MENU
The only All Blacks tailgate in America
Kiwis in the United States don’t often get an All Blacks test on their doorstep. So when the All Blacks came to Baltimore to play the Springboks on 12 September, one Kiwi decided to borrow an American tradition and give it a New Zealand flavour: a tailgate in the stadium car park, cans and kai included.
Dion Ashton, one of the main organisers of Flat White Meetup New York, pulled this together largely on his own, and it drew Kiwis from all over. Ravi and his son came down from Boston, Emily from Washington DC, Junior from Vermont, Ray was the local in Baltimore, and Scott drove in from Des Moines with 120 beers, because he didn’t want to turn up empty-handed. Around 250 people filled Parking Lot G, many in All Blacks jerseys, caps and scarves, before marching into the stadium together for the haka.
They were joined by New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, Chris Seed, along with friends from Rocket Lab and Finch Health, among others, a reminder of how far the Kiwi community reaches across the States. It caught the eye of a few local outlets and podcasters along the way.
Icehouse Ventures put on the food and drinks. Kea and the Embassy helped spread the word. Everyone else made it what it was, turning a stretch of car park into a piece of home for an afternoon.
It started with one person and an invite. That’s often all it takes to find the Kiwis around you, wherever in the world you happen to be. Follow the Flat White Meetup on Instagram to catch the next one.
