and contact number and Hops & Vines in the subject line. The event is R18.