Paekā kā riki set for Village Vinyl Fair
Public to dress as part of a musical genre for dance
Paekā kā riki is preparing for its annual Village Vinyl Fair and Dance — an increasingly popular event in the Wellington region.
The fair runs ahead of an evening dance that this year invites the public to dress as part of a chosen musical genre, such as goth, rocker, disco bunny, or metaller.
Paekākāriki’s DJs will take turns on the decks in quickfire dance sets at both the fair and dance.
Twelve stallholders have confirmed they’ll be selling at the fair, with more predicted to come.
Organiser and vinyl addict Val Little was delighted with the numbers who have shown interest in “our seaside village fair”.
“We may be small but with station Paekākāriki.FM and a love of music events, Paekā kā riki has become a destination for vinyl seekers and sellers.
“We’re rapt we’re now a regular on the vinyl fair circuit.”
Now in its fourth year, the Village Vinyl Fair is a relative newcomer on the Wellington vinyl fair scene, which was started 10 years ago by vinyl aficionado Si White.
White decided to bring record fairs to Wellington after seeing posts about Auckland’s burgeoning scene and he now runs fairs in venues around Wellington as well as administrating the Facebook page Vinyl Lovers of Aotearoa New Zealand, which boasts nearly 10,000 members.
“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 10th birthday last year.
Chairman of Paekākāriki Informed Community Incorporated (PICI), which hosts the radio station, website platform Paekā kā riki.nz, and other community initiatives, Mark Amery, said the proceeds help them support the “myriad of DJs across nearly 50 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.”
He said the radio station is an important link in the village for community notices and emergency information, as well as a training ground for DJs, including shows hosted by kids from the local school, where the studio is situated.
“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.”
Low-cost yummy snacks will also be available on the night.
“Paekakariki 88.2FM is looking forward to seeing the local hall filled with vinyl lovers, record collectors and dancefloor devotees on 10th February.”