Pride baton passed on
After six years at the helm, Winter Pride owners Martin King and Mike Hughes have sold the festival to new owners.
Queenstown-based Sam Coulthard and Odette Rose have taken the reins of what is the biggest Pride festival in the southern hemisphere.
They'll operate the 10-day bash for 2024 and beyond, under their company Winter Pride Limited, after buying festival company South Pacific Pride Ltd from King and Hughes.
Dates for 2024 have been confirmed, with the slightly earlier window of 23 August to 1 September.
King says the festival is in great shape, with a record year of attendance and ticket sales in 2023, as well as business and community participation, with more than 4300 people hitting the slopes for the first ever Pride in the Snow at Coronet Peak skifield.
"It feels like the right time to pass it on," King says.
"Our vision has always been to grow and expand the festival, but my husband and I have moved up to Auckland for family reasons, and we believe it needs someone local to run it, someone on the ground with those relationships, for it to be authentic.
"Everything has a time and a place, and we think it needs fresh blood to evolve it to what it needs to be for future generations. We know Sam and Odette can do that."
King says the social enterprise Pride Pledge has also grown into a significantly sized organisation, with work around the country promoting inclusion for LGBTTQ+ people in communities, workplaces and organisations.
"Winter Pride was becoming a smaller component of what we do, so we needed to find it a new home."
Pride in the Snow at Coronet Peak was a huge hit this year
King and Hughes have been popular owners for the festival, which wrapped up on 3 September after celebrating its 20th year in the resort, with a record 50 events.
They'll work with Coulthard and Rose over the next six months as a hand over, setting the festival up for 2024.
Coulthard and Rose say they're "deeply honoured to take the reins from Mike and Martin, who have dedicated six remarkable years to nurturing and growing this incredible festival".
They plan to build on the festival's legacy of success and growth.
"We hope to inject fresh energy and innovative ideas into the festival to evolve it into the future, including expanding our reach and attracting participants and visitors from around the world."
Coulthard has been involved with the festival for years, as the technical manager, and has a diverse background, steeped in performing arts. He's a prominent wedding and corporate DJ in Queenstown, and also spent a decade working as a truck driver, where he found acceptance and support from his colleagues in what is a traditionally masculine workplace.
He and Rose have been friends for more than 15 years. Both are from Christchurch, originally.
"We've always been there for each other and just work really well together," Coulthard says.
"We know taking on the festival will be stressful but we just seem to get things done together."
They both have a passion for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly locally, and aim to make Pride "even more inclusive and welcoming to all members of the LGBTQ+ community".
"Overall, we aspire to elevate Winter Pride to international acclaim while maintaining its essence and quality."
Pride's new owners Sam Coulthard and Odette Rose
