Event Dates
From: Friday, August 23, 2024
To: Sunday, September 1, 2024
The Southern Hemisphere’s largest gay & lesbian winter festival.
The Winter Pride festival in Queenstown, New Zealand has been an annual pilgrimage for thousands of Gay & Lesbian travelers. Winter Pride is renowned for fun both on and off the mountain activities, with something for avid skiers and professional party goers! Queenstown is a popular year-round resort, so book your hotel advance.
Getting to Queenstown
- Queenstown Airport receives daily direct flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and great road access on major New Zealand highways makes driving into Queenstown an easy and beautiful experience.
- The airport is a 4 minute drive from Queenstown CBD.
Where to stay
Stay close to the centre of Queenstown and you are just steps from all the pride activities. The following hotels are highly recommended:
- Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa – perfect location in the heart of town, with large comfortable rooms, spa baths and great breakfast.
- Central Private Hotel by Naumi Hotels – amazing decor, great service, close to all the attractions and pride parties.
- Mi Pad Queenstown – 4 star, quiet location just a short walk from town with great balcony views.
Queenstown Pride
- Winter Pride has become known as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest gay & lesbian winter festival.
- Hundreds of gay men and women descend upon Queenstown, New Zealand annually for this nine day celebration supported by the local government and the community.
- This fun-filled, whirlwind event is essentially nine days of socialising, dining, live music, partying, general hedonism and of course snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding are also on offer.
Winter Pride Skiing
- The Winter Pride skiing takes place across different slopes. The festival moves around the mountains to share the love, so plan carefully to ensure you are on the right mountain with PRIDE filled fun on the right day!
- The 8 days are normally: 3 Days at Cardrona, 3 Days at Coronet Peak and 2 days at The Remarkables. Remember, NZSKI (Coronet Peak and The Remarkables) and Cardrona are different companies. You need to buy a ski pass for each of the different mountains you wish to enjoy.
On and Off Mountain
Queenstown designates activity as on and off mountain, so you can plan your week’s activities accordingly, mixing and matching your slope activities with your partying schedule.
- This year’s festival’s ON-MOUNTAIN SERIES will have a designated mountain resort hosting the festival each day so that all the fun is available in one place. Partner mountains have dedicated areas of their bars and restaurants for the pride festival, meaning music, plenty of socialising and a real pride vibe on the slopes.
- The free ski / boarding guides will also be there to show you around. Just like you, they are people who are here on holiday and who want to have the best time yet. They are volunteering to help make your trip even more fun.
Apres Ski
- Queenstown Pride has a free ski / board / boots concierge service where you can leave your gear at the bus at the end of your day and head straight to the Winter Pride Apres Ski in town – Live music / DJs, good drinks and company. No fuss. Just pick your gear back up when you board the bus the next morning.
The Pride Parties
Queenstown Winter pride hosts some superb nightly parties and events including a games night, a comedy night, and a “Shared Table” series, making getting dinner with good company so much easier than it has been at previous events.
- Events kick off with a Kickstart party on Friday followed by an opening Party on Saturday night. Each evening the Apre Ski party takes place at Smiths Bar.
- Sunday sees The Grille Pride dinner followed by Karaoke.
- Wednesday highlights include The Pride Wine Tour followed by the Rooftop At Sundeck Party.
- Queenstown’s Got Talent on Thursday night is very entertaining and the “Locker Room” party after is a fun and sexy affair.
- Explore the Gibbston Valley with a long lunch on the second Friday of the event followed later in the evening by the Leather and Lace Night, which will you choose?
- The Winterpride draws to a conclusion on Saturday Night for a final party by Propaganda followed by a goodbye Sunday session.
Trending Hotels
The following hotels are currently trending with our readers and have been the most booked at the previous Winterpride events:
Where to stay close to all the gay bars.
Our top 4 selections with the best rates.
The Crowne Plaza is one of our
favourite hotels offering stunning views
For further information and advice on
Winter Pride visit The Website
There is no noticeable gay neighborhood in Queenstown and the gay scene is not clustered around any specific streets or scene. While there is no distinct gayborhood in Queenstown, downtown is the urban hub, much like any other city. Everything is within walking distance, and there are several bars and restaurants in downtown.
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We have chosen hotels in Queenstown that keep you close to all the shops,restaurants & bars
The Rees Hotel & Apartments offers lakefront accommodation with private balconies and spectacular views. It features free WiFi and a free shuttle to the centre of Queenstown. The stylish rooms and apartments at The Rees are equipped with LCD TVs. Some feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains.
Novotel Queenstowns’ contemporary rooms offer a selection of spectacular alpine, garden and lake views. Each air-conditioned room features a private balcony and a flat-screen TV. Novotel offers ski storage facilities, a spa pool, guest laundry and valet car parking. Guests can enjoy 30-minutes free WiFi in the lobby. In-room WiFi is available at an additional charge.
Scenic Suites Queenstown is located in the resort of Queenstown. The hotel is a 5-minute walk from the centre, yet its quiet, hillside location offers great views over the lake and mountains. dinner. There is also a lobby bar featuring a large open fireplace. Guests can choose between the spacious rooms or the large suites which offer a separate living room & kitchen
There are 85 modern guest rooms in total at the Copthorne Hotel. Choose between superior rooms with private courtyards or private balconies or the large 2-bedroom apartments, which have a spacious living area. Apartments have a lounge and a full kitchen. Hillary’s Restaurant serves up international cuisine and New Zealand specialities, offering a daily buffet breakfast
Winter Pride