Tips for making the most of your Labour Weekend

If you've chosen to spend the holiday weekend in Christchurch, you've chosen wisely because there are so many great events happening in our region over the next three days.

Unleash your creativity on the Wall to Wall project.

Wall to Wall

This weekend is your last chance to pick up a paintbrush and help creative a massive piece of public art on one of the walls at the Christchurch Art Gallery.

The Wall to Wall project has proved hugely popular since it was launched in early October but it all comes to an end on Sunday.  If you want to add your doodlings to the art work, call into the Christchurch Art Gallery  any time between 11am and 4pm over the weekend.

The art gallery will provide all the materials you need so all you need to bring is your artistic flair.

Festa

FESTA, a four-day celebration of architecture, design and food, begins today so make sure you take time over Labour Weekend to check it out. There are more than 50 events on but the highlight event is FEASTA!, a street party in Mollett Street from 5 to 11pm on Saturday.

There will be live entertainment, pop-up restaurants, an Asian food market and heaps of family-friendly activities including a children’s parade of wearable art made from food packaging. Mollett Street will also be filled with imaginative and unique installations by more than 130 design and architecture students from across Australia and New Zealand.

Check out the full Festa line-up.

The Christchurch Big Band Festival is on.

Christchurch Big Band Festival

The Christchurch Big Band Festival blasts back into the central city this weekend so make sure you block out some time to come into town and enjoy big band sounds from the 1930s to the current day.

Up to 20 bands from around Christchurch and the South Island will be giving pop-up performances at locations throughout the CBD including New Regent Street, the Christchurch Art Gallery and Tūranga over the course of the long weekend.

The festival’s headline act, world-renowned drummer Steve Gadd, will be playing at the Isaac Theatre Royal on Saturday night with the Rodger Fox Big Band.

Check out the full festival programme. 

 Beca Heritage Week

The Orton Bradley Park Spring Fair, one of the highlights of Beca Heritage Week, is on this Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Head along and explore the park’s heritage buildings, learn about our colonial past and imagine what life was like over 100 years ago.

Enjoy a spring fair at Orton Bradley Park.

There will be music, gourmet food stalls, activities for the kids and art stalls. You can also burn off energy on the park’s walking and biking tracks and have a go on the high ropes course.

Admission to the spring fair is $10 for adults, with children admitted for free. There is free paddock parking on site. If you want to take the ferry from Lyttelton across to Diamond Harbour, there will be a free shuttle running to Orton Bradley Park and back throughout the day.

Other Heritage Week events on over the holiday weekend include a Spirited Cemetery Tour of St Peter's Anglican churchyard and the Standing Strong heritage houses tour.

See a full list of Beca Heritage Week events.

Spanish & Latino Week

Head to Little Andromeda, 131 Gloucester Street, on Sunday night for the Latino Market Picante and Fiesta under the Stars. It is one of the final events of Spanish & Latino Week and will feature authentic Latin foods and crafts, live music, dancing and more. The event runs from 4 to 11pm and entry is by gold coin donation.

Little Andromeda

The pop-up entertainment venue near the Dance-O-Mat on Gloucester St will have a party atmosphere over Labour Weekend starting with tonight's free Food and Funk, part of FESTA and the Christchurch Big Band Festival. The STAC Big Band warms things up from 7.30pm before DJ Jesse gets funky on the dance floor. On Saturday at 5.30pm the Dan Bolton Quartet will perform before the Big Band Festival Post Gala Jam begins at 9.30pm.

Off-road racing 

The Canterbury Off Road Club is hosting the racing national finals at its newly modified purpose built-track this weekend on Weedons Ross Road.  Come along on Saturday from 10am and watch the thrilling short-course racing action as off-road race trucks, buggies and UTVs battle it out for the New Zealand title. Each class of vehicle will compete in three heats throughout the course of day.

Spectators can enjoy watching from the nearby stands as the cars soar of the table top jump. Saturday is the best day for viewing all the thrills, spills and action as on Sunday the competitors will be taking part in a 250km endurance race. Admission on Saturday is $10 for adult, with children under 15 admitted for free.

Celebrating Linwood Locals

If you want to learn a little more about Linwood and the people that help make it such a great place to live, pop along to the Linwood Library for the Celebrating Linwood Locals photo exhibition. The exhibition celebrates 12 locals who are actively involved in their community and making a positive difference to the Greater Linwood area. The exhibition finishes on Friday 26 October.