Bruce Jellyman cuts some shapes at the 2021 Mainstreet Caboodle. Photo / Supplied
It’s all systems go for Whanganui’s event season, with thousands expected to visit the city over the next few months.
Rising Covid-19 numbers haven’t dampened the spirits of event organisers just yet.
Vintage Weekend was cancelled in January this year but trust chairman Bruce Jellyman said there was little chance of that happening again next month.
“If we need to, people might be asked to mask up but that would be the sum total of it at this point in time.
“We’re quietly keeping an eye on the cases. There’s a theory it’s peaked but you just don’t know.
“Last year we could see the impending doom but since then the country has learned to deal with Covid to some degree. It’s still a danger but it’s highly unlikely to get in the way, in the way it did last year.”
It would be remiss not to have Covid-19 in the back of their minds, New Zealand Masters Games Whanganui manager Heather Cox said.
Nothing was stopping the games from running at full capacity at the moment.
“Whether it’s within our team or across the games village, the service needs to be provided. We need to make sure there are people we can call on if necessary to fill a gap,” Cox said.
“I’m sure that’s what others are doing as well.
“Currently, our numbers are on track with where we were in 2021. We hit the 3000 registrations mark on Monday.”
Much-loved Kiwi band Head Like A Hole will headline a day and night of rock music at Majestic Square next February, joining Villainy, Pull Down The Sun, Infinity Ritual and Elidi.
Majestic Rocks is one of six summer events organised by Lost Art’s Gioia Damosso at the site.
“From a health and safety point of view, smaller events are less hazardous than having thousands of people,” Damosso said.
“Even though Covid has been less of a factor for the event industry, there is still the potential for your headlining act to get Covid and suddenly everything is affected.
“Putting a whole year’s worth of work into one thing and not being able to go ahead, which is what’s been happening in the last couple of years, is a bit soul-destroying and disappointing for people. This way, if one event can’t go ahead for whatever reason, at least in another couple of months there’ll be another one.”
Vintage Weekend runs from January 20-23 next year.
In 2021 it was attended by 25,500 people, Jellyman said.
“That number was drawn from card spending - debit and credit cards. Those people went out of their way to spend $3.9 million.
“One of the new projects this time around is using Drews Ave as well on the Saturday. The Caboodle is [Victoria] Ave-based and there’s a big gap between that and the [Whanganui River] market. We thought we’d fill it in.
“There is a little bit of ‘touch wood’ involved but hopefully it’ll be a really nice summer for everybody and we can get back to celebrating Whanganui.”
Another event that was axed last summer was the annual Boxing Day Cemetery Circuit motorcycle races.
Organiser Allan “Flea” Willacy said there was nothing but positivity around this year’s races.
Online sales and competitor entries were up from two years ago and the public was “hungry for some action”.
“It’s looking like the weather will be fine on the day, which is everything for events,” Willacy said.
“The support we get from the council and all the businesses around the place is just amazing. It’s a real community event.”
Economic development agency Whanganui & Partners marketing lead Jonathan Sykes said local accommodation and hospitality providers had a busy summer ahead as visitors prepared for an event season without limitations.
“Having an adequate number of rooms available is always a challenge during these periods.
“We believe adding to the city’s accommodation offering is important if we want to keep improving and growing our events and visitor industry.”
Some events had considered temporary measures such as opening areas for camping and motorhomes, Sykes said.
“There is an opportunity for enterprising locals to be innovative in this space.
“That could be through managing short-term camping space or registering with peer-to-peer accommodation businesses.”
Whanganui & Partners commissioned a hotel feasibility study last year.
“Ideally, a private investor would take up the opportunity to develop a new hotel but that will take some time,” Sykes said.
If the “dicey weather” sorted itself out, everything would be good to go, Damosso said.
Her boutique spirits festival On The Rocks was postponed from November until next January because of thunderstorms.
“One thing that has been affected over the last couple of years is customer mentality. People have bought tickets for something and then it’s been cancelled,” she said.
“Now, they are waiting until really close to the event before buying them. That is an extra stress factor for organisers. You think, ‘Is anyone actually coming?’.”
The return of international acts to New Zealand also affected smaller local music festivals.
“Because tickets to see those big artists are really expensive, people are having to be really choosy about what they can go to.
“There’s a lot going on but that’s great because not long ago no one was going to anything. It’s good to see so many events happening, not just in Whanganui but all around New Zealand.”
Cox said the Masters Games already had more than 100 entries from overseas and 1000 first-timers.
“There are a lot of 20-29-year-olds coming in as well. That is great to see. They’ll be 40 one day so it helps us build our numbers.
“I think the general vibe is that people are just excited to have events and if Covid pops up, everyone will deal with it as they need to.”
The 2023 Masters Games is on February 3-12.
Three mayoral candidates have already declared their intention in Whanganui.