If you were wondering what all the racket was down the main street on Saturday morning from 7 – 9 am, it was the first Bangers for Breakfast event, put together by local musician and marketer Teresa Michels and DJ hype woman and multitasking mother Sarah Marshall.
So, what’s it all about, you say? Well, the idea is based on a popular morning rave event called “Morning People,” which has been a huge success across venues throughout Aotearoa for quite some time now. The reason it’s in the morning? Easy. Getting out of bed reasonably early in the morning is a win, especially on weekends. Doing something that isn’t necessarily easy but gets you moving and out of your comfort zone while connecting with other humans is all good for the brain. Starting your day with a morning rave, aka dance, will leave you with higher dopamine levels and likely to feel happier and more motivated throughout the day.
Doing something positive for mental health awareness over the winter is a big driver for the Bangers for Breakfast duo, who hope to make a positive local impact. “It’s so important for people to get out of the house and do things that make them feel good and alive over winter. I have an underlying goal with this event, which is to help reduce suicide, starting in Raglan. The goal is that we do not lose one person to suicide this winter. Being active and raising awareness is how we hope to achieve that,” said Teresa Michels.
If you decided to walk past the Town Hall to check out what the high-energy, mysterious music was all about, you would have walked into almost complete darkness and then around a corner to be exposed to a gleaming disco ball and a rainbow of lights. You would have experienced DJ Gysea charging through a range of genres such as house, funk, disco, and nostalgic morning beats, and singer/songwriter Soulti MC’n and singing morning mantras to raise the vibrations and daily dopamine levels of the adventurous ravers who dared to challenge themselves, get up early-ish to start their day with a morning rave.
Another memorable moment worth mentioning was the skit of “Leaf Blower Meets Frying Pan,” where a whole lot of epic vouchers were given away via a leaf blower to the crowd. B4B attendees were stoked to receive the generous vouchers to their favourite local eateries WYLD, The Shack & ISO Bistro & Cocktails via the leaf blower cash grab.
As well as walking into a 90s time warp of fresh and funky decor, there were balloons, laser beams, and a Buddha shrine for goodwill. People were met at the door with a free self-serve hydration station, providing high-quality and refreshing lemon/cucumber H2O. After the party was over, and the fog machine had cleared the room, Banger Bagels were whipped up in the kitchen and handed out to those who attended the first of more Bangers for Breakfast to come.
From oodles of positive feedback, Bangers for Breakfast will be back in a month, so keep your eyes peeled for details to come!
