MEDIA RELEASE 18-12-25 Kāpiti Food Fair wraps 2025 with thousands of delighted visitors

MEDIA RELEASE 18-12-25 Kāpiti Food Fair wraps 2025 with thousands of delighted visitors

Kāpiti Food Fair wraps 2025 with thousands of delighted visitors

Kāpiti Coast, Wellington, New Zealand, December 18th, 2025: The Kāpiti Food Fair largest annual consumer event opened its gates at the Mazengarb Reserve and welcomed well over 10,000 visitors on Saturday, 6 December to enjoy an epic food festival.  The joy and happiness were evident and the ultimate reward for a year of planning, the perfect finishing touch to this iconic Kāpiti Coast event!

“Today, we go quiet as we take a step back to enjoy the holidays and summer with our own whānau and friends.  Time to reset, rest, and lock in some downtime so we can come back recharged and ready to plan next year's Kāpiti Food Fair”, say the co-owners of the Fair, Helene Judge and Jeanine van Kradenberg.  As we sign out, we are delighted to ANNOUNCE the two winners of our visitor survey………. Congratulations Lee Hawkins of Whanganui and Derryn Hughes of Paraparaumu Beach – we loved hearing your stories of delight when visiting the Kāpiti Food Fair – MARK your calendars now for Saturday December 5, 2026!

The crowd featured an incredible mix of locals and more than 40% of visitors arrived from all parts of the motu which is a testament to the Fair’s marketing campaign and its appeal as a must-attend event on the region’s calendar.  With more than 250 vendors on display, the Fair offered an abundance of ready-to-eat options, alongside a tempting selection of packaged products to take home or gift, including a large range of boutique beverage products from the Liquor Zone that always attracts the crowds.

The Tuatara crew kept the hydration going all day while the Thames Pacific Main Stage delivered an amazing range of musicians reliving an 80’s to 90’s revival party that had visitors dancing all day long.  Thank you to the fabulous talent on stage, including Devon Welch, Intercite Music NZ, Jodie and The Stowaways, The Beat Girls, The Relatives, and Love Shack.  YOU. WERE. ALL. AMAZING along with the production peeps who supported us professionally once again on the stage this year.

A HUGE thank you to everyone behind the ANZ Kāpiti Kitchen Stage, bringing so much life, flavour, and fun to the Kāpiti Food Fair!  Our wonderful MC, Kitty Fitton brought her usual sparkle, warmth, and effortless charm to this stage.  Co-owner of the Fair, Jeanine, effortlessly drives the production of this stage as a very talented and compassionate chef in her own right, and a top-notch host who cares deeply about people and food!

To our talented, professional and local to Kāpiti Coast demo chefs!  Their passion, creativity, and willingness to share a few insider secrets truly elevated the day.  Every bite was a masterpiece, and visitors savored every moment of their delicious creations: La Ficelle Bakery, Lustre Kitchen and Dining, Funk with Food, and The Bond Store.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, and a big paki paki all round for sharing your inspired summer dishes and giving us ideas to recreate at home over the holidays.

THANK YOU also to the incredible team behind this year's ZEAL Zone and our NEW Pavilion Street Zone.  We appreciate you more than you know!  Planning these spaces is always a highlight, and seeing so many generous performers step up to entertain the crowd was truly special.  Shoutouts go to these epic groups for their energy and creativity: 

ZEAL Kapiti, Terry Poko for being the MC AND showcasing local rangatahi talent including rising star and entertainer, Tui, who captivates crowds with her soulful voice and charming stage presence.  Colossal Productions for their uber amazing and daring professional street busking shows, plus Gold Coast Rock n Roll club for their slick dance floor moves, Wellington Tree (Jarrod Wood) for being the best dressed and the perfect selfie magnet, and the Kāpiti Coast Pipes & Drums for keeping us entertained all around the Site Map.

It was exciting and joyful to watch all our street performers and the positive impact on the many people visiting the Kāpiti Food Fair!  Indeed, we also need to mention: Kāpiti Castles for their AWESOME free activities for the kiddos, and Daizy Design Face Painting for lighting up many little faces!  You're all the BEST, and we are so grateful for the magical happiness that you bring to the Fair!

An event like the Kāpiti Food Fair simply wouldn’t happen without the 150+ incredible people who support us - behind the scenes and front of house.  Our own little ecosystem.  Our community.  Our village!  Thank you to everyone who shows up year after year, and to all our amazing newbies who jumped straight in and did the mahi that is needed to deliver a major event.  You’re the reason this event comes to life on the day.

SHOUTOUTS to the teams from Kāpiti Rotary, No 49 Squadron Air Cadets, Organic Wealth, Work Ready Kāpiti, Paraparaumu College, Kāpiti Community Patrol, and the ANZ Kāpiti team.  We’re so grateful for your continuous support and hard work in helping to deliver the brand of the Kāpiti Food Fair. 

A special mention goes to our tight-knit Fair Crew, often the unsung heroes carrying a massive workload behind the scenes as we lead into event day: AJ Crawshaw, Adrian Thomson, Anke Figur, Brendon King, Corran Crispe, Deb Martin, Hanna Rauch, Hayley Coetzee, Helene Judge (Co-owner), Jeanine van Kradenburg (Co-owner), Keith Wood, Kitty Fitton (and daughters), Louise Hinton, Lucy Ambrose, Marc Hamilton, Marina Thomson, Rachael Broad, Rob McCann, and Sonia Pratt.  You’re the dream team that glues everything together, a million thanks to each of you. 

We also wish to acknowledge and thank Creighton Designs for the beautiful design work throughout our campaign, and to our incredible photo and video production team capturing the magic all day: Captured By Friday Photography, Bianca-Rae Photography, Andy Snaps, Moore Visuals, and Soulhaven Creative Productions.  You are standout professionals and lovely peeps to work with, thank you. 

And to all our commercial contractors and suppliers (there’s too many to name, you know who you are!). The many businesses who support us in the lead-up and on the day, thank you so very much.  You can find the full list of suppliers over on our website. Please support them; they’re true champions of our community. 

In wrapping, we couldn't do it without our amazing sponsors.  Their generosity helps us to bring it all together to deliver a memorable and exciting food festival that brings visitors back year after year. 

PLATINUM: The Chris & Melinda Leatham Charitable Trust and Kāpiti Ice Cream

GOLD: NZME, SignCraft and Thames Pacific

SILVER: ANZ Kāpiti, Big Mac Slabs Furniture, Electra, Mike Pero Mortgages Zebunisso Alimova, and Tuatara

BRONZE: ANZIL and Flightdec 

Kāpiti Food Fair is grateful to Kāpiti Coast District Council as a recipient of the Major Events Fund since 2016.

ABOUT:

Kāpiti Food Fair is more than just a culinary event; it is a celebration of Aotearoa’s rich food culture and a chance for visitors to experience the best of what the Kāpiti Coast has to offer.  It draws visitors from across the Wellington Region and beyond, contributing to the area's tourism and hospitality sectors.  The Fair is a festive event that aligns with the start of summer, encouraging outdoor activities and the enjoyment of local cuisine in a vibrant, community and festival focused setting.

Kāpiti Food Fair was established in 2008 as a community event with humble beginnings.  Now privately owned and operated as a limited liability company with directors and shareholders, Helene Judge and Jeanine van Kradenburg, who helped conceptualise the initial event. 

The vision of the Fair is about leaving a lasting impression on food lovers.  While their mission is to bring visitors to the Kāpiti Coast for an exciting and indulgent day filled with good food, good music, and great company for all food enthusiasts, Helene and Jeanine want the Fair to be remembered as a standout food and beverage pop-up experience that sees visitors returning each year.  Creating happiness is important to Helene and Jeanine.  They want everyone to have FUN, as life is busy, so creating a moment to stop and enjoy what is happening around us, is paramount!

Contact:

Helene Judge, 027 244 9585 or Jeanine van Kradenburg, 021 605 488, contact us >>