Winter Pride bigger than ever
Rainbows at the ready ... Winter Pride returns to Queenstown next month with a record 50-plus events on the calendar.
The annual 10-day bash runs from 25 August to 3 September this year, welcoming the LGBT+ community from across New Zealand, Australia and beyond, for the largest Pride festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
Festival owner and director Martin King, as always, wants the local community to get involved with the festivities too.
"My motto is always 'there's something for everyone on and off the snow', King says.
"We have our first ever Pride Night Ski this year, which is just going to be awesome. We'll have DJs and live drag shows up at Coronet Peak, and it is open to everyone who's up the mountain. It's a free event but obviously if you're skiing, you'll need a lift pass.
"Then, all our old favourites are back, our parties, our drag shows, some awesome community events, including the Remarkables Pride Winter Market and our charity colour fun run.
"We've got Sweat events, which are exercise events at Queenstown Events Centre, our big snow events, including the ski parade, the onesie day, which is our big ski day - lots of colour, lots of rainbows."
Daily on-mountain events alternate between The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Cardrona Alpine Resort, where the Pride Ski Flag Parade will be held on Saturday, 2 September, replacing the downtown Pride in the Park. The night ski is 1 September.
Then, after the snow, there are après ski drinks at venues across town each day, before the ticketed Pride Party Series, including the Opening Party - High School Reunion, the Pride Dinner, Leather & Lace and the Propaganda Snowball.
Community events include the Frothy & Friends Cabaret, the Out to Lunch Business Lunch, cocktails nights, a comedy night, the Drag Brunch Club, Pride Park Run and the winter market.
King says it's difficult to put a finger on how many people come to town for the festival.
"We know it's in the thousands. We generally sell somewhere in the vicinity of 7000 tickets for our ticketed events, but obviously lots of people go to multiple events."
Guest numbers are looking strong again this year, particularly from across the Tasman. Australians tend to stay on average seven to eight nights, but many come for a full 12 days. Domestic festival-goers stay on average five to six nights.
"Our Australian numbers are fantastic again, so the one thing we need to do is to remind locals to grab their tickets to events and get involved. Now's the time to start planning, the schedule is online, it's all live, and events do sell out."
King says many attendees come year after year, meeting up with friends in Queenstown from across Australia. "It's a pretty special time of year."
He's heard of no problems with people finding flights or accommodation this year, as the town bounces back from Covid.
"All those stresses have faded away. The recovery, the staff shortages, not to mention social distancing and expecting venue visits from the health inspectorate.
"I think the biggest issue for event organisers this year is the general rise in costs across the board, and the decision on how much of that we soak up versus passing it on to our guests.
"Trying to get the ticket pricing right is always a challenge but sales are solid.
"The other stress for Queenstown is the snow, but we're normally pretty lucky with where our festival falls. We usually get a really good snowfall before and generally quite good weather."
King says New Zealand doesn't experience the same anti-trans and anti-drag movement which is taking hold in the USA.
"We don't see that at all. Fortunately, the conversation is moving in the opposite direction from the US, where there is a very well-funded and loud backlash, which is really tragic and sad.
"There are still challenges but what we see with Pride Pledge, which is obviously the sibling organisation to Pride, is more and more organisations really committed to actually making a difference.
"It continues to go from strength to strength. We're delivering more training and more services, and working with more organisations every day.
"Yes, there are some loud voices, but they've always been there, and actually, they're a real minority. Most people in New Zealand, and most organisations, are really committed to change."
In the recent Ipsos Global Advisor | LGBT+ Pride 2023 survey, some 84% of Kiwis agreed "transgender people should be protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and access to businesses such as restaurants and stores", the joint highest percentage of all countries.
Some 2% of Kiwis are trans, while 10% of Kiwis are lesbian/gay/homosexual, bisexual, pansexual/omnisexual, or Asexual.
"And the other stat that came out is 61% of New Zealanders have a friend or family member who is from the LGBT+ community, the second highest in the world. That drives allyship - 'my mate's queer, or trans, or gay, so is my workmate, my flatmate', so we don't experience those phobias you see in the US.
"LGBT people are visible here and connected to our communities."
They'll certainly be visible in Queenstown next month.
"It's going to be colourful and an awesome atmosphere as usual. The street flags will go up, the buzz will come and hopefully the snow too," King says.
