Picton has provided the spark to Marlborough's festival season with a bumper turnout to the Maritime Festival, and it could get bigger and better next year with the inclusion of an international act.

Organisers were delighted with the success of Saturday's event, which outstripped last year's turnout and saw up to 5000 people revelling on the Picton foreshore in the evening with country music favourite The Warratahs.

This weekend sees the annual Blues, Brews and Barbecues kick off, where about 7000 people are expected. The following weekend, Wine Marlborough Festival will also attract thousands of people, including overseas visitors.

One of the Maritime Festival organisers, Craig Douglas, declared Picton's festival a huge success.

"It may be the up-and-coming festival to start the season off."

It was great for Picton and organisers were looking forward to next year, he said.

Organisers were now investigating an international music act to raise the profile of the festival.

Dick Hall, chairman of the organising committee, said money raised from this year's festival would go towards next year's event. The committee would investigate getting an international singing act to perform, and also hopefully the popular Warratahs again.

Saturday's celebrations exceeded anything the organisers hoped for, he said.

"It was excellent ? better than our wildest speculations."

Mr Hall was unsure about the numbers, but said there were about 2000 present throughout the day, and up to 5000 revellers when the Warratahs came on to perform in the evening.

The popular performers only became available a fortnight before the event, and were a huge hit with the crowd, Mr Hall said. "It was wall to wall people."

Mr Hall said Picton's was the only free entry festival in Marlborough, and local businesses had come to the party with money and manpower.

He said a lot of Marlborough people turned up, but there were good numbers also from Nelson and Canterbury there.

"The whole committee was just rapt with the day. The support was wonderful and we are really fired up to do something bigger and better next year."

Mr Hall said there was no trouble with the crowd, and remarkably there were no broken bottles or glasses to clean up afterwards.

Port Marlborough was one of the major sponsors, and chief executive Des Ashton said he was pleased with the way the festival went.

Families and businesses all got involved in the day.

"If the organisers are able to attract an international act, I am sure it would add to the attraction."

Mr Ashton said the Picton festival was part of a package of Marlborough events, but perhaps people, especially visitors to the country, were not aware of it.

"I think there are still some opportunities to get a few more folk coming to Marlborough."

The festival included the popular Marine Trades Challenge for the first time, where a crew of four has two hours to build a boat and race it over a short course.

This year all the five crews had to build their boat from a single design, provided to them 10 minutes beforehand, although they were allowed to choose how they rigged it.

The winners on the water were a crew from Legacy Charters. Crew captain Richard Orchard said the secret to winning was to "paddle hard" and a good push at the start.

Their boat was also sealed with duct tape, which he said was a major part of the team's success. "It was 100 mile per hour tape," he said.

The overall winner was the crew from Sounds Boat Painting and Marine, which will now go forward to the national Marine Trades Challenge final.

Previous winners of the challenge, Nelson's Dickson Marine, went on to win the Australasian final in 2005.


SOURCE: By DAVE WILLIAMS - The Marlborough Express