An estimated $150,000 has been injected into Clyde's economy from a day-long event celebrating Central Otago's wine and food harvest.
Promote Dunstan's Easter Wine and Food Harvest Festival attracted a record crowd of more than 5000 people.
‘‘We are over the moon. It's the most money generated from the festival yet,'' president Selar Henderson said.
Mr Henderson estimated $30,000 was received on the day for ticket sales and a further $30,000 was withdrawn by festival-goers through eftpos machines. His estimate also took into account money spent on accommodation, food, petrol and tourism by people in and around Clyde for the weekend event.
This year's festival was the largest to date, with more than 80 stalls, including a record 22 Central Otago wineries.
The festival has been going for seven years, and in the last three years money generated from the event had tripled, Mr Henderson said.
‘‘The festival is very much on the wine calendar . . . and the crowd is changing slightly each year with more people coming for the food and wine, rather than for the spectacle of a festival,'' he said.
Some wineries were ‘‘astounded'' at the case orders they had received since the event, he said.
