Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert First Of Many

Anticipation for next year’s Gibbston Valley Winery Summer concert is already building, with concert organisers confirming the near sell-out event will be a regular feature at the Queenstown venue.

Almost 15,000 people from across the country attended the concert, headlined by Dr Hook and Creedence Clearwater Revisited on Saturday 5 March – one of the largest events to be held in the Southern Lakes district.

Alpine Entertainment director Amanda Calvert says the inaugural event was a stunning success, with a many people already contacting the organisers to inquire about next year’s concert.

“We’re extremely pleased with how well the event ran, and how well it was received by the capacity crowd,” says Amanda Calvert.

“This is one of the best venues in the country, which was extremely well presented by the Gibbston Valley Winery team – providing plenty of space and great views of the stage so everyone could really enjoy the day.”

Mrs Calvert says Alpine Entertainment is already in the planning stages with Gibbston Valley Winery for next year’s event, which will again feature two top international acts, with broad audience appeal.

Gibbston Valley Winery chief executive Greg Hunt says the event is the ideal showcase for the region, and a great opportunity to highlight the many attractions on offer in Gibbston Valley.

“Winery tourism is an important and growing part of what the Queenstown Lakes District, and Gibbston Valley in particular, has to offer to visitors from across the country and around the world,” says Greg Hunt.

“We believe the Gibbston Valley Winery summer concert is a fantastic way for visitors and locals to enjoy great entertainment, accompanied by quality local food and wine, in an exceptional outdoor setting.”

Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt says the inaugural Gibbston Valley Winery Summer concert was a great drawcard for New Zealanders to Queenstown.

“It was particularly pleasing to see so many people from Christchurch take the opportunity to relax and enjoy the spectacular natural setting, classic music, fine wine, and great company,” says Tony Everitt.

Amanda Calvert also paid tribute to the many Christchurch-based contractors, including the staging company Hang-Up Productions, who worked on in difficult circumstances after the February earthquake to ensure the event was a success.

“We were very pleased to be able to use the concert as an opportunity for the Salvation Army to collect for their Christchurch appeal, raising over $8,000 on the day,” says Greg Hunt.

Wakatipu High School also raised $4000 for a new school automotive project through the concert.

Amanda Calvert says the concert organisers are also focused on using the concert to offer locals the chance to see top international acts for a reasonable price.

“Although we had a large number of concert goers from around the North Island, this event – and the series – is really about providing a concert for the South Island, and in particular the Southern region.”

“With almost two thirds of concertgoers coming from the local area, its clear the event really appealed to people from around the region – its great to see such strong local support, which makes it possible to keep bringing top international acts to the region.”

The concert was also a boon for the local economy, with businesses and tourism operators in Queenstown reporting significant sales increases to visiting concertgoers over the weekend.

Amanda Calvert says despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the event, organisers were aware that delays in getting to and from the concert on State Highway 6 caused some frustration.

“We’re currently working on this issue and are committed to providing a range of solutions to improve access to the concert next year.”

Greg Hunt says from the artists themselves to visiting concertgoers, Gibbston Valley Winery has been constantly contacted since the weekend with praise for the concert and the venue.

“Everyone involved worked very hard to create a showcase attraction for the region – even the weather behaved perfectly on the day! And because of the time and effort everyone put in to creating a great event, we can guarantee we’ll be back next year for an even better Gibbston Valley Winery Summer concert.”