A vibrant, family-friendly event, celebrating culture and place at NZ’s most-loved beach.

This free event brings the community together with kite flying, sandcastle competitions, sand art, a lively festival hub filled with food trucks and entertainment, please see below for details on events. 

This festival aims to honour our unique place in Aotearoa, enhancing pride for all its communities - past and present - and reconnecting whānau and visitors to the whenua, moana and stories that make it unique. 

31st January 2026
Mahy Reserve, Ōhope Beach

Saturday 31 Jan between 10am-3pm

Kicking off and wrapping up at Mahy Reserve is the Wilde Whippet as part of the Sun to Surf event. This 1km dash starting at 2:30pm is a perfect way for your fun-loving kiddos to dive into the thrill of their very first running event!
Come check out some incredible Sand Art and free sand art lessons by Kenrick from Rake Healing.
Look up to see an incredible kite display, led by Ray & Rosemary, Peter Clark and Perrin Melchior from Kiteworks 
Enjoy a sandcastle demo and competition with Brett from King of the Castle.
Plus there'll be food trucks, entertainment & free Karma Drinks!

Bring the whānau and get amongst it at Ō Fest!