Glorious sunshine and perfect calm made an ideal setting for Arrowtown's 27th Autumn Festival parade, which this year attracted a record 50 floats.
Deborah Husheer, now in her second year as festival organiser, estimated 6000 to 7000 people attended, based on gold-coin donations received.
The event featured a 125-stall market, a pre-parade air show from the Silver Demons, a vintage car show, street comedy and acrobatics from Christchurch's incomparable Mulletman, music from the Queenstown Ukulele Orchestra and Celtic Sounds and an all-round "good vibe".
"The weather really turned it on and brought people out - the blue skies made for a spectacular parade and it really enhanced the colours," Mrs Husheer said.
"We're really pleased with how many floats there were - 50, which is a record - from community groups, sponsors and Arrowtown businesses.
"There was a real sort of vibrant buzz around the place - it just all came together to create a really good vibe down the high street," Mrs Husheer said.
Master of ceremonies and Arrowtown councillor Lex Perkins said the parade was "probably the biggest and best we've had in 27 years - although organisers from 20 years ago might dispute that. It was a really good crowd and stallholders said it was one of the best days in a while."
The councillor also made his own head count, which suspiciously tallied with organisers' estimates. "The official figure was 6798," he said, while conceding the veracity of this claim could be subject to scrutiny. "I am a politician after all," Mr Perkins said.
