Christchurch looks forward to a summer of events

Christchurch is gearing up for a busy summer with a range of top-class events and an ambitious entertainment schedule.

The rebuilding city is set to 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 on 2nd December 02 with the Multi Media Communications Santa Parade returning into the central city for the first time in eight years.

100,000 spectators are expected to join in the free community event, presented by the Christchurch Children’s Christmas Parade Trust.

The Arts Centre 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 from 26th December. 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.

Hagley Oval will also host the T20 Christchurch Black Clash as New Zealand’s biggest rugby and cricket sporting stars take each other on in a high-intensity match on 25th January while the Blackcaps will be back at Hagley Park on 16th February to play a ODI against Bangladesh.

From 10th January to 3rd February the Bread & Circus - World Buskers Festival will bring 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.

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 4th February, 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 in the Park fireworks event coinciding with the ever-popular Night Noodle Markets, running from 6th to 17th February.

The end of summer marks one of Christchurch’s largest and most popular free events as the South Island Lantern Festival lights up our central city from 22nd to 24th February. Connecting with the Avon River, Worcester Boulevard, and Cathedral Square, the event celebrates the best of Chinese culture, with music, performance, dance, food and vibrantly coloured lanterns lighting up the central city.

The rebuilding of Christchurch's leisure infrastructure is a feature in the latest issue of Australasian Leisure Management.

Images: Sparks in the Park fireworks (top) and Hagley Oval (below).