‘It’s about bringing people together’: Waverley Summer Jam returns

Frankie Stevens (on stage) co-founded the Waverley Summer Jam alongside Vicki Koubaridis in 2022.

New Zealand entertainer Frankie Stevens says he feels “right at home” in Waverley.

The singer moved to the South Taranaki town a few years ago and set up the annual Waverley Summer Jam alongside Vicki Koubaridis.

The former NZ Idol judge was raised in a small community in Upper Hutt and said that upbringing attracted him to Waverley.

“They have the same attitudes – my wife’s people are from Whanganui, I have relations right through Taranaki,” he said.

“I feel right at home here, and [there are] good people,” Stevens said.

This year’s summer jam, at Dallison Park on December 8, is headlined by The Lady Killers, featuring Tina Cross, Suzanne Lynch, and Jackie Clarke.

They will perform alongside Stevens, Pātea Māori Club, Sophie Toyne, several schools and more.

Frankie Stevens (on stage) co-founded the Waverley Summer Jam alongside Vicki Koubaridis in 2022.

Stevens said giving opportunities to local artists was a priority.

“That’s where it begins, local performers want to be a part of it. You don’t get that kind of attitude in the bigger centres,” he said.

Koubaridis said they hoped to attract visitors from outside the district.

“It’s not just for Waverley people.”

Koubaridis said the Summer Jam is about allowing people to connect with one another.

“It’s about bringing people together. There may be people in the community [who] might not have family, so if we could all get out together and try [to] get everybody together at Christmastime...” she said.

Stevens hoped the event would continue to grow.

“It’s all about the community, and they’ve responded well, so we’ve upped the game year by year,” he said.

“We’d like to start modernising with some of the young musicians around.

“The musicians today are more talented, overall, than back in my day, so it would be a generational change more than anything else.”

The 2024 Waverley Summer Jam starts at 4pm and finishes around 8pm.

“Don’t think about it, come along – if the weather plays ball, it will be a very enjoyable day,” Stevens said.