Minus 5º Ice Bar Santa's Grotto Fundraiser

Media Release from Future Bars Limited
December 12 2016

Putting the chill back into Christmas for Minus 5º Ice Bar Santa's Grotto Fundraiser

Summer in Queenstown can be a little too ‘hot’ for one elderly gentleman in a jolly red coat.

That’s why Queenstown’s Minus 5º Ice Bar is putting the chill back into Christmas to make Santa Claus feel right at home at its Steamer Wharf premises.

Children and their families are invited to visit Santa in his natural frozen environment at Minus 5º Ice Bar between 10am to 2pm December 17 to 19 2016.

The annual fundraiser is the perfect opportunity for children to share their Christmas lists with Santa in temperatures of -5º to -10º, cold for some but similar to his North Pole home.

All proceeds go to Wakatipu Plunket, New Zealand’s largest provider of support services for children under five. The local organisation works together with families to ensure the best start for every child in the Wakatipu area.

Minus 5º Ice Bar sales and marketing manager Laura Palmieri was delighted with last year’s impressive turnout and funds raised.

“In five years of hosting the event, we've raised over $10,000 to date - $2,000 just last year - and we’re eager to share the festive cheer,” she says.

“The fundraiser’s a special opportunity for kids to visit Santa in extreme temperatures surrounded by a whopping 18 tonnes of crystal clear ice.”

Families can enjoy an intimate experience with Santa for a suggested $5 donation for children and $10 for a family on a first-come, first-served basis.

Kids are encouraged to bring their Christmas ‘wish list’ and will take away a small gift from the big jolly man himself.

Santa’s helpers will be on hand to capture pictures with St Nick in his winter wonderland. Personal cameras are welcome, and professional photo packs will be sold in the lobby for just $5.

Wakatipu Plunket’s Injury Prevention Programmes Co-ordinator Belinda Ricketts says the “generous donations” from families visiting Santa will assist funding a brand-new role this year.

“Our car seat service no longer offers rental and retail of car seats and we’ve expanded our education and advocacy services in relation to child restraints,” she says.

“We’re now supporting families by increasing our injury prevention programmes to include home safety.

“Eighty percent of car seats aren’t installed properly, so the new service helps prevent injury by teaching parents in the Wakatipu area how to install them properly.

“Our role is to offer parents the peace of mind that their child is safe.

“All donations from the fundraiser will go towards supporting this important new role.”

Local businesses that have contributed to the worthy cause include Print Central, Southern PR, Mountain Scene, Magic Memories, The Warehouse, Cookie Time, More FM, Queenstown Trading and Queenstown Upholstery.

All Santa’s visitors will be provided with clothing to transform them into warm little Eskimo’s for the unseasonal ‘winter weather’.

For more information about Minus 5º ICE BAR go to www.minus5icebar.com

About Wakatipu Plunket

Wakatipu Plunket works together with local families to ensure the best start for every child in the Wakatipu area. Through our Henry Street premises, we aim to provide parenting information, support and developmental assessments of every child from 0 to 5 years old. We do this through our well-child clinics, numerous organised parents groups, parenting education sessions, injury prevention service, parenting library, child/baby furniture hire, plus we provide a free drop-in service with refreshments and indoor/outdoor facilities for local parents and visitors to the area.

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