Kāpiti Food Fair 2026
Description
You are invited to Kāpiti Food Fair 2026. Make a day of it, Saturday 5 December, Mazengarb Reserve Paraparaumu, RAIN or SHINE!
Gather your friends and whānau, plan your destination getaway, secure your accommodation and VIP parking early, and get ready to savour the flavours, sounds, and spirit of summer at Kāpiti Food Fair.
Kāpiti Food Fair is where great food, great people, and great summer memories come together. As one of the Wellington region’s most anticipated food festivals, it offers a vibrant celebration of New Zealand’s food culture, bringing together the very best producers, artisans, chefs, entertainers, and food lovers for an unforgettable destination day out.
Visitors can sample and shop their way through an exciting United Nations of flavours, discovering artisan products, boutique beverages, handcrafted treats, international street food, fresh produce, specialty ingredients, and unique home and kitchen products. It is a place to try, buy, eat, drink, relax, and uncover new favourites.
On the menu for 2026 ……. up to 10,000+ visitors, 250 vendor sites including a Kāpiti Artisan Producer Zone, an off-licence Liquor Zone, a Licenced Bar & Main Stage, the Seriously Pickled Kāpiti Kitchen Stage, the Kāpiti Ice Cream Dining Room, FREE kid’s zone, ZEAL Zone buskers, roving street performers & much more!
GETTING THERE:
Walk | Bike | Drive | FREE bus from Paraparaumu Railway Station
ALL WELCOME + crowd friendly dogs on lead
Kāpiti Food Fair Site Map is smoke & vape FREE
TICKET COSTS
EARLY BIRD by 8 Nov:
$18 Adults | $13 Gold Card or Student ID (+ booking fees)
STANDARD from 9 Nov:
$23 Adults | $18 Gold Card or Student ID (+ booking fees)
AT GATE:
$30 Adults | $25 Gold Card or Student ID (Eftpos ONLY)
FREE up to 12 years ANYTIME
PARKING OPTIONS: $13 VIP & Gold Coin
MERCHANDISE: $3 Bags (not sold online)
NOTE: Humanitix booking fees will be added to the cost of your ticket and paid at check-out. Booking fees cover Humanitix costs, and everything else goes to their education projects that help to change lives. Kāpiti Food Fair supports Manaiakalani Education Trust for Māori, Pasifika, and disadvantaged learners in Aotearoa to increase student outcomes and get equal access to digital education.
MAIN STAGE – Announcing soon!
9:45 AM Official Mayoral Opening
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
10:45 AM – 11.15 AM
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
TOP TIPS for a FANTASTIC DAY:
Have your VIP parking and gate entry tickets ready for scanning.
Bring a gold coin for parking koha donations if VIP parking is not purchased.
Pack a hat and sunscreen – complimentary SPF is available if you need it.
Bring a picnic blanket to relax, enjoy the ambiance, and savor treats, plenty of seating and a shaded picnic zone under the trees!
BYO your own chair and a chilly bin for purchases.
Plan your foodie route with the Site Map – Browse the Site Map now >>
Visit the Licenced Bar (EFTPOS ONLY) and Main Stage and relax over a local craft brew, wine, cocktails and delicious cider while enjoying the party vibe of the rhythmic grooves all day long! Children welcome with parent or guardian.
MOST vendors accept EFTPOS or bank transfer. BYO cash as there is no ATM.
Whether attending with friends, whānau, workmates, or a foodie tribe, there is truly something for everyone. Families can enjoy the welcoming festival atmosphere, food enthusiasts can explore emerging culinary trends, and Christmas shoppers can get a head start on seasonal gifting while stocking the pantry for summer entertaining. Every corner of the event is designed to create joy, spark curiosity, and encourage people to connect through shared experiences.
THANK YOU SPONSORS
The Fair is a commercial event however we have a social agenda too. We choose to support Kāpiti Community Patrol, No 49 Squadron Air Cadets, Paraparaumu College, and Work Ready Kāpiti. We contract their services to help run key logistics like visitor entry, crowd security and waste minimisation. In 2025 we achieved a remarkable 98% waste diversion from landfill. In 2026 we will work towards achieving the same result.
Kāpiti Food Fair Ltd is privately owned and operated by Helene Judge and Jeanine van Kradenburg. The Fair reserves the right to use any image captured by our official photographer for promotional purposes in any media, in perpetuity without compensation, unless not consented.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
