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| I arrived in Queenstown for a season boarding
under a week ago, and to my delight I have stumbled across
the renowned Queenstown winter festival. |
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On the third night of the 2001 Queenstown
Winter Festival two of the towns central streets closed
to traffic for the annual winterfest shakedown- the street
Mardi Gras. Rees and Beech Street were crammed shoulder
to shoulder with people and overflowing with festival
excitement. There were stages set up at the end of each street with great live performances by Custers' Last Band, Garageland, Monkey Puzzle and WBC which kept the crowds jiving and moshing through the night.
The highlight of the party was the amazing costumes and
masks that were made especially for the traditional Mardi
Gras party; Huge sculpted red, blue and white faces floated
through the crowd with shimmering tails billowing behind,
children in vibrant carnival costume, wolf-masked men,
flamboyant 80's drag queens, fairies and jesters all bounded
by, sparkling in the chilly night air.
Many cheeks were rosy and smiles large after a few mulled
wines, gangs of boys in ponchos and sombreros whooped,
while others sung along with buskers or held wrestling
matches in the centre of the roundabout on Shotover Street.
But the night went on as Queenstown was treated to the
smooth tunes of Nice 'n Urlich at Surreal nightclub and
the masterful beats of Manual Bundy at Debajo. |
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So far I have to say that this winter festival
rocks!!! There's nothing better than a phat street party
with great free entertainment to put a smile on your dial.
Watch out for the Bluelight skateboard slalom on Duke
St at 12.30 pm on Saturday, and the hot air balloon night
glow at 6-7 pm at the recreation ground also on Saturday.
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