By PUREGAYNZ
Queenstown’s annual gay and lesbian pride festival is back again and for the first time the event will raise funds for charity.
Attracting crowds from all over New Zealand, Australia and further afield, DNA Gay Ski Week QT is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest Winter Pride event, held in Queenstown from August 31 to September 8, 2013.
This year Queenstown wife and wife team Sally and Mandy Whitewoods will donate six percent of the accommodation revenue from bookings at Novotel Queenstown to the New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF).
The spouses say they wanted to “give back” to the gay and lesbian community and support the national charity which works to eradicate HIV and AIDS and provides assistance for people living with HIV and their families.
“We’re highly appreciative of the continuous support we get from people who attend the event, our sponsors and Queenstown business partners,” says Sally.
“We thoroughly enjoy organizing the event and bringing the gay and lesbian community together for a week of skiing and fun. This year we wanted to help the NZAF promote their cause and encourage anyone attending this year’s event to book their accommodation at the Novotel to support this amazing charity.”
NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson says the organization was extremely thankful to Sally and Mandy for recognizing and supporting the NZAF.
“It’s such a wonderfully generous thing for them to do. Gay and bi guys are overwhelmingly affected by HIV in New Zealand and much of the NZAF’s work focuses on HIV prevention and support for this group. To be recognized in this way by such a key rainbow event as Gay Ski Week is a real testament to the spirit of the rainbow community in this country and the collective determination to see an end to our HIV epidemic,” Shaun says.
“The event is now well established on the national and international gay and lesbian calendar and offers a fabulous opportunity for people to come and let their hair down, enjoy all the amazing events and Queenstown’s amazing café, bar and restaurant scene,” says Sally.
“There’s always time for a bit of ski slope action too.”
The program kicks off with the More FM Opening Party on Saturday August 31st where guests will enjoy a celebratory glass of Veuve Clicquot before hitting the hottest night spots of Queenstown. Other highlight events include ‘Bingay’, a take on traditional bingo at the Ballarat Trading Company, and the must-do Casino Royale night at Skyline Gondola.
To head to Winter Pride down under, visit GaySkiWeekQT.com.
