One of the most fun filled, free of cost entertainments in the city is the Buskers festival that takes place at various venues including Cathedral square, Buskers Park, Botanical Gardens and Peacock Foundation. The festival comprises of street dancers, jugglers, one wheel cyclists, jokers and clowns who together put up exciting performances in juggling, stand up comedy, acrobatics and contortionism.
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One of the most fun filled, free of cost entertainments in the city is the Buskers festival that takes place at various venues including Cathedral square, Buskers Park, Botanical Gardens and Peacock Foundation. The festival comprises of street dancers, jugglers, one wheel cyclists, jokers and clowns who together put up exciting performances in juggling, stand up comedy, acrobatics and contortionism.
One of the leading sporting events of the calendar, the PGA championship is renowned across the country and holds a prize worth US$650,000. The championship is scheduled over four days and includes practice sessions as well the final day games at the Clearwater Golf course in Christchurch. If you’re not in town for the championship the Clearwater Golf course is itself is a beautiful site to spend a day at.
Very popular among teenagers and adults alike, the event gains most of its popularity with the presence of world renowned kite flyers at the venue. Kites of various sizes and shapes are displayed together with flying demonstrations that keep people captivated. The Kite Day is celebrated at the Brighton Beach and is free for all to drop by.
Living up to the city’s reputation as the Garden City, the Flower Festival is a one of its kind in the continent. The celebration is dedicated to all gardens, parks, flowers and anything that is floral! The entire city is decorated with flowers (like it lacked greenery anyway!) and locals indulge in various activities such as storytelling in parks, tree climbing competitions, garden tours, photography and some entertainment with food and music. The highlight of the day is the 20m ‘flower carpet’ in the center of the Cathedral that is decorated according to the theme set for the festival.
It is party time in Christchurch in mid-February. A day long Picnic held in the north of Hagley Park, this event is particularly famous for children who watch bears perform tricks, listen to stories, go on rides, attend stages comedies together with magic and puppetry shows. Perhaps the biggest event for kids, Teddy Bears Picnic is enjoyed by all as an outdoor festival and a part of Christchurch’s Summer Times activities.
A musical gala under the night sky is all that New Zealanders wish for in mid February. Held at the serene Hagley Park, Starry Nights features famous musicians of New Zealand who perform some all time favorite and classic numbers along with professional dancers for the eager audience. This event is credited as the country’s largest live stage performance.
Taking inspiration from London’s Chelsea Flower Show, this one in Christchurch is no less than a piece of wild imagination. Acres of land are dedicated to hundreds of different kinds of flowers that are mused upon by some 57,000 on lookers. Held in the Hagley Park of the city, Ellerslie Flower show is also an opportunity for garden decorators to showcase their talents at flower sculpting and awe the gazing audience.
New Zealand celebrates the summer festivities with a lot of outdoor music at the Rick Armstrong concert. Part of the Summer Time celebrations of the city, the concert is just one of the ways that New Zealanders spend time outside in the sun and get together with friends and family. The concert itself features many artists from within the country as well as internationally. The highlight of the day is the firework show in the evening that lights up the night sky with rainbow colors. It is held at the North Hagley Park.
Priding itself for being the best wine field in the world, the Waipara valley in Christchurch holds this annual event to exhibit its exotic tastes and varieties in wine collections. The festival is held amidst lush green landscapes and mountains where the smell of flavored and expertly brewed wine is too intoxicating to resist! The Waipara Wine and Food celebration had started off in 1992 as a charity and fund raising event. With the huge success in the first year the event has been gaining scope and popularity simultaneously in the last couple of years.
The Cathedral and Arts Center is the venue for this musical festival in Christchurch. Local and international musicians and artists join hands to perform various melodies and genres at the event that adds multifold to the already adventurous tourist life in the city. This is arguably the largest musical festival in the country. Phone: +64 (0) 3 377 2365
In the memory of the war days, Christchurch commemorates with a concert full of nostalgic songs of the past. The event is greatly treasured by the 60 + New Zealanders who go down memory lane with songs sung by various bands on that day. The ANZAC day also being a national holiday attracts hundreds of families to the allotted venue for a fun filled day.
Watch celebrity chefs cook their way to your heart at the Food Show in the Canterbury Arena in Christchurch. The food show is a famous event in the country that displays the year’s finest produce, wines and a variety of foods from local and international origins. The event attracts more than 40,000 visitors who spend all day at the displays collecting information on recipes and tasting the best of eateries in New Zealand. Phone: +64 3 366 8899
ChartFest is the city’s favorite music festival that has a line up of fresh upcoming talent as well as some of the NZ favorites. The event has various music activities together with live shows and interviews. Some of the highlights of the festival are the Music Career workshops and the Band Search activity that includes contests of local rising stars. Spend a musical evening with friends and family and be a part of the traditions of New Zealand.
Being a green city, Christchurch lays immense emphasis on a healthy way of life that not only provides individual benefits but also gives the environment sustained growth. Eco Expo is a convention along these lines and has gained great popularity over the past years. The displays and workshops at the expo provide residents with alternatives for making every activity in life green. From healthy food to healthy gardening to healthy driving, this expo has some very innovative ides instore for you!
Early June, the Christchurch City Marathon creates an adrenaline rush among the locals. The marathon is one of the country’s most famous and extensive sport events that is attended by over 2000 participants. Onlookers cheer on their favorite runners and spend time networking and enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. The race starts and ends in the Town Hall area and winners get extravagant prizes.
A country wide festival full of entertainment and fun lines the month of July in Christchurch. Various venues are selected for storytelling, walks with famous cartoon characters, circuses and many more fun filled activities for children in particular. This year the kids Fest will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and hopes to surprise New Zealanders with amazing treats!
The aim for this not-for-profit cultural event is to make the best featured films and documentaries available for screening through out the various cinemas of the city. The film festival attracts a large crowd out of the enthusiastic teens of the country and the fun loving corporate market. Started in 1977, the festival shows 120 films that have been blockbusters worldwide to provide quality entertainment to the New Zealanders and the tourists. New Zealand celebrates its long history of film festivals with posters and paintings of various characters and performances that can be viewed online.
An event dedicated to snow and skiing, the Montana Carnival is a winter festival where New Zealanders gather at a skiing resort to see skiers perform stunts and races and earn the best title for the evening. Onlookers spend the entire day at the resort while they eat and enjoy meeting friends and family for a fun day out.
Bringing together an array of performances by renowned dancers, artists, visual art specialists, literary and music icons (jazz, pop, classical& opera), the Arts festival is a hyped up event in the city. Held in the various auditoriums and galleries across Christchurch, these performances are very well prepared and executed and it is a pleasure to be part of such a culturally rich event. The festival is full of insights into the arts, design and heritage of New Zealand that is brought to the forefront by various creative organizations of the country.
Organized and run by a team of professional writers and broadcasters, the writers festival’s primary motive is to run a charity organization and to make this privilege common to all. The agenda of the festival focuses on literary events, read aloud programs and library sessions with credible and renowned appearance like Thomas Kenneally, Anna Funder, Jane Smiley and Christopher Kremmer.
The craft show in New Zealand has one of its venues in Christchurch where craftsmen put up stalls to showcase their artifacts and talents. Various materials are used to decorate the ornaments to make them attractive for locals and tourists to buy as gifts and souvenirs. The craft show is a representation of New Zealand’s heritage and culture and has boasted its local industries for years. Ticket charges: Adults $10, Seniors & Students $9, School Children $5, under 5years are allowed for free.
Experience the excitement with hundreds of cyclists in October during the Le Race. Starting at the Cathedral, this race is a major event in Christchurch because of the sheer number of people who participate and the audience amounts to thousands. Participation fees for an individual is NZ$95.
Appreciating a country’s heritage is integral to have a feeling of belonging and responsibility to one’s country. The Heritage week in Christchurch aims to do just that by arranging cultural events and tours to historical buildings so that people can appreciate the historic value of the city and understand the cultural significance of many monuments. With separate themes distinguishing various aspects of culture, the event tries to educate the masses of the historical stories and landmark moments that went into the making of the entire city. Highlights of the event include historical quizzes and cemetery tours.
Ever since 1862, the Canterbury Agricultural and Postural show has aided the farming industry in modernizing and developing beyond expectation. The A&P show displays livestock, machinery and tools and kits that can improve the produce that farmers generate and boast the country’s economy. Organized over three days, the show attracts more than 110,000 people, 600 exhibitors and around 7000 livestock entries.