Kāpiti Food Fair is keeping calm and carrying on in the real hope we will drop back to Alert Level 1 during September.

We are working hard behind the scenes as three months out from the Fair there is much work to be done to launch our marketing campaign so visitors can start preparing for an amazing day out on Saturday 5 December. The Fair is a Member of the New Zealand Events Association and will be operating within the events sector voluntary code developed by the Association for Alert Level 1 conditions in New Zealand.

The other very important news is the Fair has been honoured as one of 200 approved recipients of the New Zealand Domestic Events Fund administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE). This fund was created by the Government to respond to significant financial challenges being experienced by the event industry due to COVID-19.

“It was a significant decision for us to apply but we did as we knew we met MBIE's criteria,” says Helene. All applications needed to demonstrate social, cultural, or economic significance for New Zealand, have no other market solutions to their woes and, without the support, would either go under or need to be significantly scaled back. “We clearly fell into the position of needing to dramatically scale back for 2020 without this support so we are feeling hugely relieved and excited for the upcoming 2020 Fair. We received $25,000.”

The next piece of news is the decision about our application to the Kāpiti Major Events Fund. We have received $10,000 which we are delighted with. “Receiving both funding streams means we can confidently do a mini scale-up for 2020,” says Helene.

An exciting part of the scaled event will include a COASTELLA presented stage that will be located within a much larger Tuatara Bar. The ZEAL stage is also in for a make-over with more space, seating and shading for visitors to relax while eating and being entertained. More information on both initiatives coming very soon.

Recently, we launched a #LoveLocal campaign with support from Kāpiti Coast District Council. The purpose of the campaign is to: Support local businesses; Encourage locals to take a site; Improve the visitor experience; Encourage ticket sales. In this campaign we will: Support a headline local entertainer; Give 1,500 jute shopping bags to local vendors so they can give them to visitors who purchase their products; Provide signage for local gazebos or food trailers along with quirky badges so their local brand stands-out; Develop a social media campaign to showcase Kāpiti vendors at the Fair.

We believe one of the best things about Kāpiti has always been its people and the lifestyle we can create around living, working and playing on the beautiful Kāpiti Coast. “We’re caring, welcoming and inclusive, and we like to support one another so we are hopeful more local vendors can come together as a community at the Kāpiti Food Fair, so please go to our website to book a site,” says Jeanine. >> https://kapitifoodfair.co.nz/vendors/vendor-registration

Vendor registration has been going extremely well with only 21 sites left. Please keep them coming so we can fill-up and then focus on the Site Map for vendor delivery to visitors on the day of the Fair.

We feel very grateful that we can continue with our plans to run an event that Kāpiti can be proud of. Stay tuned everyone. Tickets on-sale very soon >> https://kapitifoodfair.co.nz/tickets?src=nav

By December we are confident visitors will want to attend Kāpiti Food Fair so they can have fun with GOOD friends, GOOD times and GOOD food. Let’s all recover together from a COVID filled year at the Kāpiti Food Fair that aims to make a lasting impression in both the mind and body. The Fair is privately owned and operated in a business partnership between Helene Judge and Jeanine van Kradenburg.