Summer-long festival to kick off with New Years Eve bash
Garden City SummerTimes kicks off for 2009 with music, lights and fireworks at the Anthony Harper Lawyers New Years Eve Party in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square.
Christchurch welcomes in every New Year with a breathtaking fireworks display, building up to it with a three-hour long alcohol-free, family-oriented music fest starting at 9 pm.
The party for 2009 starts with live music from the city's favourite sons: the Black Velvet Band and The Bubblemen, supported by some of Christchurch’s newest rising stars. Traditional Scottish bagpipes herald in New Year which is marked by the sensational fireworks on top of the Anthony Harper Lawyers' building.
Garden City SummerTimes is a diverse summer-long festival of music, arts, culture and sporting events across the city, catering to all ages. The key events are New Years Eve in Cathedral Square, Classical Sparks, Teddy Bears Picnic, Summer Theatre, Lazy Weekends, Kite Day, Sunday Bandstand and Farewell to the Godwits, all delivered by the Council’s Events Production Team.
Also, there are numerous popular community events under the Summer in the Suburbs programme organised by the Council’s Community and Recreation Advisers.
The Council has put out a handy calendar of all the events this summer, available the local Christchurch City Council Service Centre or Library.
Anthony Harper Lawyers' New Year's Eve Party
Date: Wednesday 31 December
Time: 9pm – 12.30am
Location: Cathedral Square
If wet: Event will be cancelled
Performances by:
Eddie & Cullen
Winners of the 2008 Singapore Airlines StarFest. Sound check schedule: 7.45 pm
Te Hae Whanau
Singapore Airlines StarFest runners-up two years in a row. Sound check schedule: 7.35 pm
The Black Velvet Band
Celtic-flavoured sounds from New Zealand's greatest influence on the Irish rock revival. Sound check schedule: 645 pm to 730 pm
The Bubblemen
Christchurch's top covers band. Sound check schedule: 6 pm to 630 pm
The Lone Piper
Sound check schedule: 7.55 pm
For more information on technical aspects, please contact:
Sheena Baines
Council Events Technical Coordinator
DDI: 941 8471
Cellphone: 0274 865 558
Catch the After Midnight Express Buses home after the Anthony Harper Lawyers' New Year's Eve Party. Buses leave the City at 1am, 2am, 3am and 4am.
For more information see the Red Bus website.
The Anthony Harper Lawyers' New Year's Eve Party offers safe and alcohol-free celebrations
ASB Classical Sparks
Starring The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and featuring Showbiz Christchurch.
ASB Classical Sparks welcomes in Waitangi Day with an open-air concert starring the sensational Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
A full programme of delight with a local kapa haka opening, the talented Southern Opera ensemble and Christchurch’s stars of the music theatre – Showbiz Christchurch. And a breathtaking fireworks finale set to The William Tell Overture
Thursday, 5 February
7.30pm – 10.30pm
Hagley Park
Rain date Friday, 6 February
Mayor Bob Parker’s message for SummerTimes
Summer is a wonderful time to be living in the Garden City and enjoying the City coming alive with blooms and buskers, comedy and classical music, cycling and kites. Most of all summer is about a lot of fun out in our wonderful backyard of parks and gardens that will this year, like no other, become a focal point for the summer.
This year, Garden City SummerTimes features several key events, such as the World Buskers Festival, ASB Classical Sparks, the Speight's Coast to Coast, Anthony Harper Lawyers' Summer Theatre, Tip Top Kite Day, the PGA Golf and a very special 20th anniversary of the Festival of Flowers leading into our inaugural presentation of the Ellerslie International Flower Show.
Garden City SummerTimes also highlights Christchurch's diversity with events celebrating a wide range of cultures such as the Chinese Lantern Festival, Pacific Arts Festival, Waitangi Day celebrations and the ever popular Culture Galore exploring the wide range of ethnic communities that we welcome in Christchurch.
So now's the time for Christchurch to celebrate its status as the Garden City of New Zealand and what better way to celebrate than out in our parks and gardens enjoying music, theatre, picnics, films, sport and most of all, time with friends and family.
Have a blooming good safe and happy holiday.
Contacts
http://www.summertimes.org.nz/2009/FestivalEvents/ - Festival Events
http://www.summertimes.org.nz/2009/SuburbEvents/ - Suburb Events
http://www.summertimes.org.nz/2009/Calendar/SummerTimesCalendar.pdf - SummerTimes calendar
For events information and cancellations, call the events info line on 03 941 6878.
For any other enquiries you may have please call the Christchurch City Council Customer Call Centre 03 941 8999 or email summertimes@ccc.govt.nz.