
Throughout the
Weekend

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Bookseller Stalls
in the Marquee
Saturday & Sunday 9am–5pm
Marquee outside Anzac Hall
Booksellers of second-hand, self-published and antiquarian books from around New Zealand fill up the Booksellers' Marquee outside the Anzac Hall over the Festival to offer you exquisite moments of fossicking for your future reading pleasure.

Literary Trail around Featherston including
the Story Walk ®
Saturday & Sunday
Around Featherston
Combine a spot of exercise with literary fun and take the family for a trot around Featherston including the Story Walk® at the Joy Cowley Children's Playground curated by Featherston Booktown volunteer extraordinaire, Shara and her band of helpers.
View our PDF Trail Map with QR codes for more information.

Mini Fell Engine
is on Track
Saturday & Sunday
10am–2pm, Clifford Square
(weather permitting)
Interest in miniature trains is huge and world-wide. Discover the joy of riding the rail on a mini-reproduction of an historic Fell engine – great fun for adults and children alike. Then pop over the road to the Fell Engine Museum and see the last remaining Fell engine in the world. Expand your understanding of this fascinating piece of our history by talking to like-minded enthusiasts. The museum is located on the corner of State Highway 2 and Lyon Street in the centre of Featherston.

Joy of Tea
and Books
Saturday 10am–4pm
Mrs Hope's Second Chance Emporium window
Come explore the Book-themed window displays created by Beverley McNally.

Pop-up Bookshop
on the Main Drag
Saturday & Sunday
50 Fitzherbert St, Featherston
There's always room in Featherston for more bookshops! Pop in to the pop-up bookshop next to the new Messines on the main street (where the old Tattoo shop used to be).

Booktown
Buskers
Saturday & Sunday
Various locations
(see schedule in the section below)
We’ll have buskers to entertain you. They're playing for the love of it, so if you like what you hear why not give them some koha – preferably cash. There’ll be music for everyone from folk, bluegrass and waiata to classics, jazz and blues. If you arrive by train there's likely to be a welcome from the South Wairarapa Pipe Band.

St Teresa's Featherston Booktown Market
Saturday 10am-2pm
St Teresa's School
Each St Teresa's class will be taking part in the Featherston Booktown Market raising funds for some exciting class trips and for purchasing valuable learning resources. The stalls will be run by teachers, students, whānau and our fundraising team Friends of St Teresa's Association (FOSTA). We will have delicious curry and loaded nachos for sale, the best-ever preserves (world-famous in Featherston, yummy baking plus tea and coffee in our Cafe.

Featherston
Saturday Market
Saturday 9am–12.30pm
33 Fitzherbert St
Featherston Market runs every Saturday, rain or shine, from 7:30am to nearly 2pm, providing fresh produce, fine food producers, innovative creators and much more. Take in the great atmosphere, amazing food and community spirit. You’ll find the market at 33 Fitzherbert Street, through the gates at the back of the Lang's carpark, beside The Baker.

Paint a Mural at
The Bakehouse
All weekend
The Bakehouse, 4 Wakefields St
The outline of a large mural painting has been outlined on a wall at The Bakehouse just off Fitzherbert St and 30 metres up Wakefields Street. Give us a hand to enliven it with colour!

Country
Tea & Cakes
Saturday 9.30am–3.30pm
Sunday 9am–11.30am
Supper Room, Anzac Hall Complex
Our tea room in the Anzac Hall is a vital element of the magic that is the Featherston Booktown Festival. All the food is lovingly handmade and served by a group of local volunteers who've supported the Festival in this wonderful way since the very beginning. Their club sandwiches, cheese scones, cupcakes and slices are legendary.

Mini Fell Engine
is on Track
Saturday 9am–4pm
Sunday 9am-3pm
Featherston School
Featherston School will be running fundraising activities outside the School Hall including a sausage sizzle, baked goods and some raffles. And, in honour of the Dononvan Bixley Children's event, we will be busing out the candy floss machine at 2pm on Saturday - an old school, surefire hit with the kids!

Pop-Up Aratoi
Museum
Saturday 9.30am-12pm
Featherston Library
Masterton's main Art Gallery will be putting in a 'pop-up' appearance on Saturday morning along at the Featherston Library.

Featherston Vinyl Club at the Waimarie
Sunday 4.30pm–late. Free.
Waimarie Eatery and Bar.
Finish off the Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival 2025, listening to a few records being spun by our local Vinyl aficionados - with a well-earned pint, some kai and your own pile of books to thumb through.
Busker Schedule

The Dickensian Bookshop and Tea Rooms
Saturday 11.30am-12pm
David Famularo
Saturday 2pm-2.25pm
Smash on guitar
Sunday 11.30am-12pm
Alan Downes
Sunday 1.10pm-1.30pm
Smith Trio (solo)
Sunday 2.30pm-3pm
Smith Trio

Chicken & Frog
Bookshop
Saturday 10.30am-11am
Abigail & Hannah
Saturday 12.45pm-1.15pm
David Famularo
Sunday 12.45pm-1.15pm
Featherston Winds
Sunday 2.30pm-3pm
Geoff Shaw

Featherston
Railway Station
Saturday 10.50am-11.05am
South Wairarapa Pipe Band

Outside the
Anzac Hall
Saturday 10.30am-11am
Smash on guitar
Saturday 3pm-3.30pm
Alan Downes
Sunday 10.30am-11am
Geoff Shaw
Sunday 12.45pm-1.15pm
Alan Downes
Sunday 2.30pm-3pm
The Kingston High Allstars
Sunday 4.35pm-5pm
The Kingston High Allstars

Featherston
Town Squircle
Sunday 12.30pm-1.30pm
The Kingston High Allstars

Te Kura o Paetūmōkai Featherston School Hall
Sunday 1.10pm-1.30pm
Smith Trio (solo)
Sunday 2.00pm-2.25pm
Featherston Winds

Featherston Fresh
Choice Supermarket
Saturday 10am-10.25am
Smash on Guitar
Saturday 11am-11.25am
South Wairarapa Pipe Band
Sunday 10.30am-11am
Smash on guitar
Sunday 11.30am-12pm
David Famularo
Sunday 1.10pm-1.30pm
Smith Trio (solo)

Loco Coffee & Books
& Messines Bookshop
Saturday 10.15am-10.45am
Featherston Winds
Saturday 11.30am-12.00pm
Alan Downes
Sunday 10.30am-11am
David Famularo
Sunday 12.45pm-1.15pm
Geoff Shaw
Sunday 2.30pm-3pm
Smash on guitar