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Christmas and New Year in Christchurch

Spending Christmas or New Year in Christchurch? This guide has the 2026 dates for the Santa Parade, Christmas lights, Christmas markets and the free New Year's Eve party in Hagley Park, plus the public holidays and what is open on Christmas Day.

A Christmas tree inside the Cardboard Cathedral, Christchurch, under its coloured glass window

Photo: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Dates for Christmas 2026

  • Saturday 21 November: the Ballantynes Christmas windows open.
  • Saturday 28 November: the Garden City Christmas Mākete at Wolfbrook Arena, and Christmas in the Park in North Hagley Park.
  • Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December: the Christmas Show Parade at the Showgrounds. The Santa Parade is on Sunday 6 December at 2pm.
  • Sunday 13 December: the Ōtautahi Made Christmas Market at Te Pae.
  • Friday 25 December: Christmas Day. Almost all shops are closed.
  • Saturday 26 December: Boxing Day.
  • Thursday 31 December: the free New Year's Eve party in North Hagley Park, with fireworks at midnight.
  • Friday 1 and Saturday 2 January 2027: New Year public holidays.

Christchurch Santa Parade 2026

The Christchurch Santa Parade is part of the VIP Frames & Trusses Christmas Show Parade, a free two-day festival at the Showgrounds. The parade is inside the Showgrounds, not on the central city streets. These details are from the Christmas Show Parade website when we checked in November 2026.

  • When: Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, 11am to 4.30pm both days. The Santa Parade starts at 2pm on Sunday 6 December.
  • Where: Canterbury Agricultural Park (the Showgrounds), about 15 minutes by car from our motel. Get directions
  • Cost: free entry.
  • What's on: two entertainment stages, amusement rides, displays, a Christmas market and food stalls. Bring a picnic or buy food there.
  • Parking: on Sunday, free parking is through the Hayton Road entrance. On Saturday, parking is through Curletts Road.
  • Free bus on Sunday: the Santa Express, run by Bentley Coachlines, goes all day on Sunday from the Christchurch Bus Interchange, The Hub Hornby and Eastgate Mall. The Bus Interchange is a 16-minute walk from our motel.

See the Christmas Show Parade website for the event map and the stage line-up.

Christmas lights in Christchurch

When we checked in early November 2026, we could not find an official Christmas lights trail or map for 2026 from the council or ChristchurchNZ. Light Up Christmas, a map of Christmas light displays around New Zealand, says it will be back with a new map for the 2026 season. Check the Light Up Christmas website closer to Christmas.

  • Ballantynes Christmas windows: the department store at 142 Cashel Street, in the Cashel Street Mall, is famous for its Christmas windows. The 2026 windows open on Saturday 21 November, with Santa, from 11am to 12pm. It is a 14-minute walk from our motel. See the Ballantynes events page.
  • NotEnoughLights, Hornby: a free lights show with more than 620,000 LED lights at Dunluce Place, Hornby. On its website when we checked in November 2026, the lights first go on at 8.30pm on Saturday 28 November. Shows run until 11.30pm from 19 to 24 December, and until about 10.30pm from 25 to 31 December. It is closed when it rains, and parking in Dunluce Place is very limited. About 18 minutes by car. Get directions and check its website.
  • Shands Rd Xmas Experience, Prebbleton: a big lights show with rides, displays and a Christmas village at 650 Shands Road. Christchurch City Libraries lists it from Saturday 28 November to 30 December 2026, 8.30pm to 11.30pm. Entry was $15 for adults and $5 for children on the lightshow's website when we checked in November 2026. About 18 minutes by car. Get directions and check its website.

Christmas in the Park

Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park is a free Christmas concert in North Hagley Park on Saturday 28 November 2026. The show starts at 7.30pm and ends with fireworks. The park is about a 15-minute walk from our motel. See our Christmas in the Park guide for times, what to bring and parking.

Christmas markets

  • The Garden City Christmas Mākete: Saturday 28 November 2026 from 10am at Wolfbrook Arena, 55 Jack Hinton Drive, Addington. Venues Ōtautahi lists more than 200 makers and small businesses, food, workshops, face painting, and Santa and the Grinch. It is indoors, rain or shine, and the arena has a free car park. About 11 minutes by car. See the Venues Ōtautahi page and our Wolfbrook Arena guide.
  • Ōtautahi Made Christmas Market: Sunday 13 December 2026 at Te Pae. The date is on the Te Pae website, but the times were not out when we checked in November 2026. Te Pae is a 7-minute walk from our motel. See Ōtautahi Made and our Te Pae guide.
  • The Christmas Show Parade has a Christmas market at the Showgrounds on 5 and 6 December (see above).

Regular markets can change their days over Christmas and New Year. See our guide to Christchurch markets.

New Year's Eve 2026 in Christchurch

The Christchurch City Council's free New Year's Eve party, NYE26, is in North Hagley Park on Thursday 31 December 2026. These details are from the council's news story of 12 October 2026.

  • NYE Kids' Countdown: 4pm to 7pm, for children aged 4 to 12, with songs, dancing, a magic show and a countdown at 7pm.
  • NYE26: from 8pm. The headline act is Come Together, with Jon Toogood (Shihad), Jennie Skulander (Devilskin), Milan Borich (Pluto) and Seamus Johnson (Sea Mouse). NOPILOT and LOVETA also play, and Henare Kaa is the MC.
  • Fireworks: a big fireworks display at midnight.
  • Cost: free.
  • Rules: both events are smoke-free, vape-free and alcohol-free.
  • Getting there: North Hagley Park is about a 15-minute walk from our motel, so you can walk there and back.

Read the council's news story, and check the council's Newsline closer to the day for road closures and other news.

Public holidays over Christmas and New Year

These are the dates on the Employment New Zealand website when we checked in November 2026. When a holiday falls on a weekend, people who don't usually work that day get the next Monday off instead.

  • Christmas Day: Friday 25 December 2026.
  • Boxing Day: Saturday 26 December 2026, or Monday 28 December.
  • New Year's Day: Friday 1 January 2027.
  • Day after New Year's Day: Saturday 2 January 2027, or Monday 4 January.

See the public holiday dates.

Shops and buses over the holidays

  • Christmas Day: by law, almost all shops must close all day on Christmas Day. Some can still open, such as dairies and small grocery shops, service stations, pharmacies, cafés, restaurants and takeaways, and shops at public transport stations. Most of these have rules on what they can sell. See Employment New Zealand.
  • Boxing Day: it is not a restricted trading day, so shops can open again.
  • Metro buses: on Christmas Day, buses run to the Sunday timetable and all services stop at 6pm. On Boxing Day, from 28 to 31 December, and on 1 and 2 January, they run to the Saturday timetable. Sunday 27 December has the Sunday timetable. See Metro's public holiday hours.

What's open on Christmas Day

Many places close or change their hours on Christmas Day, so check before you go.

Christmas Eve carols

Carols by Candlelight in Victoria Square on Christmas Eve is a tradition that goes back to 1947, says Christchurch City Libraries. It lists the event from 9pm to 10pm. When we checked in November 2026, the 2026 details were not out yet. Victoria Square is about a 7-minute walk from our motel. See the Christchurch City Libraries Christmas page.

Planning your stay

  • Book early: central Christchurch is busy over the holidays. On Saturday 28 November alone there is Christmas in the Park, the Mākete and Robbie Williams at One NZ Stadium.
  • Walk to the city events: our motel is in the city centre with free parking, one space per room, so you can leave the car and walk to Hagley Park, Te Pae and Victoria Square.
  • More events: see all Christchurch events and free things to do in Christchurch.

Questions

When is the Santa Parade in Christchurch in 2026?

Sunday 6 December 2026 at 2pm, at Canterbury Agricultural Park (the Showgrounds). It is part of the Christmas Show Parade, which is on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December from 11am to 4.30pm. Entry is free.

What is the route of the Christchurch Santa Parade?

The parade is held inside the Showgrounds at Canterbury Agricultural Park, not on the city streets. On Sunday, free parking is through the Hayton Road entrance, and a free Santa Express bus runs from the Bus Interchange.

Where can I see Christmas lights in Christchurch?

In the city, see the Ballantynes Christmas windows on Cashel Street from 21 November. Big private displays include NotEnoughLights in Hornby, from 28 November, and the Shands Rd Xmas Experience in Prebbleton. Light Up Christmas plans a new map of displays for 2026.

What's on in Christchurch for New Year's Eve 2026?

NYE26, the council's free party in North Hagley Park on 31 December. The Kids' Countdown is from 4pm to 7pm, the main event starts at 8pm with Come Together, and there are fireworks at midnight.

What time are the New Year's Eve fireworks in Christchurch?

At midnight, in North Hagley Park. It is about a 15-minute walk from our motel.

Can you drink alcohol at the New Year's Eve party in Hagley Park?

No. The NYE Kids' Countdown and NYE26 are alcohol-free, smoke-free and vape-free.

Are shops open on Christmas Day in Christchurch?

Almost all shops must close on Christmas Day. Dairies, service stations, pharmacies, cafés, restaurants and takeaways can still open, most with rules on what they sell. Shops can open again on Boxing Day.

Do buses run on Christmas Day in Christchurch?

Yes. Metro buses run to the Sunday timetable on Christmas Day, and all services stop at 6pm.

What can you do on Christmas Day in Christchurch?

Walk in the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park, which are open every day. Many places are closed, including Quake City, the International Antarctic Centre, Orana Wildlife Park and Riverside Market.

Is 28 December 2026 a public holiday?

Boxing Day is on Saturday 26 December 2026. People who don't usually work on Saturdays get Monday 28 December off instead.

Are there Christmas markets in Christchurch?

Yes. The Garden City Christmas Mākete is at Wolfbrook Arena on Saturday 28 November, the Christmas Show Parade has a market on 5 and 6 December, and the Ōtautahi Made Christmas Market is at Te Pae on Sunday 13 December.

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