Bread and Circus Festival

The World Buskers Festival began in Christchurch in 1994 and ran for a quarter of a century before rebranding as Bread and Circus in 2020 - a street-performance festival of circus, comedy, cabaret, physical theatre and busking, held over about ten days in January with performers from around the world. Its role changed after 2011. In a central city where whole blocks had been demolished and the population had drained away, an event that could occupy vacant lots and empty streets with crowds was more than entertainment, and the festival became part of the argument that the centre was worth reoccupying. Most of the programme is free street shows on the hat system - you pay what you thought it was worth at the end - with a ticketed strand of longer shows in tents and venues. It is family-heavy during the day and considerably more adult at night, which the programme labels clearly.

What you actually see

• The free street shows - circus and comedy on the hat system.
• The ticketed strand - longer shows in tents and venues.
• The vacant-lot venues - performance occupying the post-earthquake gaps.
• The day and night split - family shows early, adult ones later.

When to go

January, over about ten days - dates are announced each year. Free street shows run through the afternoon and evening; ticketed shows book ahead.

Honest expectations

Street shows pass a hat and the performers depend on it. Evening programming is explicitly adult in parts - check the labelling. Christchurch accommodation fills during the festival.

Nearby

New Regent Street, Cathedral Square and the street art trail are all in the same central area.