The Christchurch Heritage festival is on now until the 23^rd heritage festival in October. The festival celebrates the heritage of Christchurch and brings opportunities to visit places in Christchurch you may not have visited before, hear stories, share experiences and learn more about the past and key Christchurch buildings and landmarks.

The theme for 2023 is Living and learning and looks at the legacy of learning and education facilities in Christchurch.

Here are our top picks for Christchurch Heritage Festival:

University of Canterbury 150 years: From Gothic to Modern - visit the Rose Historic Chapel on the 18^th October for a lecture by Dr John Wilson, who will look at the history of the buildings at The University of Canterbury. 

You could also head along to the Humans of Christchurch – Red Chair chats. Here you can simply enjoy a seat with chat with a team member from the university and learn something new about the University. The event takes place on the 6^th October between 11am to 2pm.

Best parking:

• 56-58 Asaph Street
• 238 Antigua Street
• 38 Oxford Street

Canterbury Museum Through The Years – Head to the CWEA Building on the 16^th October for a talk to celebrate the history of Canterbury Museum and how it’s been represented in Christchurch’s society through the decades. The talk will be given by Dr Morgane Merien who is a Science and Curatorial Communicator at the museum.  

Best parking:

• 63 Worcester Boulevard
• 76 Armagh Street
• 76 Worcester Boulevard

York Minster- A Sustainable future - Christchurch Transitional Cathedral. This talk takes place at the Christchurch Transitional Cathedral and looks into the complexities of caring for an 800 year old Gothic Cathedral and it’s 2000 year old estate. The talk also focuses on the how cutting edge technology has been used in the restoration programme for the cathedral. 

The talk takes place on the 16^th October with and booking is required please email: information@ccrl.org.nz.

Best Parking:

• 240 Cashel Street
• East Frame car park (ParkMate & ParkMate guest payment only)
• 138-142 Lichfield Street

Creative Activities at the Art Centre – The White Room at the Art Centre is offering free creative activities during the Heritage Festival, including life drawing, The drawing window and frottage (taking a rubbing from a surface to create art). This is great way to explore the art centre and get creative at the same time. 

Best Parking: 

• 63 Worcester Boulevard
• The West End Carpark
• 107 Cambridge Terrace

Thrifty, DIY life hacks: Learning from Museum collections – with a focus on sustainability head to this talk by Danielle Campbell from Ashburton’s Art Gallery and Museum, where you can discover how to up cycle furniture, create your own clothing, create new recipes and remedies. The event is being hosted in Spark Place, Tūranga Central Library.

Best parking:

• 50 Cathedral Square
• 148 Gloucester Street
• 160 Gloucester Street

For a full programme of all the events taking place and the event timetable click here.