Snowfalls good timing for winter festival
24 Jun 2008
A wintry blast that has blanketed the Southern Lakes region of New Zealand is perfect timing for the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival due to open Friday (June 27).
The ten day festival attracts about 60,000 people, including national and international visitors, for a packed programme of 60 events including concerts, balls, competitions, races, fireworks, music, comedy shows, debates and food and wine. Known for its fun and frivolous party atmosphere, the festival is now in its 35th year and heralds the start of the Southern Hemisphere winter. The event has been branded "The 10 Coolest Days in New Zealand’ and runs from June 27 - July 6.
Ideal conditions
Businesses and winter sports enthusiasts welcomed the latest snow falls which along with artificial snowmaking should mean conditions are ideal for the festival’s opening celebrations.
Coronet Peak near Queenstown is primed for its first festival event - the Outside Sports Mountain Bikes on Snow - scheduled for Saturday (28th). On Sunday the Party at the Peak includes the first night skiing of the year and a line up of musical entertainment.
Other ski fields in the region including The Remarkables Ski Field, Cardona Alpine Resort, Treble Cone, the Snow Park and Snow Farm are all currently scheduled to open within the coming week.
Plenty of off-piste action
Festival organisers say there’s plenty of entertainment on offer in Queenstown for visitors looking for action off the slopes.
First of the festival highlights is a major fireworks display and party on the opening night with a colourful street parade the next day. One of the more quirky features is ‘SkiDealsNZ.com Day on the Bay’ which involves competitors dipping in the icy waters of Lake Wakatipu in various shapes and forms. In the MoreFM Birdman event entrants try to fly in home made contraptions resulting in a variety of undignified plunges into the freezing water. Winners are those who get the highest or furthest before coming to grief.
Live entertainment includes concerts with a line up of leading Kiwi musicians including chart-toppers Evermore supported by The Checks and Opshop; multi-award winning jazz singer Hollie Smith; the reggae beats of Katchafire, plus Locean, Tahuna Breaks, Anna Whitaker and the Company Band.
Festival headquarters
There is also a brand new venue and heart for the 2008 festival, the Kawarau Falls Station Pavillion, a 600 square metre temporary structure which is a modern take on the ornate European travelling tents of the early 20th century. The pavilion will be a central venue for numerous events and a hub for international media and visitor queries.
Waste management
Waste minimisation is an important element in the management of the 2008 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival. Festival Director Sally Feinerman said Winter Festival has made a long-term commitment to minimise rubbish and maximise recycling.
"Over the past four years we’ve made it really easy for people to recycle, and this year all recycling stations will be marked by a giant feather flag beside every rubbish bin. All our festival goers have made a real effort in the past, and we’re counting on them again.
Ms Feinerman said Winter Festival was working towards becoming a Zero Waste event, and this year would be the cleanest ever.
All food stall-holders will serve food on biodegradable plates and hot drinks will be sold in biodegradable cups. The dirty plates will be collected as organic waste, and sent to a worm farm. Give away festival goodie bags will be cloth instead of the usual plastic.
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