Local resident Mark Vening has swung into action to organise this weekend's Summerdaze Festival Tsunami Relief benefit concert featuring local bands and performers.

With the help of More FM and Remarkable Audio, Queenstown Rafting employee Mr Vening has rapidly pulled together a concert which will begin at Earnslaw Park this Sunday at 12noon and run through the afternoon and early evening.

Bands scheduled to play include the Master Blasters, the Cruickshanks, Unique and the GCs.  Kiwi Haka will start the concert off with a performance at 12noon while Queenstown Paragliding flies by and the Red Bull action plane performs overhead.

Mr Vening was overwhelmed with the support he had received for the event.

"People have been ringing me non-stop offering prizes and to help out with the concert," he said.

The event will include food stalls, activities for kids and adults, a business-house competition to pull a fire engine, sumo wrestling, raffles and a silent auction.

The Red Cross will be present at the event collecting for the tragedy and Mr Vening had set up a special ASB account to receive donations from businesses and individuals.

Summerdaze Festival event manager Alastair McIlwrick said the benefit concert was exactly what the Festival was about.

"We're trying to encourage a sense of community and belonging and here's a local man coming up with a great idea and many others giving their time voluntarily to help in whatever way we can," he said.

This week's Summerdaze Subway Discovery Walk to Sam Summers hut from Glenorchy Rd had been very successful, attracting 50 walkers, Mr McIlwrick said.

Mr McIlwrick praised the various community and business groups behind many of the events umbrella-ed by the Summerdaze Festival.  Yesterday's Subway Discovery Walk had been supported by the Department of Conservation Wakatipu office.

Coming up on the Summerdaze Festival calendar are more Barefoot Bowls and Discovery Walks; Skate Jam demonstrations by leading South Island skateboarders and competition for the best tricks at skateparks around the district; a soccer coaching clinic; the Frankton Walk Day; Teddy Bears' Picnics; National Sevens; Parent & Child Golf Tournament; the tribal love-rock musical HAIR; More FM Beach Volleyball and the Burns Night Dinner and Variety Concert.

Details on Summerdaze events can be found at www.summerdaze.net.nz and programmes are available from information centres around the district and the Queenstown-Lakes District Council offices in Queenstown and Wanaka.

ENDS

For more information, contact Alastair McIlwrick on 03 441 4412 or 027 450 2624, Mark Vening on 021 066 5993 or Lee Harris on 441 0469 or 027 233 7934.

By: Kiri