Marlborough celebrates all of New Zealand’s national holidays and also enjoys a variety of events and festivals that are exclusive to the region. Since wine is such an integral part of life here, it’s not surprising that the most popular events here are wine-related. January’s wine festival is a chance to celebrate all that is great about the local wine industry, while July’s Marlborough Winter Wine Weekend celebrates the release of the winter vintages. It’s not all about wine, however, with seafood getting its share of exposure at the Havelock Mussel Festival and Kaikoura Seafest.

New Year’s Day: a nationwide public holiday, Marlborough residents use this day as a chance to sleep off the excesses of the previous night’s activities before getting together with friends or family for dining and socialising.

Marlborough Wine Festival: the highlight of the region’s calendar of events, this is a chance for Marlborough to celebrate all that is great about its winemaking industry. Held on the second Saturday of the month, the festival treats visitors to tastings of world-class wines while offering some great food to enjoy alongside.

Waitangi Day: held in the first week of the month, this is New Zealand’s national day, celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Residents of Marlborough enjoy a public holiday on this day and there are public festivities held at a number of locations.

Havelock Mussel Festival: Havelock is famous for its green shell mussels and this relatively new addition to the region’s calendar of events celebrates the popularity of this locally harvested specialty. Visitors get the chance to learn something of how and where the mussels grow as well as plenty of chances to sample the delicious delicacy.

Classic Fighters: famous battle scenes and important historical events from New Zealand’s past are re-enacted in both air and land displays during this weekend of military-themed fun.

Queen's Birthday: locals in Marlborough enjoy a day off work to celebrate the birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II, who besides being the queen of England is also the queen of New Zealand and Australia.

Marlborough Winter Wine Weekend: another of the region’s wine-themed events, this one celebrates the release of new vintages and features workshops with wine-making themes.

Hunter’s Garden Marlborough: running for five days, this festival is a chance for the region’s best gardens to showcase their finest plant and flower displays. There are seminars and talks with world famous horticultural experts on a variety of aspects of garden design and maintenance.

Kaikoura Seafest: the name Kaikoura means ‘food of the sea’ in the Maori language and this festival is a celebration of the local seafood scene with talks and tastings as well as plenty of the local wine to accompany the proceedings.

Adventure Marlborough: this gruelling competition is spread over 24 hours and sees teams of four competing against one another in activities such as mountain biking, trekking, kayaking and boogie boarding.

Blenheim Christmas Parade: Marlborough’s most significant city sees some 6,000 people gather for this popular festive event in which brightly coloured floats make their way through the centre of the main urban area.