MarchFest

MarchFest Nelson, Founders Heritage Park (87 Atawhai Drive, Nelson) Founders Brewery Saturday 29 March 2008 Entry $25.00 per person

MarchFest is a festival of beer, food, music and fun, based on Munich's OktoberFest.

MarchFest celebrates Nelson≠s craft brewing tradition, and like OktoberFest, it will feature previously unavailable festival beers created by local brewers especially for the event, using local hops.

The Founders heritage Park is located a 10 minute drive from the Admirals Motor Inn. There is a Bus (Route 2 Atawhai) however that departs from the center of nelson city at the bus station at Wakatu Square (10 /15 minutes walk from the Admirals Motel)and picks up and drops off at the park.

We have accommodation available over this period and we would love you to stay with us here at the Admirals Motor inn.

OKTOBERFEST COMES TO NELSON

The organisers of Nelson's quarterly Beer Fetes have revealed details of MarchFest, a major event taking place on Saturday March 29th at Founders Heritage Park. MarchFest is a new festival of craft beer, food, music and fun, loosely based on Munich's OktoberFest beer festival. It celebrates Nelson≠s craft brewing tradition, which draws on the region's sunny climate, pure water and world-class hops. Like Munich's OktoberFest, MarchFest will feature previously unavailable festival beers created by local brewers especially for the event, using locally-grown hops.

To accompany the beer, there will be local wines, cuisine and music from major acts including acclaimed Kiwi singer-songwriter Sean James Donnelly (SJD) and his band (above), Botswana/Nelson reggae band One Vibe, kora player Jali Buba Kuyateh (below) from Senegal and introducing... the 13 piece MarchFest Oompah Band!

About the festival brews

All the special festival brews have been created for MarchFest with the proviso that they must include locally grown hops and be previously unavailable anywhere else in the world.

Straw Beery Blonde:It will be a New World larger with an alcoholic strength of around 4.5% says Founders brewer John Duncan. We'll do some tasting notes once it has been brewed.

Henley≠s Revenge: "Brakspears Brewery in Henley-on-Thames closed down in 2002 having opened in 1711,≈ says brewer Martin Townshend. Henley's Revenge is my tribute to their fine beermaking traditions. It's also a nod in the direction of Mic Dover's efforts in raising awareness of Nelson's craft beers - he was a Brakspears fan when he lived in the UK.

Easter Ale:It's full name is Long Hop and Two Smoking Barrels Easter Ale says Tasman Brewery's Dave Barrett.You can call it Easter Ale for short.

March Hare: It's a unique manuka beer says Mussel Inn brewer Andrew Dixon, using local sauvin hops. Manuka is becoming quite iconic in the area - which will help to reinforce the regionality of MarchFest.

About MarchFest

MarchFest runs from 11am until 9pm, wet or fine. There will be marquees, local food stalls, local wines, music, children≠s entertainment and surprise guest beers. Special souvenir beer glasses printed with the MarchFest logo have been imported from the same glassmakers in Germany that supply OktoberFest.

Ticketing Info

The ticket price ($25) will include the commemorative beer glass to take home and admission to all festival events and activities including the music, beer, wine and food areas. Tickets are limited and go on sale in mid-February from the following outlets (more outlets tba):

Nelson: Everyman Records, 249 Hardy St. Ph: 03 548 3083; Founders Organic Brewery & Cafe, Founders Heritage Park, 87 Atawhai Dr. Ph: 03 548 4638; Sprig & Fern Tavern, 134 Milton St, Nelson Ph: 03 545 7117

Richmond: Sprig & Fern Tavern, 108 Queen Street, Richmond Ph: 03 544 4900

Motueka: Hot Mama's Cafe, 105 High St, Motueka Ph: 03 528 7039

Golden Bay: The Mussel Inn, Onekaka RD 2. Ph: (after 11am only) 03 525 9241; IINVISIBLE - Music Culture Emporium - 46 Commercial Street, Takaka Ph: 03 525 8420

Blenheim: Sprig & Fern Tavern, 81 Cleghorn Street, Redwood, Blenheim Ph: 03 579 1230

OR send a cheque to MarchFest Ltd, 14 Endeavour St Nelson 7010 (add 50 cents for postage or include a stamped addressed envelope) Don't forget to include your name and address!

Health and Safety

The organisers of MarchFest have chosen beers, music, cuisine and facilities with a view to encouraging responsible drinking behaviour and the attendance of all ages. The organisers≠ previous events (the Nelson Beer Fetes) were carefully designed to target mature drinkers (mature in behaviour rather than mature in years!) to avoid the problems associated with other kinds of beer-related events √ the kind that encourage people to get intoxicated by indiscriminate consumption of cheap alcohol.

About the breweries

The four local breweries selected for the 2008 MarchFest are Founders, The Mussel Inn, Tasman and Townshend. Founders is Australasia≠s first organic brewery and is now a sixth generation family brewing business. The Mussel Inn is an iconic green brewery in Golden Bay, recently added to Lonely Planet≠s Blue List under the category of 'Best Brews - The World's Finest Beer Headquarters'. Tasman Brewery is the force behind the new ŒSprig and Fern≠ neighbourhood pub franchise and Townshend is the newest of only three Œreal ale≠ breweries in New Zealand.

Other local breweries will be invited in future years. Craft brewers use traditional brewing techniques and local ingredients to produce fresh, tasty beers. Craft brewers produce beer in small batches and do not use chemicals to make the beer last longer. Like our wines, Kiwi craft beers are attracting attention and winning international awards for their high quality and distinctive flavours. New Zealand has a great climate for barley cultivation, world-class hops grow in Motueka and there are abundant supplies of mineral-rich, clean water.

Future MarchFest events

MarchFest is aiming to become the Southern Hemisphere's foremost beer festival, attracting beer lovers from around the world to taste unique Kiwi craft beers in the world-class setting of Nelson. As the event grows, more craft breweries will be invited to create festival brews and the event facilities will grow accordingly. It is hoped that MarchFest will become one of the key new events that the Economic Development Agency (EDA) and Nelson City Council have indicated they would like to see springing up to fill the vacuum left by the departure of WOW to Wellington.

The Organisers

MarchFest is the creation of Eelco Boswijk and Mic Dover, the people behind Dead Good Beer Events who organise the quarterly Nelson Beer Fetes at Founders Park. Dead Good Beer Events are connecting the new breed of Kiwi craft brewers with the growing number of beer drinkers who are demanding more from their beer.