15 Nov 2018

Kick up your heels and race into the holiday weekend action as you enjoy a heady mix of all things Irish, exciting racing and country delights at the Show.

New Zealand Agricultural Show

Two-year-old Maia cuddles lambs at the Show.

Two-year-old Maia cuddles lambs at the Show.

Feel like eating candy floss and hot dogs, watching show jumping, and braving carnival rides? Head along to the Show at the Canterbury Agricultural Park  today and tomorrow from 8am until 5.30pm. 

There are livestock and equestrian events, fun-filled family entertainment such as sheep shearing and gumboot throwing competitions, and delicious morsels on offer in the Food and Wine Village.

Tiny lambs will totter around the sheep maternity ward and a children’s petting area has cute lambs, calves, puppies and ducklings. Tomorrow, the Ballantynes Grand Parade will showcase the prize winners across livestock and equestrian sections in the main arena. There’s live entertainment every day in the ASB Village Green and the Tip Top Family Lawn. 

There are three entrances to the free public car park: McMahon Drive entrance, Augustine Drive entrance and Wigram Road entrance. There is no public parking available from Curletts Road.

Racing action

If you want to enjoy some action on the track, then head to either Addington Raceway for the Show Day races or to Riccarton Park racecourse on Saturday.

Addington’s Show Day races  have a family friendly focus, with on-course children’s entertainment and activities. People are invited to bring a picnic and relax as they watch the country’s best pacers and trotters compete in the Woodlands NZ Free For All, and the Haras des Trotteurs Dominion.  Entry is via a gold coin charity donation, with gates opening at 10.30am. 

On Saturday it will be an adult-only affair at Riccarton for the Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup and gavelhouse.com NZ 1000 Guineas. Fashion in the Field will also be the order of the day as stylish racegoers eye the winner’s circle in the Mondo Travel/Millennium Hotels and Resorts-sponsored event. The gates open at 9am but the first race isn't until 12.15pm.  An alcohol ban will be in place on the streets around Riccarton racecourse from 7am to midnight.

NZ Irish Fest

This inaugural festival runs from today until Sunday featuring celebrated songwriters and comedians who have travelled from Ireland to play shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch alongside local musicians.

The line-up includes Damien Dempsey from Dublin; award-winning songwriter Mick Flannery from Cork; songstress Lisa O’Neill from Cavan and Irish comedians Alan McElroy (Dublin) and Darren Jardine (Belfast). In Christchurch, the festival includes an Irish Film Fest at the Academy Gold Cinema and a ceilidh (Irish music and dancing) at the Irish Society Hall in Spreydon on Saturday from 4pm.

NZ Irish Fest has been curated by Gerry Paul, an Irish-born Kiwi who has lived in Ireland for over 20 years and played with some of the biggest names in Irish music.

By lucky coincidence, the All Blacks play Ireland in Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road in Dublin this weekend on Sunday at 8am (NZ time).

David Byrne live 

The New York based artist will perform songs from his new album Utopia as well as classics from his solo career and his days with Talking Heads (including Burning Down the House and Once in a Lifetime) at Horncastle Arena tonight from 7pm as part of his American Utopia NZ Tour.

A 12-piece band will join Byrne on stage for an Annie-B Parson-choreographed-concert that Byrne has called “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.” Tickets are available through Ticketek.

Kids enjoying a pool party.

Three of Christchurch's outdoor pools open this weekend.

Outdoor pools opening

 If the weather is warm it could be the perfect weekend to jump into a freshly opened outdoor pool. Three of the Christchurch City Council’s five outdoor pools - Waltham Pool, Lyttelton's Norman Kirk Memorial Pool and Te Hāpua Halswell - are opening on Saturday for the summer along with all eight outdoor paddling pools.

NZSO performs Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky

 The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will play Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 in E Minor at the Horncastle Arena on Saturday at 7pm. Tickets are available through Ticketek.

Out of This World – Nanogirl Live on Stage

Following two sell-out tours, Nanogirl, Boris (her trusty lab assistant), and CLAIR (Constantly Learning Artificial Intelligence Repository) will bring science and engineering to life in a show featuring rockets, explosions and even a tornado. The exciting science show will be on stage Saturday at the Isaac Theatre Royal, 3pm and 7pm.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

 Atlas Voices presents Giancarlo Menotti’s one act children’s opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors at The Piano: Centre for Music and the Arts. There will be a family-friendly matinee at 2pm and an evening performance at 7.30pm on Saturday.

The children’s opera tells the story of a Amahl, a poor, young disabled boy prone to telling tall tales, and his mother who meets the three kings on their way to Bethlehem on the eve of the first Christmas. It features local soprano Amanda Atlas and Atlas Voice Ensemble members and will be followed by a selection of holiday music.

Inside Out Akaroa House and Garden Tour

Take a peek inside some amazing Banks Peninsula properties on Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 5pm. The Inside Out tour, is only held every two years. Tickets available from the Akaroa Adventure Centre, Akaroa Museum, The Little River Gallery, Ballantynes in Christchurch & Timaru and online.

Visit Tūranga

 For indoor entertainment, head to the new central library, Tūranga, which will be open every day of the long weekend, including Show Day, from 10am until 5pm.