Bluff Oyster Festival cancelled for 2022 over Covid concerns

January 20, 2022

Auckland’s Rainbow Pride Parade and the Bluff Oyster Festival have been canned.

The Bluff Oyster and Food Festival for 2022 has been cancelled due to Covid uncertainty.

Festival organisers voted unanimously to cancel, citing possible Covid outbreaks and traffic light changes as their reasoning.

It wasn’t scheduled to take place in Bluff until Saturday May 21, but festival chairman John Edminstin said it would be “irresponsible” to bring such large numbers of people from all over the country together in Bluff.

Covid-19 forced the festival to be cancelled in 2020, but it made a huge comeback in 2021 with thousands descending on Bluff for the annual event, and tickets selling out within an hour.

“We had hoped to be further along with our site developments and if the Club Hotel could have been demolished, we would have more space to allow better social distancing,” said Edminstin.

Oysters

“Increased compliance costs in a time when events may need to be cancelled after those costs were outlaid in advance were also a factor in the decision.”

Tickets hadn’t yet gone on sale for the event.

Earlier on Thursday the Auckland Rainbow Pride Parade that was due to take place next month has been cancelled, with organisers citing the risk of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

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