SKYCITY brings Casino Royale glamour

Media release from American Express Queenstown Winter Festival

Date: 21 March 2013

The Ball is back! SKYCITY brings Casino Royale glamour to 2013 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival programme

Queenstown – SKYCITY has signed up as a Gold Sponsor of the 2013 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival in support of the SKYCITY Casino Royale Ball. Scheduled for Saturday 22nd June and to be staged at the newly-upgraded Queenstown Memorial Centre, the ever popular Ball’s return to the programme is expected to be well received.

American Express Queenstown Winter Festival Manager Lisa Buckingham says she is very happy that SKYCITY were equally as insistent that the ball should return to the Festival programme.

“When I first started as Festival Manager, locals and visitors alike expressed that the ball was sorely missed in 2012’s line-up, so we are delighted to see its comeback in 2013. As a long term supporter of the Festival it’s great that SKYCITY is on board as a Gold Sponsor this year and that they’ve made it possible to add such a fantastic evening to the ten days of festivities in addition to the wide range of entertainment they already contribute,” says Lisa.

No strangers to the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival, SKYCITY is pleased to play a larger role in the 2013 Festival.

SKYCITY Queenstown General Manager Michelle Baillie says: “SKYCITY is proud to be involved in Winter Festival once again, having supported the event through providing a free live entertainment venue for a number of years. The Festival Ball is an iconic and popular event and we see great synergy with SKYCITY’s entertainment brand. This sponsorship also further illustrates SKYCITY’s commitment to the Queenstown community in supporting local groups and events.”

The entertainment line-up will be announced at a later date, but Lisa advises those purchasing tickets “to dust off their dancing shoes and get ready to celebrate in style”.

Tickets for the Ball will go on sale on April 29th and are expected to be hot property. Tickets cost $149 and lucky attendees will enjoy a delicious three course meal, accompanied by outstanding award-winning wines from popular local producer Gibbston Valley Wines.

Gibbston Valley Wines have proudly joined the Festival sponsorship family as Festival Supporters and will be Exclusive Wine Suppliers for the SKYCITY Casino Royale Ball and all other events across the Festival programme.

The SKYCITY Casino Royale Ball is part of the 10 day American Express Queenstown Winter Festival, taking place from June 21st to June 30th. To view other events in the programme, visit www.winterfestival.co.nz and sign up for the Friends of Festival newsletter to keep in the know about exciting upcoming events.

ENDS

Background to the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival
WINTER STARTS HERE! From 21 June to 30 June, the 2013 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival celebrates 39 years of winter fun and festivities with 10 days of totally outrageous and uniquely Queenstown events. Join us on Facebook or Twitter, or keep an eye on www.winterfestival.co.nz to be first with the latest news and hot updates.

Started in 1975, Festival was born when a group of clever locals thought the arrival of snow was a ‘great excuse for a party’. The group organised races on the mountain and in town, lollies for the kids, beers for the grown-ups, a concert or two and a local ball, all of which were a great success. News quickly spread and over the years it has grown in size and stature to become the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest winter celebration.

Now an iconic event cemented on Queenstown’s calendar it attracts 45,000 attendees and injects a whopping $57 million back into the local economy.

Despite phenomenal growth, the Festival has stayed true to its roots and is still a Festival by the community, for the community. It has evolved to forge a unique identity as New Zealand’s premier celebration of all things winter and holds a special place in the heart of Queenstowners.

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