Drunk patrons mar festival
BY AL WILLIAMS
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Police and organisers of the South Canterbury Wine and Food Festival are disappointed by the bad behaviour of some drunken festival patrons.
Security staff and police were busy at Saturday's event in the Timaru Botanic Gardens where 3000 people turned out for an afternoon of live entertainment.
Two people were arrested and several escorted from the event for drunkenness and disorderly behaviour, while headlining act Elemeno P were forced to interrupt their performance after fights broke out in the crowd.
Sergeant Greg Sutherland said police witnessed a lot of drunkenness and raised concerns about the under-25 age group.
A 23-year-old Timaru man faces assault charges after one incident and another man was arrested but later freed without charge.
"A small faction let the team down through drunkenness and disorder," Mr Sutherland said.
"People were having too much to drink. It would be more enjoyable for all concerned if people monitored their own drinking."
Event organiser Carol Angland said she was disappointed that people had been ejected from the event and was aware that some had tried to enter illegally.
"We can't control them if they are drinking. It is disappointing that they had to be ejected.
"Most people wouldn't be aware of it."
Ms Angland said the festival had been a huge success and was pleased with the support it had received.
Organisers were still tallying up the proceeds but it was estimated the event, in aid of Hospice South Canterbury, raised well over $40,000.
"We had such a positive response," she said.
"We hope to have it at the same venue next year."
The South Canterbury Wine and Food Festival has been an annual event on the summer calendar for the past 10 years.
For its first two years, the festival was held at the Opihi Vineyards and then at a Hadlow property until last year when the property was sold and leased.
Ms Angland said she believed the change in venue did not contribute to Saturday's dramas because there was always a small percentage of people who over-indulged. The move to a Timaru venue had contributed to a stronger police presence and better visibility, she said.
South Canterbury Alcoholaction spokesman Dennis Veal will talk to the Timaru District Council about the commercialisation and regulation of alcohol on February 22.
Mr Veal said he believed Saturday's incidents were "the tip of the iceberg".
The South Canterbury Wine and Food Festival should have been a pleasant occasion for a very good cause, he said.
Young people were being targeted by a very efficient advertising campaign which glamorised alcohol and the consumption of excessive amounts of what is a dangerous drug.
"Alcohol is cheap and widely available, and a threat to our younger generation.
"Current licensing laws cost our community dearly," Mr Veal said.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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@ #1 - Bex, that is a really negative view of Timaru you seem to have. Do you think people here are supposed to be badly behaved, uncouth drunkards?
Once the younger generation of South Cantabrians start feeling some pride and respect for the area, then this lame as attitude will continue.
(by the way, i'm not an old fuddy duddy... only 29. However, I have moved away from Timaru & am constantly suprised by the attitude of locals, that "it's a reputation Timaru seems to have so we'll live up to it." Get out to festivals in other parts of NZ and learn what a good festival atmosphere is really like... without the fighting, drunkardness & stopping of headline acts)
"I think we did pretty well collectively, considering it IS Timaru" what's that supposed to mean?
I wasn't there but if a band has to stop because of a fight, that's pretty bad. Just goes to show that in the 4 years since I have lived there, the culture of getting drunk and getting into fights hasn't changed one bit. Which I guess is ok... since it IS Timaru.
I think we did pretty well collectively, considering it IS Timaru and usually we seem to have a reputation for getting far more erratic. 2 arrests out of 3000 people is pretty darn good for the youth of Timaru I say! I was one of the people in a couple of the photos and didnt it look like we were all enjoying ourselves? Even that lady that had fallen over right infront of us? Obviously wasn't just the youth that were contributing to the intoxication! everyone was smiling and behaving as, what i would have thought, would be expected at an event such as a wine and food festival. I thought, overall, it was an excellent, positive day and it is a shame that the Timaru Herald managed to make the main story about the festival a negative reflection. It was an awesome day, hot as, its a wine festival, you serve us alcohol, we're going to get a little tipsy.. as far as I know, nobody was harmed by this, everybody enjoyed themselves and I can't wait for the next one! =)
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Congrats to the organizers of the food fest, it was well organized and brilliant event. I was gutted to see that half of the Timaru Herald's front page focused on the negatives of 4-5 drunks in crowd of 3000+ and hardly touched on the positives of the fundraiser. Sensationalism is not what I look for in my local rag. A community coming together for a good cause is what I want to read and celebrate.