Explore family-friendly Christchurch Christmas activities and summer festive events that’ll make your holiday magical, even when it’s scorching hot
Celebrating Christmas in the middle of a New Zealand summer is weird. While everyone else in the Northern Hemisphere is posting cosy fireplace pics and sipping mulled wine, we’re over here sweating through our festive outfits and wondering why we even bothered with that Christmas jumper. But here’s the thing: Christchurch actually does Christmas really well, even when it’s 30 degrees and the only white Christmas we’re getting is from the ice cream truck.
We’ve pulled together all our favourite ways to get into the festive spirit without melting into a puddle. From riverside carols to beachside Santa photos, here’s how to make Christmas feel magical in Christchurch, heat wave and all.
Read more: nook NZ’s Toddler & Preschooler Christmas Gift Guide 2025
Best Christchurch Christmas Activities and Events This Summer:
Classic Christchurch Christmas Traditions
Carols on the Avon
Picture this: you’re floating down the Avon River in a punt, the sun’s setting, and Christmas carols are drifting across the water. It’s so Christchurch, so beautiful, and honestly, one of the best ways to ease into that festive feeling. Plus, it’s way more ‘romantic’ than sweating through carols in a packed church hall. This usually runs mid-December, so keep an eye out for event details!
Morning with Santa at Ballantynes
This is THE Christchurch Christmas experience. Your kids get to have a morning with Santa himself while you get all nostalgic about your own childhood visits to Ballantynes. Fair warning though: these sessions book out faster than you can say “ho ho ho,” so get in early or you’ll be kicking yourself come December. More details here.
Pop into Ballantyne’s Christmas Shop
While you’re there, definitely swing through the Christmas shop. Let the kids pick out a special decoration and post their letters to Santa in the official letterbox. It’s free, it’s tradition, and it’s one of those small moments that somehow become the thing they remember most about Christmas.
Visit Your Local Mall Santa
Every shopping centre has one, and yes, you absolutely should take the kids for a visit. South City, Westfield Riccarton, The Palms, wherever’s closest. Will someone probably cry? Maybe. Will you get at least one hilarious photo? Definitely. That’s the Christmas spirit right there. Here’s where to take photos with Santa this year.
Embrace the Summer Christmas Energy
Fish and Chips Picnic
Forget the hot roast for one night and lean into summer properly. Grab fish and chips from your local, chuck down a blanket at New Brighton or Sumner, and watch the sunset. Add some Christmas crackers, maybe a portable speaker with festive tunes, and boom: you’ve nailed the Kiwi Christmas vibe.
Festive Photoshoot Pop-Ups from Christchurch Photographers
Local photographers are getting super creative with festive shoots, and we’re here for it. Think Santa on the beach, Christmas photos with summer flowers, all that good stuff. It’s quirky, it’s local, and honestly way more “us” than trying to fake a winter wonderland.
Blueberry Picking for the Pavlova
Nothing screams Kiwi Christmas like a pav loaded with fresh berries. Head out to a local berry farm and pick your own blueberries and strawberries. The kids will have a blast, you’ll get amazing photos, and you’ll feel like an absolute legend when you serve up that homemade pavlova on Christmas Day. Keep an eye on our “PYO guide” for updates on when it all opens for 2025.
Christmas Light Drive
This is essential December activity stuff right here. Load everyone in the car, crank the Christmas playlist, and cruise around hunting for the best light displays. Fendalton and Merivale usually go all out, but you’ll find gems everywhere. Pro tip: Grab hot chocolates for the drive, even if it’s 25 degrees. It just hits different.
Step Through the Stargate at Shands Road Christmas Village
This one’s genuinely one of a kind. Walk through an actual Stargate portal into a completely bonkers Christmas village that’s unlike anything you’ve seen. We’re talking animated displays, custom merry-go-rounds, a Ferris wheel, a rollercoaster, adorable Garden Trains, carnival performers, and a steampunk Santa’s Control Room with the Nautilus Airship. There’s also a Disney character area, a massive Gingerbread Village, a light show synced to rock music, and even Doctor Frankenstein’s Lab because Christmas should be a little weird.
Open every night from 29th November to 30th December, 8.30pm to 11.30pm. It’s $5 per kid and $15 per adult at 650 Shands Road. Off-street parking and hot and cold food available. Honestly, bring the whole crew.
Give Back and Get Involved
Elf in the Village by It Takes a Village
If you’re looking to spread some extra Christmas cheer, get involved with this beautiful initiative. It Takes a Village does incredible work supporting local families who need a hand, and their Elf in the Village programme is all about making sure every kid has a special Christmas. Whether you donate gifts, volunteer, or just share the word, it’s the ultimate feel-good Christmas activity. More info here.
Sending Love Christmas Cards
Here’s one that’ll make your heart feel extra full. Pop along to make a Christmas card for Sending Love, write a special message, and pop it in the Sending Love box at He Hononga | Connection on the ground floor at Tūranga. These cards get distributed to people who might be experiencing loneliness in our community. Bring a card from home or make one with us, all materials are provided, and it’s completely free with no bookings needed. Kids under 8 need an adult with them. Available at selected libraries until 5th December.
School Christmas Fairs
These are chaotic, brilliant, and totally essential. You’ve got your bouncy castles, your questionable second-hand book stalls, your absolutely wild cake tables where everything sells out in five minutes. Support your local school, let the kids blow their pocket money on dodgy carnival games, and soak up that genuine community Christmas spirit.
Arts Centre Market
The Seekers Mākete on Saturdays is perfect for grabbing unique Christmas gifts while actually supporting local makers and artists. Wander the stalls, grab a coffee, and enjoy the vibe of this gorgeous heritage spot all dressed up for the holidays. Way better than fighting for a park at the mall.
Christchurch Christmas Events You Can’t Miss
Christmas Show Parades
The Christmas parades in Christchurch are an absolute must. Get there early to score a good spot, bring sunhats and water bottles (trust us), and prepare for floats, music, and so much enthusiastic waving. It’s wholesome chaos at its finest.
Christmas Carols in the Park
Pack a picnic blanket, some nibbles, and head to one of the local carols in the park events happening around Christchurch. Singing Christmas songs under the stars with your community is genuinely lovely, plus it’s free, and the kids can run around between songs.
Local Library Events
Christchurch libraries absolutely nail Christmas. They run craft sessions, special storytimes, sometimes Santa visits, all sorts of good stuff. Check what your local branch has on because these events are usually free and perfect for keeping the kids busy during the school holidays.
Christmas Card and Gift Box Making Events
Heaps of community centres, libraries and cafes run card and gift box making workshops in December. It is a calm way to spend an afternoon and homemade cards always feel more thoughtful than the ones grabbed in a supermarket rush on Christmas Eve. The Arts Centre is hosting a fun gift box decorating session at the Revival Exhibition space on Saturday the 6th between 11am and 3pm for $2 per box.
Candlelit Concerts
For something a bit more special, look out for one of Christchurch’s candlelit concerts. Christmas music in a cathedral by candlelight is hard to beat. It is atmospheric, beautiful and full of festive feeling. The Kind Foundation is hosting a Christmas Eve event that is free to attend and features the Salvation Army Band, guest performers, a combined Christchurch choir and a few surprises to help celebrate.
Go All Out at Home
Hot Chocolate Station
Yes, it might be boiling outside. Yes, we’re doing hot chocolate anyway. Set up a whole station with marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, candy canes, the works. Let everyone go wild customising their cup. Air con highly recommended, but honestly, who cares? It’s Christmas.
South City Christmas Collective
If you want to go absolutely overboard with decorations, this is your spot. It’s like walking into Christmas wonderland, and you will 100% walk out with stuff you didn’t know you needed. A three-foot inflatable snowman for your front lawn in peak summer? Why not! Details here.
Hire a Christmas Bouncy Castle
Hear us out: hire a Christmas-themed bouncy castle, invite your mates over, organise a secret Santa, and throw your own backyard Christmas party. Add a BBQ and some cold drinks, and you’ve got yourself the most Kiwi Christmas celebration ever.
Christmas in Christchurch might not come with snow and cosy fireplaces, but it’s got its own special kind of magic. It’s pavlova instead of pudding, beach days instead of snow days, and carols under warm summer skies. So slap on that SPF 50, embrace the heat, and make the most of a festive season that’s uniquely, perfectly ours.
What are your go-to Christchurch Christmas traditions? Let us know, because we’re always looking for more ways to make the festive season special!
