Marlborough’s Big Day Out is returning for its second year on 10 October, in a bid to encourage locals to make the most of Renwick wineries outside of peak season.
Growing from last year’s event, Vines Village is joining seven other venues including Wairau River, Nautilus Estate, Framingham, Forrest Wines, Bladen, Whitehaven Wines, and Boom Town Brewery.
Organiser Fay Clarke says she hopes it gives people a chance “to be tourists in their own region...because it is so easy to take for granted how beautiful Marlborough is.”
The wineries will be opening their doors from 10am – 5pm, with various offerings including live music, local food, drinks deals and family-friendly fun. Explore Marlborough is offering discounted bike hire for easy travel between venues.
“Everyone’s doing something cool,” says Forrest’s Fay.
She adds that locals often don’t find the time to explore what’s on their doorstep, despite living in a world-class winery location.
“Often you need something that encourages you to try something new for you to go there, which is why we thought Big Day Out would be the perfect opportunity to do that.”
Fay says that the idea for last year’s event came from a conversation between Forrest and Framingham, with other wineries soon jumping on board, resulting in a successful turn out.
“We were quite picky with picking a non-cruise day and reached out to a couple of local wineries here last year… and it ended up being really, really busy, like packed. So automatically, everyone said, ‘let’s do it again next year.’”
Bladen is opening early to be part of the event, based on last year’s success, “which is pretty cool” adds Fay.
She concludes that it’s important for the wine industry to run unique events that cater to non-tourists. “Ultimately, the locals are our bread and butter… they’re the people who recommend our cellar doors… so let’s give them a reason to experience [them].”
