Fun shines at Queenstown Winter Festival
30 Jun 2011
It took a while but the snow has finally arrived, dusting off Coronet Peak ski area in time for the concluding days of the 2011 Queenstown Winter Festival.
Hundreds of festival-goers, holiday makers and locals let out a loud cheer yesterday (29.06.2011) as officials announced the opening of the Coronet Peak ski season.
Fresh sparkling white stuff ensured that the Speights’ Dog Derby - the festival’s longest standing event - could go ahead as scheduled at Coronet Peak on the ski season's opening day.
The notorious mad-hat event attracts high country farmers from all over the southern region to race downhill with their faithful hounds in a bid to cross the line first.
Almost 50 entrants plus their dogs took part - riding the Meadows Express chairlift before running down Coronet Peak's Big Easy ski trail.
Queenstown man Thomas Kugler and his best friend Piva were the first to cross the line in the Townie section of the Speight’s Dog Derby - Winter Festival’s longest standing event.
Biggest winter party
Billed as the southern hemisphere’s biggest winter party, the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival runs from 24 June to 3 July for 10 days, attracting thousands of visitors and locals.
And, inspite of the initial lack of snow, organisers say there’s been plenty of fun off the slopes during the festival’s packed schedule of quirky, outrageous and glamorous winter events - from street parties, parades and fireworks to live concerts, comedy and theatre.
Mini-bee Annika Simpson (4) was on hand to celebrate the opening of the 2011 Queenstown Winter Festival at the American Express Street Parade on Saturday (25.06.2011).
More FM Birdman winners - collectively known as Bounce and armed with moon-hoppers - took the leap of faith off Queenstown’s Marine Parade into the icy waters of Lake Wakatipu.
Ice action from Ice Blacks hockey players on the Wonderland Ice Rink - Mitchell Frear and and Connor Harrison take first puk.
Mardi Gras at Queenstown Winter Festival - colourful lanterns and masks light up the streets.
Background: Queenstown Winter Festival
Since first staged in 1975 by locals who thought the arrival of snow was a ‘great excuse for a party’, the Queenstown Winter Festival has evolved to forge a unique identity as New Zealand’s premier celebration of all things winter.
Now an iconic event cemented on New Zealand’s calendar, it attracts 30,000 attendees and injects a whopping NZ$50 million back into the local economy.
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