Milford Sound Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand)

Not much happens in Milford Sound, but nearby Queenstown and Wanaka offer a wealth of annual festivals, family events and fun things to do. Events take place year-round, in both the summer and winter, the latter of which sees a collection of festivals and unique goings-on in Queenstown.

Sporting events are the main thing, particularly triathlons, while the Queenstown Winter Festival and the Spring Carnival are two of the bigger get-togethers. The area also marks New Zealand's national holidays, including New Year's Day, Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day.

Milford Sound Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• New Year's Day - January 1st, first public holiday of the year, with hangovers all round and parties carrying on from New Year's Eve
• Day after New Years Day - January 2nd, New Zealand also has the second day of the year as a public holiday, carrying on the partying and fireworks in towns all around Milford Sound
• Challenge Wanaka Triathlon Festival - mid-January, featuring a week of tough sporting events around Lake Wanaka, including an iron distance triathlon

February

• Waitangi Day - February 6th, one of the most important days of the year honours the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, with traditional Maori events galore

March

• Lake Hayes Women's Triathlon and Duathlon - early March, with hundreds of women competing at the Lake Hayes Show Ground in this fun sporting event

April

• Tour de Wakatipu - features a 45-km / 28-mile bike race around the Queenstown area, taking in sublime countryside and vineyards. Chard Farm is the finish line
• ANZAC Day - April 25th, marking the landing at Gallipoli in 1915 of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (the ANZACs), with a march at dawn and a subsequent service
• Easter - both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays, when hotels in Milford Sound and Queenstown fill up toward the end of the season

May

• Frontrunner Series - late May, featuring running that includes a 5-km / 3-mile, 10-km / 6-mile and half-marathon, individually or in teams. The series also has races in June, July, August, September, October and November

June

• Queenstown Winter Festival - late June / July, this fun event in the dead of winter sees residents and tourists doing weird stunts, such as skiing in bikinis, jumping in the freezing lake and Frisbee-golf
• Queen's Birthday - June 7th, public holiday commemorating the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II

July

• Peak 2 Peak - late July, a gruelling event in Queenstown, with a race between the ski areas of the Remarkables and Coronet Peak. Involves 44 km / 27 miles of skiing, cycling, running and kayaking

August

• FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Junior World Championships - late August, sees hundreds of junior free-skiers and boarders (between 13 and 20 years) compete at the Cardrona Alpine Resort

September

• Gay Ski Week - early September, the biggest gay / lesbian Alpine party in the Southern Hemisphere takes place in Queenstown, with a welcome party, games, a hot pool party, karaoke, and a big party on the last night
• Supper Club Queenstown - late September, involving a feast of delicious food through top local restaurants, with pre-dinner drinks and a meal, followed by a party in town

October

• Spring Carnival - early October, takes place over three days at the Remarkables ski field, with all sorts of fun ski and snowboarding activities
• ASB Queenstown Jazzfest - late October, with live music from known Kiwi acts and international bands at venues all over town
• Labour Day - fourth Monday in October, a national holiday throughout New Zealand

November

• Adventure Quest - mid-November, this Queenstown treasure hunt with a difference has adult teams of two searching for clues using pedal power, brawn and brain

December

• Christmas Day - December 25th, a busy time in Milford Sound and a great day to take to the skies, or to finish the Milford Track and head back to Queenstown to celebrate
• Boxing Day - December 26th, events go off all over the area, including horse races, swimming competitions and feasting