A new in-region event is on the cards following the cancellation of McLaren Vale’s Sea and Vines festival in its current format.

Sea and Vines organisers, the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association (MVGWTA), announced in a statement on 16 October that the festival, which has been running for 27 years, would be “retired”.

This would allow time and energy to focus on “a reimagined in-region event in 2021 that will continue to create McLaren Vale brand ambassadors and advocates for life”, the statement said.

Staged across the June long weekend, Sea and Vines was traditionally categorised by events held at wineries and other venues that featured food, wine and entertainment.

“MVGTWA recognises that in-region events form a key component of successful destination marketing, and over the past 27 years, the annual McLaren Vale Sea & Vines Festival has contributed towards showcasing our region to a wide-range of visitors and supporting a number of MVGWTA and McLaren Vale businesses,” the statement said.

However the festival has attracted scrutiny - with a huge wave of criticism on social media during and immediately following this year’s event - because of drunkenness and lewd behaviour such as public urination from some event goers.

In its statement, the MVGTWA acknowledged the reputational risk toward the region’s brand that images of antisocial behaviour at Sea and Vines going viral on social media has posed.

The MVGTWA said the event has been subject to annual reviews to ensure it aligned with the association’s goals of ‘premiumisation’ and ‘visitation’.

“In more recent years, the Association has weighted the value of ‘premium visitation’ over increases in visitation during the Festival – that is, attracting a higher value visitor – not just a higher number of visitors,” the statement said.

It also noted that there had been “a stagnation in festival participation” by association members.

The MVGTWA said that by retiring the existing festival will free up the nine months which were previously spent on planning and preparation for the festival for the association to spend on further developing and constructing “in region event that delivers against the Association’s Strategic Themes, adds value and equity to Brand McLaren Vale, and importantly – drives the premiumisation of visitation for the benefit of all of Members and region”.

The MVGWTA said it will consult with members and stakeholders over the coming 12 months regarding the strategic objectives, operations and timings of the new in-region event.

When news broke this week about the iconic festival having been cancelled, there were floods of social media comments left by previous attendees and supporters of the event. Many of them expressed disappointment about the downfall of the festival. However, some, including a past critic of the festival, have welcomed the MVGWTA’s decision. 

Becky Hirst is a McLaren Vale-based consultant and was the founder of the online network for wine lovers, Winey Times, and its former iteration, Winey Kids. uring the last Sea and Vines, Becky took to social media to express her fury with the public drunkenness and lewd behaviour she noticed during the long weekend as well as the need for 12 ambulance callouts for drunken patrons. Becky’s comments received media attention, and following the festival she asked her followers to help her create a wishlist for a reinvented festival that would be more focused on produce, community and families.

“I commend the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association for making what must have been a very difficult decision,” Becky said on 18 October.

“I am really pleased to see them rise to the challenge of rethinking how we position our region through festivals and events. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing what emerges in the future. I look to festivals like Tasting Australia as an example of what’s possible, perhaps with something for everyone - the partygoers, the foodies, the wine enthusiasts, the families, attracting locals and visitors alike. 

“I also look to community driven initiatives such as the McLaren Vale Harvest Festival which ran with great success for several years on the McLaren Vale Oval. It would be great to see the wine community working closely with the local community not necessarily part of the industry.   

“The opportunities are endless. If McLaren Vale can’t pull off the world’s best festival that celebrates local food and wine, where can?"