Things to do  |  21 Oct 2022

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If you decided to stay at home for the long weekend, you made a good choice because there is loads of fun things happening in Christchurch over the next three days. Here are our top picks.

Christchurch Big Band Festival 2022

Labour Weekend in Christchurch is going to be a blast, thanks to the Christchurch Big Band Festival 2022. 

This year’s festival is drawing bands from all over New Zealand and they will be performing everything from traditional 1920s jazz through to modern pop and funk.  Most of the performances will be free and will take place in public spaces throughout the CBD.

You will be able to hear the bands play on the tram, at Riverside Market, and in Victoria Square. On Monday, the final day of the festival, head to the Botanic Garden’s Archery Law for the free Big Band Picnic where 12 bands will perform between 10am and 4pm.

The iconic Town Hall is celebrating its 50th birthday.

Celebrate Christchurch Town Hall’s 50th anniversary

The Town Hall is throwing its doors open to the public on Sunday for a fun-filled day celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The doors to the iconic venue open at 10am and there will be circus performers to entertain the children, a music and moving light show happening all day in the Victoria Room, and free guided tours of the Town Hall every 30 minutes.

Some of the bands in Christchurch for the Big Brass Band Festival will be performing and renowned organist Martin Setchell will be giving a recital from 2.15pm to 3pm. There will be food trucks outside the Town Hall and the Town Hall’s café will be open for people wanting to buy drinks and ice-creams. Find out more.

Orton Bradley Park Spring Fair

The popular Orton Bradley Park Spring Fair is on this Sunday so if you are at a loose end, head over the hill for a fun family day out.

The fair is one of the feature events of the Christchurch Heritage Festival and has something for everyone. There will be food, coffee, wine, arts and crafts, old machinery demonstrations and an opportunity to explore the park’s Heritage Centre.

There will also be live music and loads of fun activities for the kids, including bouncy castles. The fair runs from 10am to 4pm and entry is $10 for adults but children are free.

Christchurch Heritage Festival

This weekend is the final weekend of the Christchurch Heritage Festival and your last chance to learn a little more about your city’s past. Events on this weekend include a guided walk along the River Promenade, Spirited Cemetery Tours at the Addington, Bromley and Linwod cemeteries, a demonstration of textile crafts at the Tannery, and a special exhibition at Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House that tells the story of the man who was married to New Zealand’s greatest suffragist.  Check out the Christchurch Heritage Festival website for more information on these events and full list of the weekend’s line-up.

Enjoy the beauty of spring gardens.

Little River Flower Power Garden Trail

If you love exploring other people’s gardens, then make sure you get tickets for the Little River Flower Power Garden Trail, which is on Sunday and Monday. You will be able to sniff your away around a wonderful array of private gardens and boutique lifestyle properties growing flowers and food crops commercially.

Tickets cost $15 and are available from eventfinda, or they can be purchased on both days of the event from the Little River Craft Station.

Take a splash in a paddling pool

If the weather is warm at the weekend, you might want to take the kids for a splash in a paddling pool. The paddling pools at New Brighton, Scarborough and the Botanic Gardens are all opening this weekend. Children need to be supervised at all times as there no lifeguards at the paddling pools. The rest of the Council's paddling pools will open on 12 November.

Other events

For a full run-down of events on over Labour Weekend check out What’s On.