Run by SW Rotarians for 49 years the Martinborough Fair is a premier two-day, biennial craft market held on the first Saturday of February and March in the Martinborough Town Square.
It was founded in 1977 by the Greytown Rotary Club. Conceived by Rotarian Bill Fetch in 1972, it was inspired by German village markets to support local charities and artisans. It began with 35 stalls and has grown into one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest, featuring over 500 stalls selling New Zealand-made goods to 25,000+ visitors.
The stalls were all on the green and the stallholders could set up there anywhere they liked. How things have changed!
These days we have to contend with traffic management, council requirements, responsible management of rubbish and much more. A dedicated fair crew have been working hard for months to bring everything together for the upcoming fairs.
This week the wider South Wairarapa Rotary army started the ball rolling on prep for the big day.
Marking out is a biggie. This requires getting the floor plan in place during normal day to day life in Martinborough so that over 400 stalls can arrive in the wee hours Saturday to set up! It is no small task.
Then comes the big day. There is marshalling from those early hours to support the stall holders arriving from all corners of New Zealand. Then comes game time; there are toilets to clean, rubbish to collect, information to be shared and so much more!
It began with 35 stalls and has grown into one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest, featuring over 500 stalls selling New Zealand-made goods to 25,000+ visitors.
Most importantly all profits are distributed back to the South Wairarapa Community.
The next fair is on Saturday 7th March we hope to see you there!
