Southern Field Days organisers were pleased with the number of people who attended the opening of the three-day event at Waimumu, near Gore.
Exact numbers were not available but laneways were busy as thousands of people flocked to the area on Wednesday, taking advantage of warm, sunny weather.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made a surprise visit, meeting and mingling with locals.
It is four years since Waimumu last hosted the event after covid forced its cancellation in 2022. There are 760 exhibitors on site, about 60 more than the last event in 2020.
Southern Field Days alternates between Southland and Canterbury.
