Winter Pride New Zealand 2026

The Biggest & Gayest Winter Alpine Party hits Queenstown

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.

Queenstown Pride

• Next Edition: Friday 28th August,2026 – Wednesday 9th September 2026.
• 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.

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.

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.

Cardrona Themed Days

• Awaiting dates – Enjoy a series of themed events at Cardrona.
• Previous events have included Togs in the Snow, Ride ’em Cowboys and Superhero Day.

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.
• Other events include a series of theme nights and circuit-style parties.
• Awaiting full schedule of parties and events.

Recommended Hotels

The following hotels are have been the most booked at the previous Winterpride events:

The Rees Hotel,    Novotel,    Scenic Suites,    Copthorne Hotel