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entertainment
 The Garden City’s nightlife is becoming as celebrated as its vibrant cafe culture and performing arts scene.
Visitors can enjoy a night on the town in Cathedral Square, Oxford Terrace or the Cashel Mall. In these areas you will find fashionable cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants that pulsate to the beat of dance music, especially at the weekend.
Oxford Terrace, known as ‘The Strip’, attracts the late night partying crowd, at favourite watering holes like the Viaduct, the L. Lounge, All Bar One, Azure and Coyote. Full time clubs and gigs in the central city are not numerous but on the weekend many bars convert into dance venues and employ DJ’s to keep the music pumping. Popular meeting places are the Chats Club in Hereford Street, Bailies in the Square and Bardellis and Cafe Bleu in the Cashel Mall. The Southern Blues Bar in Madras Street has good blues music, and The Loaded Hog in Cashel Street has the added appeal of naturally brewed beers and hog-sized meals.
 The Arts Centre in Worcester Boulevard is central to the creative, artistic Christchurch lifestyle. The Centre hosts The Court Theatre, New Zealand’s longest running theatre group. The Southern Ballet Company performs here as do touring jazz and rock music acts.
Nearby Hagley Park is the venue for a varied programme of musical events during the summer. Maori concerts can be enjoyed at Nga Hau E Wha National Marae in Pages Road, often accompanied by a hangi feast and marae visit.
 Movie multiplexes at the Regent, Hoyt’s 8 and Rialto are located near the city centre and art house movies are shown at the downtown Academy Theatre and also the Cloisters Cinema at the Arts Centre.
Christchurch is celebrated for its almost non-stop programme of festival events and entertainment. These include the Festival of Romance, the International Busker’s Festival, a winter carnival and Showtime Canterbury in November. The city’s zealous artistes take their work seriously and are dedicated to achieving the highest standards in the visual and performing arts - and it shows.
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