Spirits are high ahead of the Whanganui Vintage Weekend getting under way.
Enthusiasm is high for the Whanganui Vintage Weekend, with event organisers still being asked if stallholders can join the event.
Vintage Weekend will take place January 20 - 23, and Vintage Weekend Trust chairman Bruce Jellyman said engagement on the event’s social media pages had been way up compared to previous years.
“There’s lots of chatter about what [we’re] doing, [...] so in that regard, I’d say it’s well up,” Jellyman said.
“The enthusiasm certainly seems to be there; we’re being chased constantly, and still getting asked by stallholders and people like that if they can contribute.”
He thought this was due to the event taking a year off, with the 2022 edition having to be cancelled due to Covid-19.
The organisation of the event had a “good grove going”, Jellyman said, and everything was coming together for what should be a great weekend.
“Saturday’s going to be a really great day, the weather’s looking like its going to play ball - he said, touching wood - and at the moment, that all looks tremendously good,” Jellyman said.
Covid had still had an effect on this year’s event, as some attractions were not able to attend and new ones had been sought in their place.
“The [Douglas] DC3 is not here, but there are assorted other aeroplane things happening at the airport - you can go have scenic flights or helicopter rides or stuff like that, which is pretty cool,” he said.
People will also be able to go for rides on a steam-powered tractor and the Wairua and Waimarie riverboats over the weekend.
Saturday will feature the Mainstreet Caboodle, where people will be able to look around various attractions and market stalls while live music plays throughout the central city.
More than 20 acts will perform from 10.30am to 10pm across three different stages in Majestic Square, Ridgway St and block one of Victoria Ave, with other acts roaming the streets during the day.
Jellyman said there would be a whole new section of the Caboodle happening in Drews Ave.
Among other things, it would feature hobby horse racing, supported by the Porridge Watson bar.
“It’s basically a professional event in parts of Europe, which is weird,” Jellyman said.
The good vibes were expected to continue into Sunday, with hopes the weather would be sunny enough for a picnic on the riverbank.
The Riverside Shindig will be on the riverbank on Moutoa Quay, where people can watch rowers race down the river in the Billy Webb Challenge, and the start of a Whanganui Vintage Car Club rally from Pākaitore-Moutoa Gardens.
Unfortunately, one of the major events planned for Sunday evening, a concert at the Royal Whanganui Opera House with Kiwi country and soul singer Tami Neilson, has had to be cancelled due to Neilson being unable to perform.
An official statement from Neilson’s manager said she had been in hospital throughout the Christmas period undergoing multiple operations.
Jellyman said cancelling the concert was a bitter pill for him to swallow, as it was one of his projects for the weekend.
However, the situation that led to the concert’s cancellation was out of their control.
“There’s nothing we can do about that, we just hope that Tami gets better and gets back on the road,” he said.
Finally, on Monday, the major event for the day will be the Plumber Dan Soapbox Derby, with daredevils taking to the Queen’s Park raceway down Drews Ave.
Jellyman said he hoped the event would encourage people to come out to celebrate Whanganui and what makes the city unique.
“It is our only free-to-the-public community celebration of all that is Whanganui,” he said.
He said there would be a great time to be had by all, whether that was people coming to town with wallets full of cash or people looking to have fun for free.
“There’s a lot on if you just want to come to town and hang out, which is what I do - you’re just not going to get bored, because there’s too much to do,” he said.
A full schedule of the events and activities over the weekend is available on the Vintage Weekend website: whanganuivintageweekend.nz.