Saving the penguins has never looked sexier. Hoiho advocate and local musician Mario Girardet of Dibs! and Caribou is putting his money where his beak is. Over a series of seven gigs, each with an equally stacked lineup, Flipper Fest is raising money for the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust (Te Tautiaki Hoiho).
Hoiho are one of the rarest penguin species in the world. Endemic to Aotearoa, these waddlers are most commonly found on Stewart Island and the East Coast of the South Island. The Ōtepoti-based trust’s main goal is to preserve the Hoiho population while taking care of our coasts. Essentially, they hold the dream job of any environmental science student. After visiting one of the trust’s conservation centres in the Peninsula, Mario immediately thought of the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust when brainstorming a fundraiser.
Mario considers himself an outsider – not in the pretentious sense of being a tortured artist, but in the world of gig management. His first foray into gig organisation began last year through a series of three gigs under the name Flipper Fest.
Through Flipper Fest 2024, Mario learned the important lesson that students do not buy tickets in advance. Two days before the first leg, he had sold just over six tickets. Reliving his mindset the day before the show, Mario lamented, "I was pooping my pants thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, no one cares and no one's gonna come.’" Miraculously, on show day, tickets started flying out the door (huzzah! Flipper Fest was saved!). Overall, Mario expected to raise just over a thousand dollars for his efforts last year, but ended up doubling it, achieving the hearty bill of $2826.50. He hopes to exceed this record in round two of Flipper Fest.
A martyr for the penguins, Mario is sacrificing his social life for their sake. Recently, he has had to put on his organisation hat, devoting all of his free time to contacting venues, bands, sound people, radio stations, and magazines (like this one). Mario says the reality of being a showrunner is "really just talking to 60 to 70 people at once." He uses the platform of Critic Te Ārohi to apologise to everyone he has ghosted in the past month: "Sorry to my friends, I'll reply to you soon."
Mario sees himself as a champion of chalantism (opposite of nonchalant), saying it's the only way to pull big events like Flipper Fest together. "I'm so shameless with it." He never misses the opportunity to promote Flipper Fest or ask a band to join the lineup. He relishes the fact that "I've met some pretty cool people through" being chalant.
Mario has managed to dip his fingers into many pies, reaching out to every corner of Ōtepoti's music scene. From punk to folk, to hip-hop and surf rock, he has covered all the bases. "I think Dunedin needs more cross-involvement,” Mario adds. "We should cherish the fact that we're all doing music in such a beautiful city with such a beautiful history and such beautiful nature."
The repertoire of events kicked off last week with Flip-Pint Night At Home, featuring the stacked lineup of Pearly* and DJ Bax. The Wednesday arvo backyard gig was a tempting alternative to the weekly Pint Night ritual. Following the collapse of a gazebo and a threatening sky of clouds, the gig was moved across the road into the living room of another flat (the show must go on!). In a much smaller space, the backyard BBQ turned into a bumping boiler room set. Following the show, one mosher, Millie, said she "loved the vibes." She joked that her only regret of the night was "bringing a jacket." (It got toasty in there). Adding to the heat was Mario, who came out dressed in a yellow-eyed penguin suit gifted by the trust, ready and rearing to shred the dance floor.
Mario has put a lot on his plate, yet he somehow manages to think big and do better. Looking to the future, Mario says, “Even when I leave the city I want Flipper Fest to stay. I don't think Flipper Fest should ever leave.”
Help save the Hoiho while having a boogie. If you missed Flip-Pint Night at Home, Mario’s got shows scheduled on the 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, and 15th of August. Check out @flipper.fest on Instagram to see who’s playing and where.