Kāpiti Food Fair: GOOD Friends, GOOD Times, GOOD Food...and GREAT Entertainment!

While the Kāpiti Food Fair may be known as one of the hottest foodie must-have tickets for the 2021/22 summer season, they’re also known for bringing an entertainment line-up that is sure to please every music-lover in your house. The team behind the December 4th event are determined to get everyone who attends up on their feet for a toe-tapping, good time!

“We’re thrilled to have Jody Direen headline for the Fair and we’re excited to bring her style of country pop music to the Kāpiti Coast,” shared Helene Judge, co-owner of the Kāpiti Food Fair. “To be able to provide our stage to a young talented homegrown woman in country music to work her magic for the enjoyment of visitors to the Fair is thrilling for us. Jody’s music is fully supported by country music radio in Australia so getting her playing more on New Zealand airwaves and stages is our way of supporting women country music artists to achieve more equality and to share their influence through magical rhythm and lyrics.”

Jody Direen has toured New Zealand and Australia, performed with country acts like Tim McGraw, and supported Kenny Rogers, LeAnne Rimes and Scott McCreery on their NZ tour. A homegrown talent who won her first Tui in 2017 and was a finalist for the same award in 2021.

She’ll be on the Tuatara Stage, rocking the Fair, from 2:30 PM to 4 PM.

Other supporting acts for the day, in order of appearance, are:

In the Shallows: An Indie Folk-Rock Pop band. Welsh singer-songwriter Danni Parsons found harmonic delight in the raw vocals of Kiwi rock and roller Lance Shepherd.... she found herself stuck between a rock and a folk place! The band also features Andrew Bain of Fur Patrol and Nick Brown of Eb & Sparrow, Vorn.

Together they offer up an exquisitely diverse and silken sound that weaves together soaring harmonies and mesmerising vocals and acoustic guitars with relatable lyrics about intricate tales of love, loss, connection, redemption and empowerment. Their debut album tour took them to 22 festivals and venues throughout NZ in summer 2020/21 including NZ Spirit, Earthbeat Festival, Resolution NYE Festival, Performance Arcade Wellington, and they are not slowing down with more releases on the way and another jam-packed summer Tour in 21/22.

On the Tuatara Stage from 10 AM to 11 AM

Seaside Sloths: Seaside Sloths are a sloth-themed, cartoon hip-hop dance band from the Kāpiti Coast. Comprised of two vocalists, two producers and two visual artists and animators, they have just released their debut album, Fear and Slothing in Sloth Vegas. The album covers a diverse range of moods, cohesively blended with coastal vibes and introspective lyricism.

The group is comprised of Simloco & Timbo-Drum Machine of The No Problemos, Jinz Moss (UK rapper and comedian), Legobreaks (NZ DnB producer), Theo Arraj (cartoonist and renowned graf/mural artist) and Phill Simmonds (award winning filmmaker and cartoonist). Seaside Sloths deliver a fun message while touching on real world issues such as rainforest destruction and animal exploitation. 10% of all profits from streaming, live shows and merch sales is donated to The Sloth Conservation Foundation to support their goal of tackling the problems that these animals are facing in the wild.

On the Tuatara Stage from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM

The Julie Lamb Outfit: Kick Arse Funky Pop: Get lost between the stories and the groove with the Julie Lamb Outfit, an 8-piece Aotearoa funk-pop collective. In between the stories and the groove, you'll find yourself in a high energy, smile-a-minute space. Mischief, stories, sentiment, groove. Not always in that order.

Their line up creates energising and personality filled music and the arrangements work to ensure that each instrument has a chance to shine. Album reviewers and live audiences talk about this – how fabulous it is to be able to hear each instrument, how impressive that we leave space for each other, and how much fun we convey we're having, which is infectious for them too. Well, when you enjoy being with people, respect what they do, and laugh with them a lot – it shows on a gig. That easy.

"Anyone who has seen the Wellington-based Julie Lamb Outfit live, knows they are as tightly woven as that machine knitted jumper your mum made for you in the 70s – and keep you feeling just as warm." Claire Symonds, Freelance Journalist.

On the Tuatara Stage from 1 PM to 2 PM

Make sure to grab your tickets now so you’re all sorted ahead of the big day: https://kapitifoodfair.co.nz/ticket

COVID info for Kāpiti Food Fair attendees: COVID Delta is not kind and does not discriminate. Our message to visitors, vendors, performing artists, volunteers, crew, suppliers, is to get vaccinated, for you, your whānau, your community.

If we want a Summer events programme to enjoy the end of 2021 and the start of 2022, vaccination is the only choice. The Fair is busy communicating this message as we wait for implementation details so we can make a decision on how we roll-out the potential mandatory requirement of vaccine certificates on entry to the Fair. Anyone entering the Fair will need to scan in on our Covid QR code or sign our manual record.

Kāpiti Food Fair is a Member of the New Zealand Events Association (NZEA). We are seeking clarification on this Government mandate as it relates to outdoor community events like ours that are not fully ticketed online. Many visitors arrive and pay their entry fee by cash or eftpos on the day of the Fair which means we need to be well organised to run things efficiently and safely to maximise enjoyment on the day by everyone attending or putting in the mahi behind the scenes at the Fair.

About:

Kāpiti Food Fair was established in 2008 as a community event with humble beginnings. It is now privately owned and operated in a business partnership between Helene Judge and Jeanine van Kradenburg. The vision of the Fair is about making a lasting impression in the minds and bodies of all foodies. Their mission is to bring visitors to Kāpiti Coast to experience ‘our place’ while having a fun, tasty and indulgent day out with GOOD friends, GOOD times and GOOD food!

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