Snow Stars Ready to Parade for Winter Festival

Snow Stars Ready to Parade for Winter Festival

The cream of New Zealand’s skiers and boarders are set to descend on downtown Queenstown this Saturday 25 June to help celebrate the official start to winter by taking part in the American Express Festival Street Parade.

Kiwi Olympians Ben Griffin and Tim Cafe, World Champion freeskier Jossi Wells and brothers Byron and Beau-James will be joined by Festival’s 2011 Bruce Grant Youth Trust recipient Taylor Rapley, plus a string of the nation’s most promising snow stars.

The group is taking part in the parade in the lead up to the 100 % Pure New Zealand Winter Games being hosted in and around Queenstown, Wanaka, Dunedin and Methven from 13 – 28 August.

Spectators can watch the Winter Games NZ float alongside dozens of other community and commercial floats in the parade, which starts from the entrance to the Queenstown Gardens on Marine Parade from 12 noon.

Winter Games NZ Venues Manager Jane Todd said the crew was looking forward to getting amongst event promotions and welcoming back winter on their local home turf.

“Many of these guys on the New Zealand national team are originally from Queenstown so they’re totally amped to be part of Winter Festival as they look forward to the Winter Games,” she said.

“Queenstowners can expect to see many of these faces on the ski fields, some of whom will no doubt get involved with Festival programmed events such as the Quiksilver Slopestyle Invitational (Sunday 3 July).”

“They’ll be warming up towards the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games 2011 which will feature elite competition on-mountain and heaps of off-snow activities as part of the Downtown Sessions, said Ms Todd.

The American Express Festival Street Parade kicks off at noon in the streets of Queenstown. A perennial festival favourite, all ages and stages love the spectacle of the colourful parade of floats and people that snakes through the town.

The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest winter party, the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival returns from 24 June to 3 July for ten days of winter fun in Queenstown New Zealand.

Tens of thousands of locals and visitors are expected to take to Queenstown’s streets and ski slopes to celebrate the official start of winter with heaps of on-mountain action, outrageous, fun and glamorous events from street parties, parades and fireworks to live concerts, comedy and theatre.

To see the full line up of the programme and individual event details check out the complete American Express Queenstown Winter Festival calendar online at www.winterfestival.co.nz or pick up a programme at information outlets throughout the region.

Tickets for all events can be bought from TicketDirect online at www.ticketdirect.co.nz, by phone 0800 224 224 (03 450 9110), or in person at the Queenstown Events Centre or Queenstown i-Site (corner of Shotover and Camp streets)*.

Winter Starts Here! From 24 June to 3 July the 2011 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival celebrates 37 years of winter fun and festivities with 10 days of totally outrageous and uniquely Queenstown events. Join us on Facebook, become a Friend of Festival and keep an eye on www.winterfestival.co.nz to be first with the latest news and hot updates. For more information about Queenstown visit www.queenstown-nz.co.nz.

* Ticket service fees apply.

ENDS

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