Our guide to the most popular events held every year in the Queenstown region

January 

Rhythm & Alps:  A 2 day music festival showcasing both international and local acts that takes place in the Cardrona Valley, 40 minutes North of Queenstown.

Glenorchy Race Day:  Lively day at the races involving local riders. More Info.

Lake Hayes A&P Show:  The Lake Hayes Show is a fun day out for the family and competitors on one of the most beautiful Showgrounds in the country.  Every year the event brings the town a little closer to the countryside and gives the community a taste of rural life.  More Info.

February

NZ Open:  A top level professional golf held at Sir Michael Hills and Millbrook resort in Arrowtown.  More Info.

March 

New Zealand Open:  The premier golf event in New Zealand held at The Hills and Milbrook Resort.

The Motatapu:  A sporting event comprising of an ultra-run, mountaun bike, marathon, miner's trail run and triathlon events.  The events caters for all levels of fitness and skill.

Wanaka A&P Show.  One of the South Island's largest and most popular agricultural and pastoral shows set on the shores of Lake Wanaka.  Spread over two days packed with entertainment.  More Info.

April 

Arrowtown Autumn Festival: Celebrating the colours of Autumn, the 10 day programme features over 50 events including the popular street parade.  More Info.

Warbirds over Wanaka:   A biennial air show in Wanaka, held on the Easter weekend of even-numbered years since 1988. It's held at Wanaka Airport, 10 km south-east of Wanaka, in the southern South Island of New Zealand.  More Info.

May 

Quiet time of the year with the town preparing for the start of the ski season.

June

Queenstown Winter Festival:  A 10 day celebratration that includes a Mardis Gras parade, plenty of live music, dining events, comedy shows and lots of fun competitions on the slopes.  More Info.

July 

New Zealand Mountain Film Festival Wanaka:  A 4 day event held celebrating adventure sports and lifestyle through film. More Info.

August

Winter Pride:  Winter Pride is a festival in a small town with a bold heart that celebrates love, community, diversity, visibility and inclusion. It is a festival that encourages locals and visitors alike to come together and celebrate their diversity.  More Info.

Winter Games NZ:  This is the ultimate testing ground where elite athletes can experiment and explore performance limits against world-class competition.  More Info.

Torpedo 7 Peak To Peak:  The South Island's biggest winter multisport event in its 25th year attracts a strong field of multisport competitors from around the South Island.  Individuals and teams race by ski/ snowboard, mountain bike, kayak, foot and road bike from the top of the Remarkables Ski Area to Coronet Peak.  More Info.

September

Peak to Peak:  The South Island's largest winter multi-sport, racing from the top of The Remarkables ski area to Coronet Peak on skis, mountain bike, kayak, foot and road bike.

Alexandra Blossom Festival:  This historic Festival has marked the arrival of spring for over 50 years.  More Info.

October

Queenstown Jazzfest:  5 days of jazz events, featuring world class musicians from across New Zealand and around the globe.  More Info.

November

Queenstown International Museum:  The marathon takes in the highlights of the Queenstown region, situated below the Crown and Remarkables mountain ranges.

December

Queenstown New Year's Eve Celebrations - the new  year is brought in with a great line-up of live music, entertainment and a spectacular fireworks display lighting up the night sky at midnight.

29 December - 1 January:  Rhythm & Alps is the premier South Island music festival; with up to 10,000 party-goers joining us from all over the world. We have a line up of over 50 international and local acts that will be performing across four incredible stages (they are rad- trust us), accompanied by the best sound and lighting production New Zealand has to offer!   More Info.