Christchurch is gearing up for a bumper summer with a range of top-class events and an ambitious entertainment schedule.
Our vibrant city will host a multitude of events throughout summer 2019, including live music and world-class
entertainment, international sporting events, community fetes and fairs, arts extravaganzas and seasonal favourites.
Christchurch’s summer events programme kicks off with a bang on December 01 with the launch of the annual SummerTimes festival, with amazing local bands, musicians and buskers holding live performances throughout the city over the warm
summer months.
On December 02 our city welcomes the iconic Multi Media Communications Santa Parade back into the central city for the first time in eight years. 100,000 plus spectators are expected to join in the free
fun, excitement and entertainment as this iconic community event, presented by the Christchurch Children’s Christmas
Parade Trust.
The Arts Centre of Christchurch, Te Matatiki Toi Ora will be celebrating summer with another series of Leighs Construction Outdoor Cinema events for the whole family. With films screening on two consecutive nights in December, January and February in the
picturesque North Quadrangle, get ready to grab the family, a picnic blanket and some nibbles and experience the best in
outdoor cinema at one of Canterbury’s most unique and beautiful locations.
Christchurch will experience a spectacular summer cricket showdown as the Blackcaps gear up to play Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from December 26. Cricket fans will be treated to five days of world class
cricket action as the teams battle it out against the stunning backdrop of Hagley Oval, starting on Boxing Day 2018.
From January 10 to February 03, expect the unexpected as the Bread & Circus – World Buskers Festival takes over town, bringing with it a world class programme of local national and international acts to be showcased
along the streets and inside the theatres of Christchurch. World-famous busking pitches and exceptional ticketed shows
will be complemented by a banquet of delicious local food and beverage offerings to create a stand out month of
spectacle.
Get ready for a hugely fun T20 cricket match at the Hot Spring T20 Christchurch Black Clash as New Zealand’s biggest
rugby and cricket sporting stars take each other on in a high-intensity match at Christchurch’s beautiful Hagley Oval on
January 25.
February marks the final stand out month of summer, but we’re saving the best for last with global music legend Phil Collins treating Christchurch fans to a one-night-only concert on February 4, as part of his Not Dead Yet – Live! tour.
Waitangi Day will go off with a bang at North Hagley Park with the UB40 concert and our city’s much-loved Sparks event featuring the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and concluding with a dazzling fireworks display. Sparks coincides
with the ever-popular Night Noodle Markets, running from February 6 to 17. Noodle lovers young and old should prepare their senses for a fusion of Eastern
flavours and Chinese lanterns at this ultimate Asian pop-up market experience.
Keep an eye out for the Kathmandu Coast To Coast competitors as they make their way to the finish line at New Brighton on Saturday February 09 or get on down to the
finish line to cheer them on.
The mighty Blackcaps will also be back at Hagley Park on February 16 to play a smashing ODI against Bangladesh,
promising a stand out day of cricket for the whole family to enjoy.
Another February highlight is one of Christchurch’s largest and most popular free events, the South Island Lantern Festival, which lights up our central city from February 22 – 24. Connecting the Ōtākaro Avon River Precinct/City Promenade, the
event celebrates the best of Chinese culture, with music, performance, dance, food and vibrantly coloured lanterns
lighting up the central city.
It’s pretty clear this exciting line-up of events and entertainment makes Christchurch an unmissable destination this
summer. If you’ve got big plans for memorable summer holidays, there’s something for everyone right here in
Christchurch. Our vibrant city centre offers many new and gems and old favourites to explore, alongside decadent food
and beverage offerings, entertainment, arts, cinema, events, activities, shopping and social gatherings.
These new gems include Tūranga, our new central library, which hosted 2500 people within the first 90 minutes of its grand opening on Friday 12,
October 2018. Christchurch's new $50 million Hoyts EntX 7-screen cinema complex has also opened for business, boasting a wide variety of social dining options to complement
its two floors of cinemas.
So, with holiday season just around the corner, get ready for an awesome summer exploring all that Christchurch’s epic
Summer calendar has to offer!
Don’t forget to include the hashtag #ExploreChristchurch when sharing what you love best about the CBD with your friends
and social networks.
Come on Christchurch, let’s #Explore!
ENDS