The Earnslaw Park stage has been dismantled and the Wonderland Ice Rink will be removed from the village green today, signalling the end of the 2011 Queenstown Winter Festival, after 10 fun-filled and activity-packed days.
Festival director Simon Green said yesterday he was especially pleased to see residents supporting their event and showing the rest of the country they knew how to party, with or without snow.
"We set out to lift the bar on some of the events and I think we managed to achieve that. But the overriding memory for me this year is not ash clouds or lack of snow, it was the way, especially at the opening party, the whole community came out and got stuck into it, embraced it and supported it."
Greater community engagement meant the largest crowds he had seen had enjoyed the opening party and fireworks, the street parade and the Day on the Bay, Mr Green said. He estimated 15,000 people turned out for the opening party and the return of the parade to Mardi Gras brought families out in droves.
Flight disruptions caused by volcanic ash clouds and the late and limited arrival of snow on ski areas had affected visitor numbers. The festival generated $55 million in the Queenstown economy last year.
The dozen festival staff worked in anticipation of ash-cloud disruptions. Hoteliers told Mr Green there had been some cancellations as a result, but many business owners appreciated the festival attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the Wakatipu, particularly with the late arrival of snow.
"It definitely has immense value from an economic perspective, but from a local community perspective, we all needed to shake off the doldrums of a slow start to the season," Mr Green said.
The addition of the ice rink, "a slice of winter in the heart of town", had been a popular drawcard and feedback had been wonderful, he said. Provided festival staff and contractors fulfilled consent requirements and left the village green the way they found it, he did not think there would be any issues preventing organisers bringing the rink back next year.
Shifting the Coronet Peak music concert from the evening to the afternoon to allow for programmed night skiing proved a popular move and it may become an afternoon event in future.
Mr Green's contract with festival owner Destination Queenstown runs until next month, but he said he would love to come back as director for a fourth year.
Major sponsor American Express signed this year for the next three years and all sponsors were long-term. Some sponsors had been involved for 20 years.
While the festival had run smoothly overall, issues with the ticketing system meant patrons of one of the comedy nights had to wait 40 minutes to be seated, with directions given by microphone, Mr Green said.
"It ended up being quite amusing and people took it all in good heart and thankfully it was the comedy night."
