Queenstown Winter Festival

2010's Winter Festival begins on Friday, June 25 and ends on Sunday July 4.

Winter Starts Here! There is plenty to get excited about as the Southern Hemisphere's biggest winter party, the American Express Queenstown Winterfestival gets into it from June 25th to July 4th. The Festival celebrates the beginning of winter with a jam packed 10 day programme featuring some hilarious, possibly outrageous and definitely unique Queenstown events.

There are fireworks, comedy, drag races, birdman action, jazz, food and wine, street parades, family fun, a great mix of internationally acclaimed performers and home-grown acts, a ball - and that is just in town! Up on the mountain you can catch loads of winter action with ski races, a Big Air Invitational, mountain mayhem, dog races and superb entertainment. 2010 will herald the return of many Festival favourites as well as an injection of fresh new events sure to get everyone in the party mood.

Since first being staged in 1975 by Queenstowners who thought the arrival of snow was a great excuse for a party, the 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 60,000 attendees and injects a whopping $45 million back into the local economy.

The Festival gets underway in style on Friday June 25th at the free American Express Opening Party with a spectacular fireworks display, live music, mulled wine, and plenty of laughs. Check out all the action at www.winterfestival.co.nz.