Party time at Queenstown Winter Festival
06 May 2010
Queenstown Winter Festival
25 June - 4 July 2010
New Zealand is preparing for the southern hemisphere’s biggest winter party - the 36th Queenstown Winter Festival - an iconic alpine event with a reputation for fun and frivolity.
The 10-day celebration includes on-mountain snow action, street parties, fireworks, live concerts, comedy, theatre and community events.
From small beginnings in 1975 when a group of locals decided the start of winter was a great excuse for a party, the festival has grown into an international event attracting more than 60,000 visitors each year.
This year, the Winter Festival has been ranked among the world’s Top 10 must-see festivals by Yahoo!7 Travel. As the fourth best festival in the world, Queenstown Winter Festival came in above iconic international festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls, and Munich's Oktoberfest.
Lakeside opening party
The festival kicks off on Friday 25 June with a major opening party at Earnslaw Park, beside Lake Wakatipu in the centre of Queenstown. For the first time, the entertainment will take place on a floating stage.
After the official opening, a live show will feature Pipeworkz (a unique fusion of Māori and Scottish music) and local band, Lynch Mob performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon - interspersed with fireworks.
There are three major venues for the 2010 festival - Coronet Peak, which hosts all mountain events, Downtown Queenstown centred around Earnslaw Park, and Festival HQ, also in town.
Festival highlights will include a concert starring US tenor and internationally acclaimed ‘singing policeman’ Daniel Rodriguez. He will perform ‘From Pop to Pagliacci’ alongside expat Kiwi songbirds Marla & Marissa in a one-night only (30.06.2010) performance of pop, musical theatre and light opera.
‘The Big Four’
Festival director Simon Green says the festival’s ‘big four’ events are the Masquerade Ball, Jazz Night, Thriller in the Chiller and the Comedy Gala.
The Lindauer Masquerade Ball (26.06.2010) is the festival’s most glamorous night, and this year’s theme is ‘Moulin Rouge’.
A ‘Thriller in the Chiller’ charity fight (27.06.2010) will see national celebrities and locals spar in a series of three-round bouts, under the stringent control of the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association.
The Canadian Club Comedy Gala (28.06.2010) celebrates the start of a four-night comedy extravaganza with a stand-up show hosted by funny men Ward & Tuthridge.
The gala brings together the cream of local and national comedians, and includes a live stage performance of the cult TV show, ‘7 Days’.
Mardi Gras - 'Dragon'
The Mardi Gras (29.06.2010) is a festival highlight when Queenstown is buzzing with live music, street entertainers, food stalls and crowds of people enjoying the carnival atmosphere.
‘Dragon’, one of Australasia’s most popular bands, will perform live on the floating stage at Earnslaw Park.
Lindauer Jazz night is another glitzy occasion (3.07.2010) when festival-goers ride gondolas to the Skyline complex high above the town.
Mountain action
Coronet Peak, one of New Zealand’s best-known skifields, puts aside the serious face of snow sport to embrace some gravity-powered crazy antics during the festival.
From mountain biking on the snow to a dog derby where farmers race to the top of a hill and slide down on their bottoms with their faithful hounds in tow, to the grabaseat Mountain Mayhem Day suitcase races - the festival’s mountain action wraps up on Sunday 4 July with night skiing and the closing concert featuring dDub.
Family entertainment
Family events include Cookie Time Teddy Bears’ Picnic - an afternoon of adventures, stories and fun for under-fives. The infamous MoreFm Birdman competition, Splash for Dash, Undy 500 and jetsprints in Queenstown Bay are also back on the festival programme, offering good family fun.
More entertainment throughout the 10 days includes arts and crafts markets, movies, ice hockey, street parades, violin recitals, fashion parades, dodge-ball and a ‘drag’ race of men racing in high heels and frocks.
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