Inaugural Australian Mangoes Mess-tival raises $12,000 on Bondi Beach
Held in partnership with Australian Mangoes, Mess-tival celebrates the first weekend of summer and the peak of the mango season. As part of the activity, thousands descended on Bondi Beach to see children of all ages substitute their usual batons and flags for mangoes as they challenged and competed against each other.
The event also offered the public a chance to taste test the subtle differences between several different mango varieties. Growers from across Australia explained the flavour profiles of the Kensington Pride, Calypso, R2E2 and Honey Gold.
All funds raised by the event will go towards the reconstruction of the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club’s new clubhouse, which is due for completion next year, and plays a critical role in the training and development of thousands of children.
Gavin Scurr, Chairman of the Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA), said: “Mangoes are a fruit synonymous with summer in Australia so it made perfect sense to celebrate the peak of our production season on the first weekend of summer.
By all accounts, it looks like everyone has had a great day – especially the Nippers - and, thanks to our growers who have travelled from as far as the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland and made the inaugural Mango Mess-Tival a memorable event, we hope we helped people learn their Calypsos from their KPs.
We are committed to building on the success of this weekend year-on-year so that the Mango Mess-tival becomes an annual tradition for the people of Bondi, and for Australians around the nation to welcome the arrival of summer and celebrate the mango season.”
Mark Cotter, Vice President of the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, said: “We’re over the moon with today’s results. Our Nippers have had the chance to inject some fun into their usual Sunday morning program, and really loved getting messy with mangoes. On top of this, we’ve also raised a whopping $12,000 to go towards our new clubhouse. We are already looking forward to making it bigger and better next year."
For more information please visit www.mangoes.net.au