Festival for all ages at Port Nelson

Scallops, sharks and singers will come together at Port Nelson on Sunday, July 18, in a new festival to round off the annual Blessing of the Fleet celebrations, and organiser Huup Waagen is promising an event for all ages.

The Nelson Scallop and Seafood Festival 2010 will be held on the grassed area at Talley's in Akersten St, site of the ill-fated Hooked on Seafood festival that ran out of steam – and sponsors – in 2004 after a four-year run.

However, Mr Waagen said the new event was not aimed at making a profit, and ticket prices had been held at what he hoped would be an attractive level: $10 for adults, $5 for children under 15, and $20 for a family pass.

He said the Seafarers' Memorial Trust and Talley's were providing the support to allow it to go ahead, with the Nelson School of Music also involved.

The festival will run from 11am to 3pm.

Entertainment will include rock'n'roller Tom Sharplin and Wellington singer Iva Lakum, making guest appearances from the school of music's Winter Festival, The Vague As Brothers, and the Emanon string trio of John Thomson and Juliet Ayre on violin and Lissa Cowie on cello.

Nelson restaurants including Oceano, Miyazu, Plan B, When In Rome and FinestKind will be selling seafood specialties, and a selection of Nelson wineries and breweries will also take part.

Touch the Sea aquarium will hold a series of displays and demonstrations, including the dissection of a shark. Guyton's will demonstrate fish filleting and scallop opening, and there will be a range of free activities for children including a 17-metre ferris wheel, an obstacle course, and "three face painters so that children don't have to stand for hours in a queue", Mr Waagen said.

"This is going to be a real community event – it's about participation, it's about celebration."

The festival will follow the annual Port Nelson fireworks display on Friday, July 16, and the Blessing of the Fleet programme on Saturday, July 17, from 12.30pm-2.30pm at the Seafarers Memorial on Wakefield Quay.

- © Fairfax NZ News