Kapiti Food Fair nearly closed for vendor registration

The Kapiti Food Fair opened for vendor registration back in April and sites have been snapped up quickly. The total site footprint this year is increasing to 230+ and there are less than 10 sites left! “We are delighted with the mix of returning and new vendors and there is definitely something for everyone,” says Fair owners Helene Judge and Jeanine van Kradenburg. At this stage around 30% of sites are ready to eat vendors either in food trucks or cooking under gazebo, and the remaining 70%, are packaged products including a much larger liquor zone this year with craft beers & distilleries, liquors & ports, boutique wines and cider.

We are delighted to announce the Celebrity Guest for 2019, Nicky Sinden – ‘The Fishing Chick’ and host of ‘TradeZone Addicted to Fishing’, New Zealand's premiere fishing lifestyle show for people of all walks of life. She was the first female fishing show host in Australasia and remains the only one. Nicky knew she was stepping into a male-dominated arena and has more than made her mark and gained respect. She’s unapologetically groomed with locks in place and manicured nails but when that line goes tight, she fights hard. Nicky is described as ‘Mangawhai’s Siren of the Seas’ and her motto is “Paint your nails, gut a fish, give anything a go.”

You can tune in to her TV show on Prime each Saturday at 5pm and follow her on Facebook with 125,000 others and with 23,000 on Instagram.

We are running an event on Friday 29th November and inviting anyone who loves to fish recreationally or professionally to meet Nicky. We will be serving-up an arrival drink, fish n chips and a delicious Paekakariki Pops treat. Head over to our website to check-out more information about Nicky and to book your ticket to this fun event >> https://kapitifoodfair.co.nz/celebrity%20guest?src=nav

“The other piece of exciting news is our application to the Major Events Fund was approved by the Kapiti Coast District Councillors’ last week,” says Helene. With growth of the Fair over the last three years this has added more demands on our infrastructure along with our own desire to run an innovative event. As a recipient of the Fund for the last three years we have worked hard to perform with our return on investment being 6:1 in 2016, 10:1 in 2017 and 16:1 last year. This result spurred us on to apply for more funding to support our drive to reduce significantly our waste that goes to landfill, providing comfort for visitors in the form of more shade and contributing to our significant marketing spend. We are committed to ongoing development of a sustainable event that Kapiti can be proud of and that will WOW all visitors, whether they are local or from out-of-town, and that will have them returning year after year.

Our application was approved to fund $25,000 in 2019, $15,000 in 2020 and $15,000 in 2021. We are excited by our waste minimisation plan as it also includes planting an edible community orchard in the Mazengarb Reserve and for us to observe and align their growth with that of the Fair.

We have made a start on developing the entertainment programme as we have been inundated with registrations of interest to performer at the Fair this year. Entertainment is super important to create a fun and vibrant atmosphere for visitors to stay longer and enjoy a day out with family and friends. Our three entertainment zones include the Beach FM Stage, the ZEAL Stage and the Coastella Tiny Town Stage.

The Fair will indeed be a pop-up extravaganza again this year with the aim of making a lasting impression in the minds and bodies of all foodies. “Vendors go to much effort to make their sites attractive for visitors and we are asking them to align with our values of being professional, having integrity & fun, being connected & engaged and having healthy food options along with being hygienic on their site,” says Jeanine.

Book your calendar now for another a magic day at the Fair on Saturday 30th November, from 10am to 4pm at Mazengarb Reserve in Paraparaumu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye on our website for updates >> https://kapitifoodfair.co.nz

The Kapiti Food Fair is proudly Sponsored by: Air New Zealand, Bayleys Real Estate Wellington, BCE Catering Equipment, Flightdec, Kapiti Business Projects, Kapiti News, Koakoa Limoncello, PartyPerfect Catering, Pope & Co Mortgages, SignCraft Kapiti, The Hits 92.7 and Tuatara Brewing; and is privately owned and operated in partnership by Helene Judge, Kapiti Business Projects and Jeanine van Kradenburg, PartyPerfect Catering.

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