Our pick of family-friendly events from 27 – 29 March 2026. Here’s what’s on for kids this weekend in Christchurch.
This weekend Christchurch is delivering. Whether you’re after something free and local, a full-day outing, or something that involves a mechanical bull and a spice festival (yes, really), there’s a lot happening across the city and beyond. We’ve pulled it all together so you can spend less time scrolling and more time actually doing things.
Search our events calendar for more family-friendly events for kids here.
What’s on for kids this weekend in Christchurch:
nook x Grizzly Hot Cross Bun Hunt
There are scavenger hunts, and then there is this. We’ve partnered with the legends at Grizzly Baked Goods to hide voucher boxes for their famous hot cross buns at some of Christchurch’s best family spots, dropping a clue each day on our Instagram stories leading up to Good Friday. Four drops, four chances to win a full box of Grizzly buns. The clues start Friday 28 March, so if you haven’t followed us yet, now is the time.
When: Drops on Friday 28 March, Saturday 29 March, Monday 31 March, and Good Friday 3 April
Where: Locations revealed daily via Instagram clues
How much: Free. Follow @nooknz and @grizzlybakedgoods to play.
EcoSort Open Day
Most kids have launched something into the yellow bin without a second thought. This is the morning they find out where it actually goes. EcoSort opens its Wigram facility once a year for families to get properly behind the scenes, with recycling trucks, sorting machinery, and real people who can answer the questions your seven-year-old has been storing up. It’s the kind of outing that genuinely changes how a household approaches bin night. Free, educational, and weirdly fascinating.
When: Saturday 28 March, 9am–12.30pm
Where: 21 Parkhouse Road, Wigram
How much: Free
Hoon Hay Easter Scavenger Hunt
Six years running and still going strong. The Hoon Hay Community Association is back with their beloved scavenger hunt. Entry is a food bank donation, the vibe is neighbourhood-warm, and there’s an egg and spoon race if your family needs to settle any old scores. The hunt itself is simple enough for little ones to actually enjoy rather than melt down over, and everyone walks away with a bag of Easter treats. Rain or shine, with an indoor format if the weather has other ideas.
When: Saturday 28 March, 1.30pm–3pm (games from 1.45pm, hunt at 2pm)
Where: Hoon Hay Community Centre, 90 Hoon Hay Road
How much: Entry by donation to Hoon Hay Food Bank
St Martins C3 Easter Festival
A pumpkin art competition, a bouncy castle, an Easter egg hunt, a soup corner, and a category called “Ugly Fugly” — this one has serious range. St Martins C3 Church’s Easter Festival at Hillview School Gym is the kind of local community day that reminds you why these things still matter. The market stalls, cafe, and craft activities round it out nicely for a full morning.
When: Saturday 28 March, 11am
Where: 144 Wilsons Road, Hillview School Gym
How much: Free
Richmond Gala 2026
The riverside corner of Richmond transforms every year for this one. Hosted by Richmond Community Garden, Avebury House, and We Are Richmond, the gala stretches from the Community Garden meadow all the way up to Avebury House. Car boot sale, 20+ local organisations, food trucks, live DJ, and the kind of Devonshire Tea that makes you feel briefly like a person who has their life together. New this year: a Wonky Veg Competition, which is exactly what it sounds like and absolutely worth attending.
When: Saturday 28 March, 10am–2pm
Where: 9 Evelyn Couzins Avenue, Richmond
How much: Free
Lincoln Easter Market
Lincoln does Easter properly. This market brings together arts, crafts, plants, baking, woodwork, hot cross buns, and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. It’s a proper destination morning out of the city, the kind where you arrive for the market and somehow stay two hours longer than planned.
When: Saturday 28 March, 9.30am–12.30pm
Where: Gerald Street, Lincoln
How much: Free entry
Otautahi Crafters Market, Easter Edition
160+ stalls across two full days at South City. Handmade food, skincare, homewares, fashion, and the kind of gifts you actually want to give. Cookie decorating workshops and a Mermade Pearl bracelet session for kids who need something to do while the adults shop. A sensory-friendly hour runs Sunday 9–10am for families who benefit from a quieter start. The first 300 through the door each day get a tote bag full of goodies, so set an alarm.
When: Saturday 28 to Sunday 29 March, 10am–5pm
Where: South City Shopping Centre, 555 Colombo Street
How much: Free (VIP early access ticketed separately)
Southern Spice Festival 2026
Ferrymead Heritage Park hosts the South Island’s largest spice festival, and this year the theme is Space Cowboy. Dress code: boots. Entertainment includes a mechanical bull, lasso lessons, real horses, and a chilli eating competition. Live music runs until 8pm, and the trains and trams are the kind of detail that quietly saves you when small people hit their wall at 4pm.
When: Saturday 28 March, midday–8pm
Where: Ferrymead Heritage Park, 50 Ferrymead Park Drive
How much: Free–$25
Cubbin Theatre: Up and Away
This one is for the very small people, specifically pre-walking babies and their caregivers. Cubbin Theatre Company, currently in residence at The Arts Centre, presents a live music and interactive theatre experience inside a small, open-sided tent. Limited audience numbers, zero expectation that babies sit still, and a show informed by neuroscience and developed with a speech and language therapist. It’s the rare baby activity designed for how babies actually experience the world.
When: Various sessions, Wednesday 25 to Sunday 29 March
Where: Cloisters Studio, The Arts Centre
How much: From $20.70 (adult observer), $32.20 (grown-up and baby)
West Melton Playcentre 50th Celebration
Half a century of mud, paint, and community. West Melton Playcentre is marking 50 years with a relaxed open afternoon for past, present, and future families. Soft play for the littles, bikes and space to zoom around, photo displays and old evaluations to pore over, and The Coffee Lady on site to keep the grown-ups functional. If your family has any history with this playcentre, this is the one to put in the diary.
When: Sunday 29 March, 1pm–3pm
Where: West Melton Playcentre, West Melton
How much: Free
Bridge Kids Day Out
Face painting from 3pm, a magic show at 5.30pm featuring puppets, a parrot, and animal balloons, plus surprise guests still to be announced. The Bridge in Prebbleton is pulling out all the stops on Sunday afternoon, and the all-day drinks specials are either excellent timing or a conspiracy, depending on how you look at it. Book a table if you’re staying for dinner.
When: Sunday 29 March from 2pm (face painting 3–5pm, magic show 5.30pm)
Where: 579 Springs Road, Prebbleton
How much: Free entry
Bayleys Sunday Funday, Rangiora
Ten-plus bouncy castles. Pony rides. A petting zoo. Free face painting. A kapa haka opening from Fernside School. And a raffle to win a load of firewood, which is arguably the most practical prize ever offered at a family event. The family pass at $20 for two adults and up to four kids is hard to argue with, and the Rangiora Art Society has a display running alongside all the inflatables for a surprisingly nice change of pace.
When: Sunday 29 March, 11am–3pm
Where: Rangiora Showgrounds
How much: Adults $10, kids $5, family pass $20
