Legendary Christchurch event branches out

8 August 2007

More fashion events, a music festival and a rodeo add new dimensions to New Zealand’s biggest festival of racing, agriculture, fashion and entertainment in the Garden City this Spring.

Style Christchurch, Southern Amp and New Zealand’s first International Rodeo will expand New Zealand Cup and Show Week (8 - 18 November) to entice thousands of visitors to Christchurch in November.

Last year’s event contributed more than $27million to the Christchurch economy, with more than 125,000 attendances at the event, and 52% of the visitors said the reason for their visit was primarily for NZ Cup and Show Week, an economic impact assessment showed.

"New Zealand Cup and Show Week is about telling the rest of the country and our international visitors what’s going on down here – and it’s a very big story," Mayor Garry Moore says.

The country’s premier racing events during Cup and Show Week include the high stakes Christchurch Casino New Zealand Trotting Cup Day, New Zealand Greyhound Cup, and Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup.

"And then there’s the Royal New Zealand Show, a week full of fashion events, music, and a fantastic atmosphere around the city’s bars, clubs and restaurants. You’ve got to be there (www.bethere.co.nz)," Mr Moore says.

The Royal New Zealand Show from 14 – 16 November comprises the Ag Export Pavilion, the Food and Wine New Zealand Pavilion, A La Naturelle Fashion Show, Mint Lamb Competition, The City Farmyard, Primary Schools Education Programme, World Woodchopping title and NZ Shearing Title.

Denyse Saunders’ Canterbury Collections will launch New Zealand Cup and Show Week at the Christchurch Town Hall on Thursday, 8 November with a glittering black tie show that features an array of Canterbury designers and retailers showing their new seasons collections.

A new fashion event this year, Style Christchurch, is the brainchild of creative stylist Andhy Blake and combines a teaser show - the Style Christchurch fashioNZ Emerging Designer Show at Sol Square on Monday, 12 November with The Style Christchurch Designer Collections at Cathedral Junction on Saturday, 17 November.

Further fashion events take place on course at both Riccarton and Addington, with competitions and parades of the best-dressed punters.

Southern Amp is a stadium youth rock concert to be held at Jade Stadium. Three stages will offer a wide range of music, with headliners Shihad, Evermore, The Black Seeds, Thirsty Merc, Atlas, The Veils, Opshop, dDub, Dukes, the Valves, Scribe and Concord Dawn with MC Tiki and a stage for Christchurch musicians, from midday till late on Saturday, 10 November. Visit www.southernamp.co.nz for more details about the line-up.

Or you can grab your Stetsons, chaps and spurs and head on down to the Westpac Arena on Saturday, 17 November to watch New Zealand’s first ever indoor International Rodeo.

More details about all the New Zealand Cup and Show Week events will be listed on the website, www.nzcupandshow.co.nz, in late August.

Top of Page ~ Media Release index