By Paul Taylor of the Queenstown App / Lakes Weekly Bulletin.
As rainbow flags go up around Queenstown in preparation for Winter Pride, festival director and co-owner Martin King is waiting to hear whether he can attend.
Winter Pride is a 10-day festival, which begins next Friday, 28 August. Photo: Supplied
Auckland-based King has already cancelled the LGBT annual festival once in 2020, refunding everyone's tickets when New Zealand was placed in alert level 4 Covid-19 lockdown.
Now he's listening to the government's daily coronavirus briefings, hoping for a decreasing number of new cases.
About 40 percent of people who have bought tickets for the rehashed 2020 festival live in Auckland with him, unable to travel under the alert level 3 lockdown, while the rest of the country is at level 2.
King said the 10-day festival, which begins next Friday, 28 August, would go ahead even if the country remained at level 2. But it would be smaller if Auckland stayed in lockdown.
"There's been a bit of a lack of understanding about why we'd push on with the festival under level 2, even with seated events, and hygiene, and track and trace.
"Why would we want to bring people together for Pride events in that climate. But it's really simple, as a gay person, our Pride is your corner pub."
King said whereas straight people could go to the pub with friends under alert level 2, LGBT people could not meet with others from the rainbow community openly in many places in New Zealand.
"We've got people coming from every corner of New Zealand for the festival, every small town - from Kaitaia to Invercargill, Westport, Timaru, Gisborne, Palmerston North.
"None of those places have gay bars and a lot of the bars you would go into on a day-to-day basis aren't actually safe, not for you to truly be yourself.
"So why Pride is so important in these times is it enables us to come together somewhere we feel safe, to meet up with friends and be who we are."
King said LGBT people had the highest rate of suicide of any group in New Zealand, five times higher than the straight population. And 30 percent of LGBT people are in the closet in their workplaces.
"We've got marriage equality and strong laws, but homophobia, bullying and discrimination is alive and well.
"So Pride festivals are vital to improve the well-being in our community, especially in these times of isolation."
King had his fingers crossed that by next Friday, Aucklanders would be free to travel.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Cabinet will review the lockdown period this Friday. It was initially slated to end at 11.59pm next Wednesday, 26 August.
"The key thing we're hoping for now is that Auckland is at least in level 2, so that Aucklanders can travel.
"While 99 percent of events can happen if the whole country is at alert level 2, it will be smaller if Auckland remains in level three lockdown."
As well as 40 percent of attendees, much of the talent, including DJs and other acts, is Auckland-based, along with him and his husband, who are hands-on organisers. The lockdown also causes flight disruptions.
"It will be very frustrating and difficult, but we remain optimistic."
Winter Pride, which includes ski days, cabaret, night club parties, hikes, dinners, lunches and other events, usually welcomes 45 percent of its attendees from Australia, with 45 percent from New Zealand and the rest from everywhere else.
Last year, more than 4000 guests attended the 50-plus events over 10 days, while some 15,000 people turned out to Pride in the Park, making it the biggest free public Pride event in New Zealand.
It has been rebuilt for the domestic market following the level 4 lockdown, with King planning for events under alert level 2 - with seated venues, social distancing, track and trace, and hygiene measures.
King has sold about 700 festival passes and expects around 1000 people to attend, if Auckland comes out of lockdown. The festival is run on a tight budget, so when King committed to re-organising it for 2020, the tickets were made non-refundable.
"The sentiment we've had is people are desperate to get away; this lockdown has emphasised that people need to take the opportunity when they can.
"A lot of these people hadn't been to Queenstown as part of the initial resurgence because they were coming for Pride. So they want to come down, they want to go skiing, get out and do things, and if our Pride events are happening too, that's the cherry on the cake."