Saturday, 21 February 2026

12 to 6pm

Mahy Reserve, Ōhope

Early Bird - $10 SOLD OUT
Online Sales - $15
Gate Sales - $25
Kids 15 and under free

The Local Wild Food Festival is one of the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s most iconic events, celebrating abundant food found in our diverse natural environment.

Showcasing food from the land, rivers, lakes and sea, the festival brings together resourceful people passionate about sustainable living. You won’t find anything too wild or whacky at our wild food festival – just good food foraged, grown, caught or hunted from our environment.

Join us for a day of wild food tastings, demonstrations, cooking challenges and live music set amongst ancient Pōhutukawa, overlooking the Best Beach in Aotearoa.

Three men at an outdoor event, one wearing a black T-shirt and cap, another with white hair and sunglasses, and the third with curly hair, a hat, and a white T-shirt, exchanging an fire cooked meat.

Demonstrations

Chefs, hunters, butchers and foodies will work their culinary magic using locally source wild produce including seafood, venison, goat, possum, kawakawa, puha, and so much more!

Savour complimentary tastings of locally inspired delights.

Learn more

Two people cooking at a food festival stand under a white canopy, with other festival attendees in the background.

Cooking Challenges

Join the popular Individual Cooking Challenge or the Mystery Box team event. Source, harvest, prepare, and enter your dish in the Individual Challenge for a chance to win exciting prizes. For the Mystery Box event, team up with workmates, friends, or whānau and cook using our on-site kitchens - just be ready for surprise ingredients revealed at the last moment.

Learn more

A woman working at a beverage stand selling cold drinks at an outdoor festival with a 'Wild Festival' sign in the background, and three young women buying drinks.

Food and Beverage

Savour bold, unique flavours from our vibrant lineup of local food vendors - sample their wild food creations or enjoy your favourite classics.

Quench your thirst with a wide selection of local beverages, featuring some of the region’s finest producers of both alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks.

Beverage vendors

Group of five people standing on stage during an award ceremony at the NZEA Event awards receiving a award for Community or Not-for-profit (under 3000 participants) Event of the Year 2025

Award Winning

Where wild kai meets world-class events. What started as a small gathering at Te Mānuka Tūtahi Marae in 2013 has flourished into a nationally celebrated festival sensation, with the Local Wild Food Festival claiming the Community or Not-for-Profit Event of the Year (under 3000 attendees) award at the 2025 New Zealand Events Association awards ceremony.