Visit Global Hotel Alliance Rydges Lakeland Resort Queenstown
38-54 Lake Esplanade, Queenstown, New Zealand
+64 3 442 7600
What's On
RYDGES \ HOTELS & LOCATIONS \ QUEENSTOWN RESORT \ LOCAL AREA \ WHAT'S ON \ TSS EARNSLAW CENTENARY CELEBRATION
Coming Up...
The TSS Earnslaw, Queenstown's iconic vintage steamship turns 100 years old on 18 October 2012.
Launched by New Zealand Rail in 1912, the TSS Earnslaw is the last surviving and grandest steamship to have ever graced Lake Wakatipu. Named after Mount Earnslaw (the highest peak in the region), she is 168 feet in length, 24 feet across the beam and weighs 330 tonnes
To mark this historic occasion we're throwing a week long party and everyone's invited! With everything from special lake cruises, period costumes, bands, entertainment, food and lots of activities for the family, this is an event not to be missed.
So come join the festivities at the TSS Earnslaw Centenary Celebrations from the 14-22 October 2012 in Queenstown and be a part of a once in a life-time experience!
21 JUN - Queenstown Winter Festival 2013
21 JUN - American Express Opening Party & Fireworks
22 JUN - American Express Festival Street Parade
23 JUN - Coronet Peak Skin to the Summit
23 JUN - MORE FM Day on the Bay
23 JUN - MORE FM Birdman
26 JUN - Downtown Day
29 JUN - Thriller in the Chiller
29 JUN - Mountain Mayhem
01 JUL - Ski Season 2013
03 AUG - Peak to Peak
12 AUG - Winter Games 2013
31 AUG - Gay Ski Week QT
25 OCT - Queenstown JazzFest 2013
21/06/2013 - 30/06/2013
Queenstown Winter Festival 2013
Icons don't just happen overnight; the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival 2013 has been 39 glorious years in the making.
Way back in 1975 a bunch of locals decided that the start of winter was a great excuse to have a party. They organised races on the mountain and in town, lollies for the kids, beers for the grown-ups, a concert or two and a town-wide ball, all of which made the Festival a great success. News spread quickly and the next year people came from further afield to join the festivities.
Since then the Festival has evolved into New Zealand's biggest winter party and some say the biggest winter party in the Southern Hemisphere! It's a 10 day celebration of Queenstown's unique culture and community with street parties, fireworks, international and local acts, jazz, comedy,a Mardi Gras, family fun, and plenty of Mountain Mayhem.
Town will be a-buzz with around 45,000 people celebrating the arrival of winter in true Queenstown style.
WINTER STARTS HERE and we're proud of it! BOOK ACCOMMODATION NOW!!
Dates for the 2013 Festival have just been confirmed: 21st - 30th June 2013
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz/home/festival/
21/06/2013
American Express Opening Party & Fireworks
Queenstown is proud to welcome New Zealand music legend Dave Dobbyn, here to help us celebrate the start of winter!
Hosted by the hilarious Paul Ego and Urzila Carlson and supported by some amazing local talent, it’s a magical evening with the annual fireworks display lighting up our little Slice of Heaven, revealing big grins under bobbled hats.
Be sure to wrap up warm, grab some hearty tucker from our food stalls and sing-along to all your favourite Dave Dobbyn classics!
Fireworks time: 7pm
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
22/06/2013
American Express Festival Street Parade
Come on down to watch the streets of Queenstown come alive with a colourful parade of floats, festivity and dancers!
Come on down to watch the streets of Queenstown come alive with a colourful parade of floats, festivity and dancers! Queenstown businesses, community groups, super heroes and Festival sponsors dedicate a huge amount of time and energy to create this awesome spectacle so bring the whole family down to join the crowd and have some fun!
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
23/06/2013
Coronet Peak Skin to the Summit
Drag yourself out of bed after Saturday's celebrations for an amazing dawn experience.
Drag yourself out of bed after Saturday's celebrations for an amazing dawn experience. Headlamps and determination are essential if you want to get stuck in to this fun and challenging event, which starts from the Coronet Peak Base Building.
Give it a shot and be rewarded for your efforts with a glorious sunrise and generous prizes. This is a true adventure for early risers!
$15 includes a free coffee - FREE to watch
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz/programme/sunday-june-23th/coronet-peak-skin-to-the-summit/http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
23/06/2013
MORE FM Day on the Bay
Combine icy cold weather, freezing cold waters, wacky events and even wackier competitors and you've got the legendary MoreFM Day on the Bay.
Combine icy cold weather, freezing cold waters, wacky events and even wackier competitors and you've got the legendary MoreFM Day on the Bay. After the More FM Birdman sets the scene, the day continues with crowd-pleasing favourites like the Vincent Holdings Jet Sprints, Quiksilver Paddle Board Race, Mophie Splash and Dash and the Jelly Belly Bean Boozled Undy500.
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
23/06/2013
MORE FM Birdman
Don’t worry – the Festival favourite is back!!! Wet, wild and totally out of control, the MoreFM Birdman kicks off this year’s MoreFM Day on the Bay!
Don’t worry – the Festival favourite is back!!! Wet, wild and totally out of control, the MoreFM Birdman kicks off this year’s MoreFM Day on the Bay! Watch as hilariously dressed thrill-seekers launch themselves off Queenstown Wharf into the freezing cold waters of Lake Wakatipu – all in the name of fun! This event is one of Festival’s longest standing events and is 100% definitely not to be missed!
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
26/06/2013
Downtown Day
Join in the amused and bemused crowds for the year’s best lunch break!
Join in the amused and bemused crowds for the year’s best lunch break! Watch the tastiest twist on the good old egg and spoon race you’ve ever seen - the Cup & Cake Challenge – and laugh as the QRC Hospitality Race sees teams from Queenstown’s top hotels compete to be crowned the ‘Hosts with the Most’.
But there’s (thankfully) only one MoreFM Drag Race, putting the ‘Queen’ in Queenstown for the past two decades. ‘Ladies’ compete in this invitation-only, fiercely competitive, high-speed dash around Earnslaw Park. Pick your favourite and cheer as these usually reserved local gentlemen fight it out in a very risqué obstacle course while dressed in high heels, skirts of questionable length and wild hair and make-up by Hush Spa.
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
29/06/2013
Thriller in the Chiller
A ‘must see’ event on the Festival programme, Queenstown’s biggest night of Charity Boxing is back.
The search has already begun for contenders looking to take part in one of the Festival’s signature events – Mountain Scene’s Thriller in the Chiller. Now in its 4th year and always a sell-out, the Thriller will once again see local men and women from all walks of life take to the ring on June 29th at the Queenstown Events Centre to put their chins on the line for charity.
http://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/Show.aspx?sh=THRILLER13http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
29/06/2013
Mountain Mayhem
day of ski field fun and crazy antics for all the family, expect the unexpected up at Coronet Peak!
Be part of the action or watch in wonder as contestants take on some hard and fast courses in events like the Auckland Airport Suitcase Race, Jelly Belly Musical Chairs, a MetService Snow Scramble and the American Express Dash for Cash. Don’t be shy – there are awesome prizes to be won - so get involved!
http://www.winterfestival.co.nz
01/07/2013 - 30/09/2013
Ski Season 2013
03/08/2013
Peak to Peak
The South Island’s biggest winter multisport event in its eighteenth year attracts a strong field of multisport competitors from around the South Island.
Course: The course covers 44kms across the Wakatipu Basin. Ski, Mountain bike, paddle, run, road bike. Remarkables to Coronet Peak.
Divisions: Individuals - Men, Women, Veteran Teams - Open, Women, Mixed, Business House, Veteran, School
Entry fee
Individual: $60.00 ($70 entry on the day)
Team: $120.00 ($140 entry on the day). All costs on this web site are in New Zealand dollars.
Confirmation of entry and a full briefing sheet will be sent on to email address only.
http://www.southerntraverse.com/OnlineEntry
12/08/2013 - 25/08/2013
Winter Games 2013
100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games is the ultimate testing ground where elite athletes can experiment and explore performance limits against world-class competition.
31/08/2013 - 07/09/2013
Gay Ski Week QT
Hundreds of revellers come from around the world to celebrate Gay Ski Week, the Southern Hemisphere's largest Winter Pride event.
The colourful week-long festival features plenty of fun, frivolity and a full programme of on-mountain and après ski social events.
Check out our Gay Ski Week Accommodation Package
www.gayskiweekqt.com
25/10/2013 - 27/10/2013
Queenstown JazzFest 2013
The Queenstown JazzFest is a live music celebration which brings music to the masses and showcases the breadth of jazz styles from around New Zealand and the world.
http://www.queenstownjazzfest.co.nz/
