Showtime Canterbury bigger than ever

The award-winning festival which puts Canterbury on show is gearing up for its most successful year ever. Showtime Canterbury, the two-week long Christchurch City Council-organised event replaced Cup Carnival Week last year and is set to be even bigger this year. The festival celebrates Canterbury's lifestyle and showcases its attractions while thousands visit the region for the Canterbury A&P Show and the national trotting, galloping and greyhound championships.

Festival co-ordinator Steve Horsley says this year's Showtime Canterbury will be the most spectacular yet, with one of the festival's feature events, the A&P Show moving to new premises. The new100-hectare purpose-built venue is considerably larger than its Addington site, allowing a 50 percent increase in livestock numbers.

The Show will also run for a longer period this year, from Wednesday through to Sunday, because of its 'New Zealand Royal Show' status.

Last year's Showtime Canterbury was judged 'Best Large Event in the Southern Region' by delegates at the New Zealand Events Conference held in Wellington in August.

This year's events, ranging from fireworks displays, marathons, street parties, art auctions, fashion shows and pavement art, will run from 1 to 16 November.

For more information on Showtime Canterbury events, call 941 8981.

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Special Olympics coming to Christchurch

Christchurch will host the Special Olympics at the end of November. Featuring 14 sports and over 1,500 contestants and coaches, the Special Olympics, for people with intellectual disability, will take place on 28 - 30 November. From athletics, to swimming to powerlifting to equestrian and including the sport of Bocce, or Italian bowls the numbers taking part make this one of the largest events on the national sporting calendar, according to organiser Dick Hockley.

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November 1997 City Scene ~ City Scene Archive