“For the record, here’s a fun fact – a person born in ‘45 was ‘33 in ’78.”
The village of Paekākāriki on the Kāpiti Coast is preparing to break a few records at its annual Village Vinyl Fair and Dance on Saturday 10 February at St Peter’s Hall. An increasingly popular event in the Wellington region.
Breaking records? Don’t be alarmed lovers of vinyl, they’re simply planning for a bigger turnout of record dealers selling their wax. The fair runs ahead of an evening dance that this year invites the public to dress as part of a chosen musical tribe – be it goth, rocker, disco bunny or metaller. Paekākāriki’s curious abundance of DJs will take turns on the decks in quickfire dance sets at both the fair and dance.
12 dealers have confirmed they’ll be selling at the fair, with more predicted to come. Organiser and unreserved vinyl addict, Val Little is delighted with the numbers who’ve shown interest in “our seaside village fair”. “We may be small but with the radio station Paekākāriki 88.2FM and our village’s love of music events, Paekākāriki has become a destination for vinyl seekers and sellers. We’re rapt we’re now a regular on the vinyl fair circuit”.
Doors for the fair open at 12 noon and it runs until 3 or 4pm, depending on the numbers showing up. But the fun doesn’t stop once the crates are packed away. From 7 until 11pm, St Peter’s Hall will be rocking with DJs of all musical persuasions, genders and experience. Tickets are $20 at the door or available at the Paekākāriki Fruit Supply.
Now in its fourth year, the Village Vinyl Fair is a relative newcomer on the Wellington vinyl fair scene, which was started ten years ago by vinyl aficionados Si White and Apa Hutt, owner of Creeps Records in Newtown. Si decided to bring record fairs to Wellington after seeing posts about Auckland’s burgeoning scene and having serious FOMO (fear of missing out). He now runs fairs in venues around Wellington as well as administrating Facebook page ‘Vinyl Lovers of Aotearoa New Zealand’, which boasts nearly 10,000 members.
Si says, “I always enjoy visiting the Paekākāriki record fair. The organisers are switched on and it’s well-run, the DJs are great and the whole event has a great vibe. I’ve never failed to walk out with a stack of good vinyl scores under my arm.”
The fair is an annual fundraiser for local iconic radio station Paekākāriki 88.2FM which celebrated its tenth birthday last year. Mark Amery, chair of Paekākāriki Informed Community Incorporated (PICI), which hosts the radio station, website platform Paekākāriki.nz and other community initiatives, says “the proceeds help us support the myriad of DJs across nearly fifty shows covering everything from pop, poetry, punk and funk, and our active programme with the village’s youth. It’s such a reflection of our village with every genre of music and entertainment covered every day between 8am and midnight.”
The radio station is an important link in the village for community notices and emergency information, as well as a training ground, including shows hosted by kids from the local school, where the studio is situated. Mark says, “This year at the dance, we’re showcasing some new talent as well as a focus on wāhine. We’ll have floor-fillers, bangers, classics and some new sounds. The promise is something for everyone to dance to.”
Yummy snacks will also available be for a low-cost.
Paekakariki 88.2FM is looking forward to seeing the local hall filled with vinyl lovers, record collectors and dancefloor devotees on 10 February.
