All aboard for a bumper weekend | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

What is shaping up to be one of the busiest Wellington Anniversary weekends in Wanganui is just a taste of the excitement that will descend on the city during its hosting of an international car rally in January next year.

Today's vintage car event, the Burma Rally, is providing an opportunity for the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand to see, on a smaller scale, how the VCC Rally 2012 may play out in less than 12 months' time.

That event, which will run for 10 days, was expected to attract more than 30,000 people and inject around $8 million into the local economy, race director Bruce Hutton said.

Already, 340 rooms have been booked to provide accommodation in the city during the rally, and demand will be high, given an anticipated 4000 participants from all over the world.

Mr Hutton hopes the momentum that results from the international event will motivate local businesses and promote the River City as a great place to visit.

Weather-wise, things are shaping up nicely for the holiday weekend, with MetService forecasting no rain until Tuesday and temperatures expected to sit around 20C on each day of the long weekend.