Even gusty winds and an evening chill couldn’t kill the vibe at Trust House Summer Hummer on Saturday, with over 5000 people flocking to Queen Elizabeth Park sports ground in Masterton to sing, dance, eat, and enjoy some local Wairarapa bands before headline act Drax Project took to the stage.
Wairarapa’s very own LA Women returned home to perform, bringing a special guest, Christchurch indie-pop singer BEXY, on stage to join them.
Opening up the show was Masterton Intermediate’s What’s The Name? with some classic hits from the likes of Blink-182, the B-52’s, and Wheatus – prompting the growing crowd to sing and dance along.
Wairarapa College band Rampage managed to get a crowd headbanging to Metallica and Black Sabbath before Wairarapa’s Got Talent winner 13-year-old Nari Kerehi took to the stage.
Winds got rough in the early afternoon, nearly knocking down the metal fencing around the festival, but Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick stepped in to help crews strap the fence to a ute and trailer for stability.
Masterton councillor and event coordinator Stella Lennox said the day had exceeded expectations but was hesitant to confirm what Summer Hummer 2025 might look like at this stage.
Lennox said planning the event had been “tough” and that it is no secret that “times are tough financially” at the moment, but she remains hopeful that Summer Hummer will return next year.
“I hope to be back,” she said, noting that it is the support of local businesses that meant festivals like Summer Hummer can happen.
Even a few lost kids couldn’t dampen anybody’s mood after the success of the day – “they all got found”, Lennox said.
There had been plenty of support from the community for the event, including local food truck vendors, and agencies like New Zealand Police and Wellington Free Ambulance.
A NZ Police spokesperson confirmed the day had been a success, and there had only been a few minor incidents, with a group of intoxicated people removed from the area at 5.59pm after initially refusing.
Lennox said the day was an event that had been put on by the community and couldn’t have happened without their support.
She thanked the sponsors of the day, particularly Elevate Wairarapa Community Trust and naming sponsor Trust House.
On Sunday, a youth workshop was held with members of Drax Project and LA Women providing some of the region’s aspiring musicians with a range of tips, tricks, and knowledge of the New Zealand music industry.
