Air New Zealand backs the festival\u2019s flavour and fun through its regional events programme.<\/p>\n
There are food festivals, and then there is Hokitika\u2019s Wildfoods Festival, an experience that dares you to try the unexpected.<\/p>\n
\n Returning on Saturday, 14 March 2026, the long-running West Coast celebration invites visitors to embrace the
\n region\u2019s adventurous spirit, unconventional flavours and unmistakable sense of fun.\n <\/p>\n
Now firmly established as the Coast\u2019s signature event, Wildfoods has spent more than three decades building a reputation for curiosity, creativity and a healthy disregard for culinary caution. It\u2019s now a rite of passage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a celebration of all things wild,\u201d says Cary Lancaster, the festival\u2019s vendor organiser. \u201cThis is the West Coast. We\u2019re surrounded by a very natural, very rugged environment, and the festival reflects that. It\u2019s about trying flavours and textures you wouldn\u2019t normally encounter. Plus, I don\u2019t know of any other festivals that celebrate the feral side of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over 35 years, the festival has grown from a small local gathering into the West Coast\u2019s premier annual event, attracting thousands of visitors and boosting Hokitika\u2019s population for the weekend. <\/p>\n
Backing events across Aotearoa<\/p>\n
That regional significance is precisely why Air New Zealand is backing the festival through its Regional Events Sponsorship Programme, which supports 20 events across 20 destinations throughout Aotearoa. From Northland to Southland, Air New Zealand\u2019s Regional Events Programme highlights events at all 20 destinations on its network.<\/p>\n
\u201cHokitika Wildfoods is exactly the kind of event our programme was designed to support,\u201d says Scott Wilkinson, Chief Commercial Officer at Air New Zealand. \u201cIt is distinctive, unique, proudly local and draws visitors into a part of the country that thrives on tourism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilkinson says that festivals like Wildfoods play a vital role in regional economies, and if Air New Zealand can play a part in encouraging visitors, \u201cthat\u2019s a win for us and the region\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFestivals drive visitation, fill accommodation and create opportunities for local businesses. Beyond the immediate economic impact, events build a profile that lasts well beyond a single weekend. They encourage people to return and explore more deeply, which is good for the region and good for the wider tourism ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n
What draws people back year after year is not just the novelty, but the atmosphere, says Lancaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a real sense of ownership,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re at Wildfoods, you feel like you\u2019re part of it. Visitors are treated with West Coast hospitality. You\u2019re welcomed like someone\u2019s neighbour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expect the unexpected (and then some)<\/p>\n
Wildfoods\u2019 reputation rests, of course, on its famously daring menu.<\/p>\n
Among the returning favourites are garlic fried garden snails, huhu grubs and mountain oysters, a delicacy otherwise known as sheep\u2019s testicles that Lancaster describes with a laugh as \u201cnot as bad as you think\u2026 it\u2019s just the thought and the texture\u201d.<\/p>\n
Crickets remain a crowd pleaser.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re actually really nice,\u201d he says. Fried, served on a toothpick, \u201cthey taste like crispy fried chicken bits. The wings can get stuck in your teeth though. You\u2019re chewing on those for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other offerings include meal bugs suspended inside lollipops, wild game creations like \u201cTahr-cos\u201d made from Himalayan mountain goat, kina shots and a rotating menu of inventive interpretations from around 50 vendors. To drink, sip on wild honey mead, foraged fruit slushies and local beers.<\/p>\n
While the festival proudly embraces its feral edge, Lancaster says there\u2019s something for everybody, including children under 11, who can attend for free.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople sometimes get nervous about the wild aspect, but there\u2019s plenty of food. Amazing brisket, Argentinian flame-grilled dishes, all sorts of options.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Music, mayhem and Feral Fashion<\/p>\n
Wildfoods is also known for its entertainment, and this year\u2019s line-up sees Sir Dave Dobbyn, Tadpole, Sonar Flare and The Lady Killers with special guest Annie Crummer perform a full day of live music that transforms Cass Square into a distinctly West Coast party.<\/p>\n
Adding to the theatre is the much-loved Feral Fashion competition, where festival-goers unveil elaborate, often surreal creations made from flowers, feathers, mud, leather, native foliage and more.<\/p>\n
These original outfits are judged in categories \u201cWild Child\u201d for under 11s and \u201cThe Feral\u201d or \u201cFeral Flock\u201d for adults. \u201cMost people dress up,\u201d says Lancaster. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the fun. The whole town feels different that day.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than a festival<\/p>\n
Air New Zealand\u2019s Scott Wilkinson says Wildfoods is a great example of an authentic event that feels \u201cvery Kiwi\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealanders have always had a slightly mischievous streak and a willingness to give things a go. Wildfoods captures that perfectly. Where else would you see a community turn its most unconventional ingredients into a nationally recognised celebration?\u201d<\/p>\n
For many visitors, Wildfoods becomes a reason to spend more time on the West Coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Coast rewards those who stay a little longer,\u201d Wilkinson says. \u201cI would encourage visitors to explore the Hokitika Gorge, take in the dramatic coastline and, if time allows, head further south towards the glaciers. The landscapes are incredible and iconically New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for anyone still questioning their stomach\u2019s resilience?<\/p>\n
\u201cJust come for the atmosphere,\u201d says Lancaster. \u201cHang out with your friends, enjoy the music, soak up the sun and get a real grip on the West Coast culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
For festival tickets and information, visit www.wildfoods.co.nz<\/a>. For more on Air New Zealand\u2019s Regional Events Sponsorship Programme, visit www.airnewzealand.co.nz\/regional-events-sponsorship-programme<\/a>.<\/p>\n