Queenstown gears up for 10 days of fun
Winter Pride 2025 is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet, with ticket sales already well ahead of last year and thousands of visitors expected to join Queenstown’s 10-day rainbow celebration.
Festival director Sam Coulthard says more than 2,100 tickets have been sold so far for its various events, with 46% of attendees travelling from Australia, around 47% from New Zealand, and the remainder from overseas.
"Last year we had 4,000 people scan onto the ski fields for our on-mountain events,” Coulthard says. “This year’s pre-sales are looking fantastic, so we might have even more."
A big factor has been a new ticketing system with Humanitix, allowing buyers to purchase multiple events in a single checkout. “It’s much smoother and people are booking earlier."
The festival gets underway this Friday, 15 August, and hosts 42 events over its 10-day run, closing Sunday, 24 August.
The Hotel Lavender Lounge circus and cabaret show hits the Memorial Centre on the first Saturday night, honouring dance culture and bringing the disco vibes. It features circus, cabaret, aerial, dance, burlesque, a horse and maybe a bathtub.
There's also a spectacular closing party planned, Heaven & Hell, which takes over both World Bar and Yonder in a split-venue concept.
On-mountain events run on eight of the 10 days, at either The Remarks, Coronet Peak or Cardrona, including the new Superhero Day at Cardrona on the second Saturday.
Other highlights include Pride in the Lane – the new, more intimate version of Pride in the Park, now in Church Lane; the Fierce Farm Yard dinner and drag show at Walter Peak; and Camp Bass – a drum & bass night bringing Optimus Gryme out of retirement, plus Twin Flames.
Winter Pride brings in more than $5 million to the region each year and also strengthens community ties through its Pride Pledge campaign, with rainbow flags across the CBD, and shopfront displays.
Those flags made headlines last year after vandals puled them down. But the replacements – a $12,500 job supported by $5,000 in public donations – are now flying again and the culprits, identified as Australian nationals, have been flagged at the border to prevent them from returning.
"It's great to have the flags back. It really makes the event feel present in town," Coulthard says. "You see the colours everywhere, on the streets, on the mountain, in shop windows."
While co-director Odette Rose has moved on, the festival team has grown, with dedicated managers for community events, talent, admin, and volunteers. "It makes a huge difference," Coulthard says. "I’m not chasing every problem personally – it’s a real team effort."
And while Pride is the focus, Mother Nature has also come to the party, with a fresh dump of snow just in time for some epic on-mountain events. "We’ve been waiting for this snow for a long time. It’s perfect timing to ramp up the excitement."
Find the full calendar here: winterpride.co.nz/festival-guide/
