Taste Whanganui Festival to build on last year’s reintroduction

Taste Whanganui Festival organiser Gioia Damosso says the event enables people to gather and enjoy Whanganui's finest food, beverages and entertainment.

The Taste Whanganui Festival returns for the second time in a row, aiming to rebuild after tough two years of Covid-19.

The festival was first held in 2020 and was received well by the Whanganui public, which had been lifted from lockdown.

However, the festival had to be cancelled the following two years because it was unable to go ahead financially and physically, Taste Events founder Gioia Damosso said.

“It was a tricky time, but last year we cracked back into it and it went really well,” Damosso said.

“We just want to build off last year’s event.”

The 2024 Taste Whanganui Festival will be held in Majestic Square on Saturday, December 14.

There will be 14 vendors on display plus music entertainment with a mix of local and New Zealand products.

Damosso said Whanganui was still earning its worth as a food and beverage city.

“We’ve got an amazing, creative city, but food and beverage hasn’t been a real focus for Whanganui until recently.

“Now there’s stuff happening all the time - it’s really cool seeing it growing in the way it has.”

Damosso grew up around food and beverages because her family owned several Italian restaurants in the area, and she attributes her desire to create Taste Whanganui to that background.

“Yeah, it’s only one event and one day, but what we’re seeing now is that through these boutique restaurants, cafes, bars and events it’s creating this atmosphere of Whanganui having cool stuff with cool people.

“It works in smaller cities where they’re not quite big enough to sustain a large festival, but still want to have something like this.”

Damosso hoped her event would give people the chance to get together and enjoy the finest food, beverages and entertainment Whanganui had to offer.

“I’d like to see a wonderful sunny day and lots of people enjoying themselves.”

“Gathering is an important part of wellbeing. People coming together is good for us – it is well proven and in a wider sense, it’s also attracting people into the town and giving that sense of vibrancy.”