The Martinborough Fair Markets are usually held on the first Saturdays of both 
February and March each year.

But 2022 Market has been postponed to May
The Tauherenikau venue option has been withdrawn
We are now hoping to run the Fair at Martinborough again

The Fair runs from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm each day.

For 2022 the Fair date is now set at:

Sunday 1st May

Please be patient
The world is changing, Covid is changing, our Market and its requirements may yet change - yet again!

Martinborough Fair

Virtual Market

Buy direct from Martinborough Fair stalls.

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The Martinborough Fair under the COVID Framework

While it was named the 'Martinborough Fair' at inception some 35 years ago, The Martinborough Fair does not fall under the definitions of Community Fair, or an Event under the Framework.

The Martinborough Fair is a collection of retail stalls which sell everything from craft and farm produce to jewelery and wind-chimes - with a bit of face-painting and back massage thrown in. We usually try to include buskers and some other forms of street entertainment, and occasionally an amusement arcade, but essentially the Martinborough Fair is an outdoor Market under the COVID Framework and we believe it is subject to the following rules:

What you need to know


The Market has been now been postponed to May for 2022
This does not mean that it is definitely on yet, just that we are aiming at that date.

The South Wairarapa District Council (SWDC) have decided that no events can be run in Martinborough at the RED Framework setting and have decided to categorise our market as an event under the COVID Framework regulations.

This means that the Fair will either not run at all, or might be relocated elsewhere if we are still at RED

Day remains at
Sunday 1st May

We are also investigating the possibility of a November market.
If we can get over 350 stalls, we will try to run on Saturday 26th of November

Check out the Traffic light settings Red and Orange yourself

Under the Retail  Framework guidelines:
  • All attendees are to observe 1-metre distancing
  • Masks will be mandatory for all (unless exempt)

Stallholders will also require Vaccination passes.
Individual stallholders will also be expected to develop their own COVID readiness plans based on their operation model.


With Omicron in the community, this could all change again!!


Bungy Jumping

See our FAQs

Have a question?
Check out our FAQ's first, you might just find what you are after there. 

Registration

If you want to run a stall at the Fair, and have not yet opened a user account here, please do so using the Register button above. If you already have an account, use the Log In button. Once you are registered and logged in, you will be able to apply for a stall site.

Application

To apply for a market stall, register on this site (Register button above) and then you will be able to log in and access the stall application form from October to February each year.  This will also ensure you are on our mailing list..

Bolli's Roesti stall

Stall Content

We are keen to see a predominance of NZ-made goods - the more local the better. Market stall sites are allocated with that aim in mind.

What's the Martinborough Fair all about?

Every year since 1977, the Rotary Martinborough Country Fair has attracted an increasing number of visitors who swell the population and provide a cash injection to the South Wairarapa estimated to be worth in excess of $8 million per year in immediate benefit and ongoing business and tourism profile.  
The South Wairarapa Rotary Club makes recommendations to the Fair Trust each year for the disbursement of the Fair's profits to causes and projects throughout the Wairarapa.

Earlt Martinborough Fair market day

History

Find out more

The 2-day Martinborough Fair was the brainchild of members of the Greytown Rotary Club, and in 1977 the first Fairs began in Martinborough with just 35 stalls

The Fair today

Find out more

over 500 stall holders come from all over New Zealand to participate in what is regarded as the country's pre-eminent craft market

Directions

Find out more

Find Coachlines and tour operator timetables and view a map of the area


How it works

Find out more

Everything from where it is, how to apply, and find your site, to how sites are marked out and how to identify them


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Martinborough Town

Martinborough is the administrative centre for the South Wairarapa District.

With a population of around 1800 it is the hub of the thriving and world-renowned wine growing area of South Wairarapa and hosts the famous Toast Martinborough Wine festival each November.
Many of the vineyards are on the outskirts of the town.

Martinborough's central street layout is in the form of the Union Jack centred on the Square.  The streets radiate out from the centre and are named after streets and cities visited by an immigrant named John Martin.

Mr Martin purchased a large sheep station in 1879, and  subdivided it into 593 sections in order to establish a town. Obviously memorable places in his travels were New York, Cologne, Venice, Naples, Ohio, Dublin, Strasbourg, Suez, Oxford, Cork, Panama, and Broadway.

Before Martinborough was established the southern part of the region was known as Waihenga, a point that seems to be lost at times in the history of the district. A feature is the colonial architecture, one example of which is the historic Martinborough Hotel, built in 1882.

Prior to the expansion of viticulture, Martinborough was largely a rural service town for nearby farms.

Martinborough has a large number of vineyards producing wines, notably Pinot noir. Martinborough has a warm micro-climate, with hills to the east and west. Almost all the vineyards are in thin ribbons around the northern and eastern sides of the town, and on the Dry River to the south. All follow dry riverbeds, which provide appropriate soils for viticulture.

Notable wineries include Schubert Wines, Te Kairanga, Tirohana Estate, Palliser Estate Wines, Dry River, Martinborough Vineyard, Murdoch James, Ata Rangi, Craggy RangeHarvest Estate and Escarpment.

During November, the region's wines are celebrated in the Toast Martinborough wine festival. This event temporarily enlarges the population by around 10,000.
Other industries around Martinborough focus on traditional beef and sheep farming, growing olives, lavender and nuts, and fishing at the coast settlements of Ngawi and Cape Palliser. Tourism is an important industry for the town, and the information centre is a good source of advice about accommodation, activities, wineries and where to eat.

There are numerous options for accommodation, from casual B&Bs to a five-star hotel. A small number of wineries and specialist tour operators offer vineyard tours, while there are many dining opportunities at wineries, or at the cafés and restaurants dotted around the attractive village square. A vibrant shopping precinct exists with boutique shops.