Toast Martinborough 2026

What it is

Toast Martinborough is the Wairarapa’s best-known day out: a celebration of wine, small-batch gin, food and live music in Martinborough, a small wine village at the bottom of the North Island. The festival has a 30-year history and has always marked the start of summer on the same late-spring weekend in November.

2026 is a new era. For most of its life Toast was a multi-venue festival where people moved between vineyards. It is now a single-site festival held exclusively at The Runholder, with invited wineries and food partners all in one place. The organisers say the change makes the day more relaxed and easier to get around. The festival also moves from Sunday to Saturday, which gives you Sunday to travel home.

What to expect on the day

Expect a hillside by the vines, shade under the trees, tasting tents, a main stage and plenty of open grass. Everyone gets a Spiegelau stemmed wine glass on arrival to keep; a lost or broken glass costs $15 to replace at the Te Kairanga Wine Bar.

The 2026 wineries include Martinborough Vineyard, Te Kairanga, Vavasour, Mt Difficulty, Craggy Range, Escarpment, Palliser Estate, Halite Wines, Big Sky, Schubert Wines, Champagne Taittinger and Ata Rangi. Lighthouse Gin pours gin and tonics and Martinborough Brewery has local craft beer.

The music runs all afternoon:

• 12 pm gates and bars open, The BeatGirls start the day with retro dancefloor hits
• 2.30 pm Sir Dave Dobbyn plays his singalong Kiwi anthems
• 4 pm festival entry closes
• 4.25 pm Sweet Mix Kids close the day
• 6 pm bars close and the festival finishes

DJ Takas keeps things going between sets. Plan to arrive early: entry is first come, first served with a valid ticket, and you cannot get in after 4 pm.

Who it suits

Groups of friends, couples and anyone who enjoys wine with a big singalong. It is strictly R18, so it is not one for families, and pets are not allowed.

Tickets and booking

Toast sells out. In 2026 the mailing-list pre-sale opened on 24 June and public tickets went on sale on 26 June through iTICKET. General admission was $123 and the VIP experience in The Runholder Cottage was $549, both plus iTICKET fees. Every ticket type, including the return buses, has now sold out.

There is no official resale platform. If you buy from a third party you risk a fake or duplicate ticket, and duplicates will not get in. For 2027, join the festival mailing list in autumn so you get the pre-sale link.

Getting there

Martinborough is about 80 km from central Wellington, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes by car over the Remutaka hill (an estimate; allow longer on festival day). Wellington Airport is the nearest major airport.

• Festival buses: return Go Bus services ran from Wellington ($60) and from Masterton, Carterton, Greytown and Featherston ($30). Sales have closed for 2026.
• Free shuttle: runs every 10 minutes between Martinborough Square and The Runholder from 11.45 am to 6.30 pm. No ticket needed.
• Taxis: there are no Uber services in the Wairarapa. The festival lists local firms (Green Jersey, Masterton Shuttles, Carterton Shuttles, Martinborough Shuttles and Remutaka Shuttles). Book early.
• Driving: free parking at Martins Vineyard across the road from the entrance, and you can leave your car overnight. Police run checkpoints on the roads after the event, so only drive if you have a sober driver.

Where to stay

Martinborough books out quickly on Toast weekend. The organisers suggest looking further afield in Greytown, Featherston, Carterton or Masterton, or asking the Martinborough i-SITE for help. Martinborough Square is the hub for the free shuttle, so anywhere within walking distance of it is ideal.

Food and drink

Food is part of the tasting experience, with vendors around the site and a VIP menu from The Runholder kitchen. The event is cashless: bars and food stalls take EFTPOS, credit card and PayWave. Every bar has low and no-alcohol options, including drinks from Almighty and Antipodes and low-alcohol beer from Martinborough Brewery, and there are free water stations.

What to bring and wear

It is late spring in the Wairarapa, which can mean hot sun or a passing shower. The organisers recommend sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, and a poncho if rain is forecast. Comfortable shoes help on the grass and the hillside. You can bring a picnic blanket or chairs.

Rules and accessibility

• R18 with photo ID, and bags are checked at the gate. Any alcohol is confiscated.
• Smoking is not permitted on site.
• Martins Road and Martinborough Square are alcohol-free zones, so you cannot carry drinks off site.
• No pets.
• Staff wear green Crew t-shirts, and St John first aid and security are on site if you need help.

Make a trip of it

Martinborough is an easy add-on to a Wellington stay: see our things to do in Wellington guide. If you are heading on to the South Island afterwards, read our Cook Strait ferry comparison before you book a crossing.