What's on in Christchurch, New Zealand through the year

Peak crowds — Bread & Circus buskers festival, New Zealand summer holidays

• Festival

  Bread & Circus buskers festival

  20 Jan – 3 Feb · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Ten days of street performance in the squares and along the river at the end of January, free in the daytime and ticketed at night; the city centre finally feels full. Source ↗

Still on: New Zealand summer holidays (19 Dec – 1 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Bread & Circus buskers festival, New Zealand summer holidays

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Bread & Circus buskers festival (20 Jan – 3 Feb (usually)), New Zealand summer holidays (19 Dec – 1 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Busy — Term 1 (April / Easter) break in New Zealand, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Autumn colour in the parks

  10 Apr – 20 May · usually

  The English trees in Hagley Park and along the Avon turn through late April, which is what the garden city was planted for. A nor'west gale strips them in an afternoon.

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Autumn colour in the parks (10 Apr – 20 May (usually))

Busy — Canterbury ski season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Canterbury ski season

  5 Jun – 10 Oct · usuallyCrowded

  Mt Hutt is an hour and a half away and usually opens first in the country and closes last; the club fields behind it run on gravel roads and rope tows, and the city drives up for the day.

Peak crowds — Canterbury ski season, Term 2 (July) break in New Zealand

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Canterbury ski season (5 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — Canterbury ski season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Canterbury ski season (5 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Canterbury ski season, Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand

• Season

  The nor'west arch

  1 Sep – 31 Dec · usuallyWind seasonRisk

  A foehn wind off the Alps arrives with a bar of cloud over the ranges and a hot dry gale in the city, most often in spring. It drops the humidity, lifts the dust off the plains, and everyone blames their headache on it.

Still on: Canterbury ski season (5 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Canterbury ski season, Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Canterbury ski season (5 Jun – 10 Oct (usually)), The nor'west arch (1 Sep – 31 Dec (usually))

Busy — NZ Cup and Show Week

• Festival

  NZ Cup and Show Week

  6–16 Nov · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Race days at Addington and Riccarton, the A&P Show at the showgrounds and a regional public holiday on the Friday. The city dresses up, and the hotels sell out before the fashion does. Source ↗

Still on: The nor'west arch (1 Sep – 31 Dec (usually))

Peak crowds — New Zealand summer holidays, Summer holidays in New Zealand

• Holiday

  New Zealand summer holidays

  19 Dec – 1 Feb · usuallySchool holidaysCrowded

  The country shuts for a fortnight from Christmas: the city itself goes quiet and half its cafes close, while Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula bays are the busiest they get all year. Source ↗

Still on: The nor'west arch (1 Sep – 31 Dec (usually))