Weather turns it on for boom edition of festival

A crowd of about 9000 holiday makers swelled the Waitaki Valley town of Kurow for its flagship New Year Festival market this week. 

 

And on a showery day across the rest of North Otago, Kurow turned out to be the hot spot on the first day of 2025. 

 

Temperatures soared, the sun shone and locals mingled with  holiday makers to sample interesting fare from across 100 stalls.

 

Kurow Festival co-ordinator Jon Brocas said the 2025 festival was unprecedented, with stall holders bigger and the nearby business strip of the town humming.

 

"I'm picking we've got at least 9000. We also count the people that it brings into town," a rapt Mr Brocas said.

 

The 2025 festival market started earlier in the day, and by around 10am  the place was full. 

 

"When you consider the traffic side of this, it's definitely better," Mr Brocas said.

 

Kurow Festival chairman Wayne Reid was equally ecstatic and paid tribute to a strong group of locals driving and improving the event.

 

"Everything has fallen into place and it does show that's what you get when you have a group of people working together over time ... every year it's getting better.

 

"It's nice to be walking around and seeing people talking, laughing and having a good time. 

 

"It never ceases to amaze me, the depth of creativity in this area."

 

Mr Reid said stall holders including newcomers were equally "absolutely rapt".

 

The event now follows the Kurow races held on December 30, capitalising on the many thousands who holiday in the Waitaki Valley each summer.

 

Mr Brocas said the festival really helped Kurow economically in drawing a captive camping crowd ready for a day out.