From the hills to the beach, Ōtautahi Christchurch is filled with gems. When it comes to exciting events, the catalogue is pretty diverse and keeps getting bigger and better. If you want to spice up your schedule without straying too far from home, we’re putting a spotlight on the best the Garden City has to offer this year. So, what's on in Christchurch?
Here are the best events happening in Christchurch in 2025.
Never miss a new opening or upcoming event in Christchurch again—get us in your inbox here.
What's On In Christchurch In 2025
Christchurch Night Market
Friday & Saturday, Weekly | 10 Settlers Crescent, Ferrymead | Free
If you’ve got a pulse and a few taste buds, you probably love a good night market. Well, let us now introduce the Christchurch Night Market—going down on both Friday and Saturday every single week. This double-dose of late-night eats. Free to enter and obliged to binge, this fabulous market features over fifty vendors from around the world and a bunch of fun stuff for the kiddies. How’s that?
Friday Open Mic @ Embankment Tavern
Friday, Weekly | Embankment Tavern
How’s this for an incubator of homegrown talent? Embankment Tavern’s Friday Open Mic nights are a serious institution in the Cantabrian grassroots scene, offering a three to four-song slot with full stage access, a top PA, guitars, drums and amps for the next big acts on the block. From 7.30pm every Friday, a 9pm feature spot offers the chance to showcase what you’ve been cooking with a paid 45-minute set. For the less get up on stage and blast it kind of people (most of us), Embankment is THE place to relax, have a good time and enjoy some decent music. So get down there.
Upcycled Necklace Making Workshop
24 June | The Arts Centre | $$
Image credit: DIY Daisy | supplied
Self-care, slow fashion and sustainable fun? Yes, yes and yes. DIY Daisy is on a wee tour across Aotearoa, spreading her feel-good crafts to conscious consumers. She’s popping into The Arts Centre on 4 June, and will be running a two-hour upcycled necklace making workshop where guests can rummage a lovely little stash of second-hand beads to design their own bespoke statement necklace—all while sipping tea, snacking, and soaking up the vibes.In her own blissful words, “These workshops are about making sustainability joyful and accessible. It’s not about perfection— it’s about expressing yourself, connecting with others, and giving pre-loved materials a beautiful new life.” Sign. Me. Up.Doc Edge Film Festival
25 June-25 August | Various locations
If documentaries are your schtick you’ll want to deep dive into this year’s Doc Edge Festival which, this year, is celebrating it's 20th anniversary. Always packed with high calibre films from Aotearoa and around the world, plus immersive exhibitions, industry events, and a schools programme, Doc Edge is essential viewing.
NZ Opera—La Bohème: A Winter’s Tale Of Love & Loss with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
2, 4 & 6 July | Isaac Theatre Royal | $$-$$$
Image credit: Andi Crown Photography | Instagram
NZ Opera have dropped a certified classique on us, and I’m more than ready to shed a tear from the unparalleled comfort of those iconic red seats. Set in post-war Paris, international director Bruno Ravella has stripped things back with his powerful take on Puccini’s gut-wrenching masterpiece La bohème. Pop down to Isaac Royal Theatre on either 2, 4 or 6 July (or all three if you’re a fiend) to catch cast stacked with international stars alongside antipodean powerhouses. It’s a strictly limited sessions typa operation. Tissues recommended, emotional devastation guaranteed.
Fuel your night out at the best restaurants in Christchurch.
Main image credit: Electric Avenue | Instagram.
Urban List editors independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. Urban List has affiliate partnerships, and if you purchase something through the links in this article, we will earn a commission from those partners. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here.