Tokyo Prose Headlines Halloween at the Woolbrokers Pavilion

By Alyssa | WhatsOn music and nightlife writer Alyssa tracks the gigs, festivals, club nights and late-late plans worth leaving the house for.

Hawke’s Bay dancefloors rarely get more raw or immersive than Madcap’s warehouse takeovers, and The Woolshed Experience - Halloween Special Hawke's Bay edition turns one of the region’s agricultural landmarks into a subterranean rave bunker. Taking over the historic Woolbrokers Pavilion at the Hawke's Bay A&P Showgrounds in Hastings, this Halloween throwdown swaps standard club velvet for corrugated iron, high-timber rafters, and a custom heavyweight soundsystem designed to rattle the floorboards. With liquid drum and bass icon Tokyo Prose steering the late-night journey alongside rising selector MissB, it is an unapologetic collision of high-spec club production and rustic rural architecture, providing the region with an authentic underground alternative to routine spooky pub gigs.

Sub-Bass in the Shearing Shed

Stepping inside the pavilion feels immediately detached from the surrounding showground fields. The faint tang of lanolin and seasoned macrocarpa hangs beneath heavy haze machines, quickly overtaken by the thrum of oversized subwoofers warming up. Riggers dial in custom stage lighting, cutting sharp geometric beams through the expansive, industrial-scale shed roof, turning timber trusses into jagged silhouettes against strobes and deep violet floods. Musically, the night leans deep into sonic sophistication before ramping up the pressure. MissB works the early room with crisp percussion, rolled-out UK garage, and driving breakbeats that steadily pull early arrivals away from the perimeter benches and into the centre of the floor. By the time Tokyo Prose takes command, the frequencies pivot towards warm, rolling basslines and soulful, melancholic liquid drum and bass that sounds monstrous inside an acoustic space originally built for auctioning fleeces. It is dynamic, bass-heavy clubbing tuned for serious electronic music heads rather than casual radio listeners.

Hastings Underground in Full Disguise

What sets Madcap’s gatherings apart is the fiercely loyal, eclectic dance music community they assemble in provincial territory. On any regular weekend, electronic music fans across Hastings and Napier often have to make the pilgrimage to Auckland or Wellington to hear pristine, genre-leading drum and bass on a proper rig. For this Halloween run, the room fills with an energized cross-section of Hawke’s Bay night owls: hospitality workers on their night off, seasoned ravers who grew up on early 2000s jungle, and younger electronic fans leaning into full costume without losing their edge. The vibe on the floor is communal, grounded, and noticeably devoid of ego, where sweat-streaked theatrical face paint, thrifted leather, and elaborate outfits mix freely in the strobe flashes. Between sets, the sprawling outdoor perimeter becomes an open-air breathing zone where punters trade stories, compare gear, and celebrate having top-shelf club culture planted firmly on home turf.

Know Before You Go

• Secure your spot early through UnderTheRadar, as Madcap warehouse runs at the showgrounds carry strict capacity limits and door sales are never guaranteed once the floor fills.
• Costumes are heavily encouraged across the dancefloor, but remember that the Woolbrokers Pavilion is a genuine rustic agricultural venue with concrete and wooden flooring, so prioritize sturdy, closed-toe footwear over delicate footwear.
• Late October nights in Hastings turn crisp quickly once the sun goes down; take advantage of the on-site cloak area or bring a warm layer for the queue and outdoor chill-out spaces.
• Arrive close to the opening bell at 20:00 to catch MissB’s opening set and experience the venue transforming as darkness settles across the showgrounds.
• Kenilworth Road offers ample parking within the showgrounds perimeter, but if you plan on having a few drinks, arrange a local taxi or rideshare pickup well in advance, as regional drivers get heavily booked on Halloween weekend.

Make a Weekend of It

A late night on the pavilion floor demands solid fuel beforehand and an easy recovery plan the following day. Kick off your evening in Hastings Central by tackling low-and-slow smoked meats at Black Betty BBQ, where plates of tender beef brisket, ribs, and loaded sides provide the ideal foundation before the subs start kicking. If you are rolling in from Napier before heading south to Hastings, stop by Community Burgers for a quick smash burger or grab an afternoon craft pour at speakeasy hideaway Rogue Hop.

For those basing themselves in the region for the entire long weekend, balance out the dark warehouse basslines with daytime sunshine in the Havelock Hills. Book a stay or wander through the olive groves and cellar door at Black Barn Vineyards, or sit down for a refined post-party lunch at Black Barn Bistro to reset the senses over seasonal local produce. If you want to explore downtown Hastings further, take a walk past the landmark auditorium at Toitoi – Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre, or shake off the late-night fatigue with a fresh-air stroll past the seasonal waters of nearby Splash Planet before hitting the road home.

Get your crew sorted, line up your outfit, and I'll catch you by the front left speaker stack — Alyssa for What's On Hawke's Bay.