Whanganui's Vintage Weekend welcomed thousands of people over the course of three days. Photo / Michael Davis
Whanganui was buzzing over the weekend as thousands flocked to the city for Vintage Weekend.
Whanganui Vintage Weekend Trust chairman Bruce Jellyman said the annual Wellington Anniversary event has defied expectations.
“It seems to still be growing, and I am surprised about it,” Jellyman said.
“You can’t expect an event of this nature to continually grow – it doesn’t work that way.
“[But] there seemed to be a heck of a lot of people in town,”
Thirty-five events were held from Friday to Monday.
Jellyman expected visitor numbers after being tallied would reveal an increase due to the “enormous amount of campervans at the racecourse and Whanganui Intermediate”.
Event organiser Fergus Reid was of the same opinion.
“It seems like there have been really great turnouts to all the events, and the vibes down the Ave on Saturday were great,” he said.
“It feels like there were more than last year, and I’ve had that feedback from a lot of people.
“Talking to some of our vendors at the market, they set records on Saturday and then broke them on Sunday, so it’s pretty awesome.”
The weekend’s action included repeats of many of last year’s events, such as the Drews Avenue Street Party, the Retro River Markets, Steampunk Cruise, River City Art Exhibition, Wheels on Victoria, Aero Day and the infamous Mainstreet Caboodle.
One new event happened to be the re-introduction of the steam locomotive, provided by Steam Incorporated, which people could ride.
“In general, anecdotally, I would say it was highly successful,” he said.
Jellyman was happy the weather lived up to what had been forecast earlier in the week, with highs of 22C and 27C for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
“Yeah, we’re clever, aren’t we?” Jellyman said.
“I mean sure, the weather would have helped with locals getting into town, but visitors just come anyway.”
Jellyman is pleased with the feedback he received.
“Visitors end up staying for longer. People from New Plymouth, Wellington and along the coast are been looking for something else to do. I’m interested [in] the numbers,” he said.
He believes the weekend is, and will continue to be, successful because of its uniqueness.
“Because the word ‘vintage’ is so broad and open, we can provide an interesting array of activities and things to do – that seems to be very attractive for the people [who] come to see.”
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