What's on in Queenstown, New Zealand through the year

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer holidays in New Zealand

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr), Lupins along the roads (15 Nov – 5 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr)

Shoulder season — between the peaks

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr)

Peak crowds — Arrowtown Autumn Festival, Term 1 (April / Easter) break in New Zealand

• Nature

  Autumn colour in Arrowtown

  5 Apr – 5 May · usually

  The poplars and larches in the old gold town turn through late April, which is the one thing every New Zealander drives here for out of ski season.

• Festival

  Arrowtown Autumn Festival

  15–19 AprMajor festivalCrowded

  Five days built around the colour: a street parade, a market and the town at capacity while the rest of the district is between seasons. Source ↗

Still on: Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Autumn colour in Arrowtown (5 Apr – 5 May (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Ski fields open

• Opening

  Ski fields open

  13 JunSki seasonCrowded

  Coronet Peak and the Remarkables open in the second week of June, with a snow-factory head start on Coronet from late May. The town fills within a fortnight. Source ↗

• Season

  Ski season

  13 Jun – 11 Oct · usuallyCrowded

  Four fields within an hour, a base that peaks in August, and lift queues that follow the New Zealand and Australian school holidays rather than the snow.

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Ski season

• Holiday

  New Zealand school holidays

  4–19 Jul · usuallyCrowded

  The winter term break puts the whole country on the mountain at once; the first week of July is the hardest fortnight of the year to find a bed or a lift ticket. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season (13 Jun – 11 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Ski season

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Ski season (13 Jun – 11 Oct (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Ski season

• Festival

  Snow Machine

  10–12 SepMajor festivalCrowded

  An alpine music festival at the end of the season, when the snow is soft, the days are long and the town has one last busy week in it. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season (13 Jun – 11 Oct (usually))

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Ski season

• Closure

  Ski fields close

  4–11 Oct

  Coronet Peak shuts in the first week of October and the Remarkables a week later, which starts the emptiest month of the Queenstown year. Source ↗

• Season

  Great Walks season

  25 Oct – 30 AprTrail seasonBook early

  The Routeburn and Milford huts run on booked, serviced season rules for roughly six months; outside it the bridges come out and the passes are an alpine undertaking.

Still on: Ski season (13 Jun – 11 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — between the peaks

• Nature

  Lupins along the roads

  15 Nov – 5 Jan · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Russell lupins take over the roadsides and river flats towards Wanaka and the Mackenzie for about six weeks. They are an invasive weed and photograph beautifully anyway. Source ↗

Still on: Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr)

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer holidays in New Zealand

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr), Lupins along the roads (15 Nov – 5 Jan (usually))