Arts and culture

Fine art, music, theatre, dance and film are all celebrated in Christchurch.

The Cultural Precinct brings together the finest of Christchurch’s arts and cultural activities. This includes the Christchurch Art Gallery, which draws on the best of New Zealand and international artists in exciting and constantly changing exhibitions. The nearby Centre of Contemporary Art features works by leading New Zealand artists.

Nearby is the Canterbury Museum, renowned for its imaginative displays of some of the best historical, cultural and natural collections in the South Pacific.

The Arts Centre is always alive with artists, craftspeople, musicians and performers and is home to the Court Theatre, Southern Ballet Theatre, Rutherford’s Den, Academy and Cloisters cinemas. Live entertainment, stalls, cafes, restaurants, displays and regular special events ensure there is always something going on.

Wherever you go in Christchurch there’s always an exciting choice of arts and culture for all interests with the Christchurch Arts Festival offers a feast of performing, visual and applied arts every second year.

For an introduction to Maori culture look no further than Ko Tane and Nga Hau E Wha National Marae, both of which offer an exciting mix of information and cultural performances.

Theatre buffs are well catered to with exciting annual programmes from the Court Theatre, New Zealand’s foremost professional company, along with touring shows that visit the Theatre Royal and James Hay Theatre.

Live music happens every night around the city, with larger scale international touring acts performing at the Westpac Arena and AMI Stadium.

Film lovers needn’t be disappointed either. Christchurch is burgeoning with cinemas offering a wide variety of mainstream and arthouse selections from around the world.