Wellington Zinefest

Market Info + FAQ

Wellington Zinefest 2026 -- Stallholder Info

WHEN: 31st October + 1st November

11am - 4pm both days

WHERE: Victoria University School of Design Innovation
139 Vivian St, Te Aro

What to have on your stall

- At least 51% of the stuff on your table should be zines.

- We encourage you to be open to trading; we will supply "open to trade" stickers.

- Zine-adjacent ephemera (such as stickers, prints, badges) can also be marked 'open to trade' and/or sold.

- Items sold at Wellington Zinefest must adhere to our code of conduct, which prohibits the sale of material which is deemed discriminatory or offensive. R18 content is fine as long as it adheres to the code of conduct, though bear in mind that there may be children at the market. We recommend you sticker any R18 content.

Applying for a table

We always get more people wanting to table at our zine markets than we can fit, so get in early to get a spot and the day you want.

Once we have reached capacity, you will be able to sign up to the waitlist and we will be in contact if spots become available.

If you don't get a table, you can still bring your zines to trade! Or leave them for sale at the community table.

Stalls

We'll provide tables and chairs for you to use for your stall, and we'll have these set up before you arrive. Each 'stall' is half of a large trestle-style table. The tables are approx. 1.8 m wide, so your stall will be approx. 0.9m wide. There's only room for two people, max, on each stall. We'll have plenty of extra chairs if you need them. It costs $5 to have a stall at this market.

Only groups / clubs / distros can request a 'full' table. We're trying to fit in as many individual zinesters as possible. Let us know on your application form. It costs $10 to book a full table.

Payment can be made to Wellington Zinefest (38-9011-0047753-00), using your full name as the reference.

We will have an accessibility hour between 11am-12pm both days (low stim, less crowds). If you have any specific accessibility needs, let us know on your application form.

Venue

We're lucky to have the support of our hosts,

Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka - School of Design Innovation Te Kura Hoahoa.
139 Vivian St, Te Aro.

The venue, and its bathrooms, are wheelchair accessible. Because it's the center of town, parking can sometimes be tough to find, so if you're driving do allow time for that.

Packing in/packing out

Stallholders are asked to arrive from 10am in preparation for an 11am start. You'll have the time between 10 and 11am to find your table and set everything up.

The market closes at 4pm, please pack down your stall in a timely manner afterwards :)

What to bring

The key things for you to bring are your zines and a cash float. We also recommend bringing some signage which describes the names and prices of your zines. We'll have trading stickers for you at the market! People often pay with bank transfer, rather than cash, so some signage with your bank account number on can be really helpful.

Stallholders often like to decorate their stalls with table coverings and stands. These aren't essential but they can be fun. You can check out the photo galleryif you'd like some inspiration.

Lastly, we'd recommend bringing some snacks and water to keep you going throughout the day.

Cancellations

Understandably, sometimes our stallholders need to pull out of participating in the market for various reasons.

With enough notice, we can offer your spot to someone else and give you a refund. Please contact us at wellingtonzinefest@gmail.com

Awards

We have already lined up an absolute stellar group of zine experts who will judge zines in these categories:

* Perzine
* Comedy
* Trans
* Te Ao Māori
* Info
* Poetry
* Comics
* Political
* Art

Win one of them categories and you will be up for Best of the Fest!

Prizes will be awarded at the official Zinefest After Party, more deets to come!!!

FAQ

How do I know which zines are open for trades?
We will print out 'this zine is open for trades' stickers for each stallholder to put on the zine(s) on their table. But also - just ask!

What is accessibility hour?
This is a chance for any visitors who can't attend when our markets are crowded. We'll have no music and try to maintain a low-stimulation environment. We ask that our stallholders keep this laid-back atmosphere going by not hard-selling any of their work during this hour.

Will there be a community table?
Yep, we will have a community table.
You can bring your zines on the day (or get a friend to) and leave them on the table with your price(s) and bank details (so people can pay you directly) and we will look after the table during the market. Then you can collect any leftover zines at the end, any leftovers will be added to our zine stash.

What about the big trade table?
Yes, the giant table with our zine stash will be there and you can leave a zine to take a zine.