The annual Queenstown Winter Festival is being celebrated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It is a week-long party that includes wild activities during the day with wild parties at night. This town has the highest per capita number of bars in New Zealand. There is a 'Birdman' competition in the morning, where competitors jump into the lake in wild costumes in order to impress the judges and win prizes.

There is an arrangement of safety crews, who can pick the competitors from the freezing waters. There is a drag race arranged during the festival, in which the male members of the Queenstown community will dress up in drag, including heels and will take part in a foot race.

There are ticket items as well as free shows like a masquerade ball, a comedy gala. Smaller events are also organized so that locals and tourists can get the opportunity to participate, rather than just spectate.

Most of the programs are free and the handful is ticketed. In 1975, when some local people felt like celebrating the advent of winters, the Winter Festival began.

The ski resorts host night skiing, retro-skiing and the 'Mountain bikes on snow' event. About 60,000 people attend the festival every year, including locals and tourists.