It was to be a Champagne celebration well worth attending but tonight Saggio di Vino in central Christchurch will be in darkness, the only sound, an occasional creak, as another after-shock hits.

But where there was a fear that this iconic establishment may not open again, there is now talk that its 19th birthday celebration has merely been postponed.

However, a different story is being told by some hospitality business owners who have lost everything to a forceful thrust of nature that doesn’t know when to let up.

Overnight, employees have been told their jobs no longer exist in a time that should have seen businesses pumping as Christchurch and districts celebrated the inaugural Feast of Canterbury – a culinary extravaganza involving more than 50 diverse events.

The Feast, held over 20 days from September 1 has now also come to a grinding halt, despite huge interest and sold-out events.
Today organisers Jamie Bennett and Sam Marchant of Taste Events Company are phoning ticket buyers to confirm the worst.

Bennett says up until the earthquake early on Saturday morning Feast had gotten off to an excellent start with venues in Christchurch and Akaroa enjoying full bookings and people generally having a good time.
He saw the Feast as a way to boost hospitality in the area, that like much of the country had been affected by the economic downturn.

“We were getting more than a thousand hits a day on our website from people wanting to know about Feast, now there’s nothing. We’re getting maybe 10 hits a day.”
Bennett says there are still restaurants, cafes and bars open but people are frightened. “They don’t want to leave their homes or leave their children with baby sitters because nobody knows what is going to happen next.”

With an enormous investment in Feast both financially and in time, Bennett is looking to the future and believing that Christchurch will be a Feast destination once again and so much more.
“Our plans at this stage are to hold at least the finale to Feast on December 15.”
He says by then hopefully Christchurch will be ready to celebrate its diversity and move on from this disaster.