There was a little something for everyone during the opening action at the 2008 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival, with events in town and up the mountain keeping all ages entertained.
While many in the town could understandably be suffering from sore heads after a huge opening night, many more chose to head into the heart of Queenstown and watch the Festival Parade and Family Fun Day as it moved through the CBD.
This year, 32 floats were entered in the parade which was clearly a huge hit with the crowd, despite the persistent rain.
Following the parade, the action centered once again on Earnslaw Park where furry four-legged family members competed in the Remarkable Vets Wonder Dog competition and Sticky TV's Drew, Erin and Sam entertained with a stage show.
Meanwhile, there was action aplenty on Coronet Peak where the new base building was officially opened by Southern Alpine Recreation board chairman John Davies, with the honour of cutting the ribbon given to two of Mr Davies' granddaughters - Claudia Ffisk (10) and her sister Georgie (5).
Outside, many were unaware of the significance of the day, choosing instead to spend their time on the slopes, making the most of the brilliant conditions and intermittent natural snow falls.
While most stuck to their skis and boards, several brave souls attempted to negotiate the mountain on mountain bikes in Outside Sport's Mountain Bikes on Snow competition.
There were thrills and spills with spectacular crashes, but none of the competitors seemed remotely phased even those who had left their protective gear at home in favour of dressing up for the occasion _ one Wanaka man, Matt West, donning a suit for the event.
As the event came to a close a special stage erected on the base building deck became the focus of the attention, with DJ Recloose, of Auckland, providing some background beats while the crowd huddled around braziers, sipping mulled wine and snacking on the half-priced food.
