Last night, festival director Rae Baker unveiled the programme for the four-day festival, being held from June 21 to June 24, to 150 invited guests on TSS Earnslaw.
It will open with a Matariki torchlight procession, in which people could register to buy one of 250 torches and be part of a parade through the CBD to Queenstown Bay, before a traditional Maori welcome.
New Zealand musician Tiki Taane would then take over the main stage, which this year had moved, from its traditional place at Earnslaw Park to Queenstown Bay, near The Bathhouse restaurant.
"The idea is it will open up the whole bay and when the fireworks are on, you can see it from every angle," Ms Baker said.
Simultaneously, the "Legends of Steel" street rail showdown would be held at the bottom of the Brecon St stairs in the CBD, featuring 16 of the region's top skiers and boarders, with a chance for locals to be drafted into the main event, depending on their showing in the Rookie Qualifier.
The musical line-up for the four-day event was "100% Kiwi" and also included Maala, Leisure, The Black Seeds and The Feelers on the main stage.
All mountain events would be held at Cardrona on June 22, and would include the dog derby, dog barking, snow tubing and the "snow skate slalom".
This is the first year in which events will not be held at
The Remarkables or Coronet Peak skifields.
The annual ball, being held on June 23, themed "Viva le Cirque", would be held in a "secret location", which would be revealed only when guests arrived by bus, Ms Baker said.
"I got a lot of feedback about the last 43 years.
"[We're] keeping the old favourites and turning them on their head. We've tried to [revamp] the bits everybody loves and bring it into 2018.
"This is Queenstown's festival.
"It's as much about all of Queenstown as it is about visitors and we really want to celebrate with Queenstown," she said.
