George Begg Festival

A legend is coming home. Dust off your retro threads and get ready to celebrate a golden age in Kiwi motorsport. The George Begg Festival is returning to Invercargill and Teretonga Park. Taking its cue from the 1960s and 1970s, the George Begg Festival will celebrate the Drummond farmer-turned-engineer-turned-racecar constructor who built a series of vehicles that bested some of the biggest marques in the world.

Get set for a nostalgic atmosphere: from retro fashion to food and beverage, entertainment, and southern hospitality in spades - not to mention the racing - there will be as much action happening off the track as there is on it. It'll be as much fun for families as it is for the petrolheads: get ready to be part of the ride!

Next event date: 30 Mar – 2 Apr 2023

Keen to learn more: George Begg Festival, What's On In Invercargill

Dress to your favourite decade, whether it’s crochet and miniskirts or ties as wide as your pants. If the Eighties is more your bag, a double-denim Canadian tuxedo might be the ticket – or why not dust off some vintage racing overalls? Let your imagination run wild.

It’s the perfect background to soak up Invercargill’s reputation as New Zealand’s home to everything wheels.

Get trackside for the action: guests will be treated to a spectacle of wholehearted racing between skilled drivers, behind the wheels of beautiful, classic machines from days gone by. Think historic touring, muscle and saloon cars, vintage-style single-seater race cars, sports and GT cars, Porsche and Ferrari beauties, and more.

The George Begg Festival will include plenty to tickle the tastebuds, from a classic car run traversing the region, an official welcome event at Bill Richardson Transport World, a relaxed barbecue affair alongside the track at Teretonga Park, and the chance to get a taste of Invercargill’s brand-new inner-city development.

And don’t miss the George Begg Bunker at Classic Motorcycle Mecca. The collection is home to the sleek, chisel-nosed racing machines crafted out of second-hand race parts by Begg himself – not to mention a lovingly-recreated ‘Toyshop’: the Drummond workshop where Begg worked his magic.

The George Begg Bunker is a true celebration of an understated Southland hero. It explores his early competitive motorcycling days, his life as an engineer and businessman, his incredible philanthropy efforts (he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities close to his heart) and an all-around good bloke. Not bad for a guy who decided to give building racecars a crack, after reading a ‘how-to’ book.

Fire up your sense of nostalgia, and get ready to take a trip back in time.

Park onsite at Teretonga Park (Unpowered sites)

Location: 86 Sandy Point Road, Otatara, Invercargill

Teretonga Park motorhome site will be open on Thursday 30  March from 4pm – 6pm until Sunday 2 April, the site will close at 6pm latest.

Fees: Purchase of an adult three-day track pass entitles you to a motorhome park

Utilities and services: Toilet facilities however only Certified Self-Contained vehicles are permitted in the parking area

Updated information to come regarding motorhome movement at site during the festival.

For any enquires please call 0800 151 252