In January each year, a favourite feature of Christchurch comes alive; The World Buskers Festival. One of the biggest in the world, this festival goes beyond busking by bringing in comedians, fringe artists, musicians, visual artists and even former Cirque Du Soleil performers, such as Nate Cooper, in addition to the 55 buskers.
Normally, the festival is held in various spots around the city, from theatre venues to street corners. Unfortunately, due to city centre damage from the earthquake of 2011, the number of theatre venues shrank and the outdoor performers were corralled into Hagley Park.
Though the 2014 festival was smaller, the acts were as good as ever. Even better were the indoor shows, but reading the guide and planning ahead was necessary as there were a lot of them. Some sold out this year and others, such as Keith Preene’s interactive Golden Bingo show were so popular that extra times were added.
Poncho Libre
A favourite outdoor busker had to be Poncho Libre with his Roue Cyr act. A circus-style show, named for the performer who altered the classic German Wheel in 2003, Roue Cyr involves a giant hoola-hoop with the performer inside, spinning wildly and rolling around the stage at frightening angles with remarkable strength. What made Poncho Libre’s act so enjoyable was that he jumped right into the show, spending most of his stage time with tricks and filling very little of it with what is sometimes called “crowd-warming.”
The layout of the park was lovely with scattered circus tents, open stages and plenty of food choices, including gourmet wood-fired pizza by BASE, a family-owned food truck that appears at various events around Christchurch and was recently offered a permanent spot in a local mall. Fresh and non-greasy, this pizza was better than most traditional restaurants.
There was even a nice, wood-panelled outdoor bar with a white picket fence. The entry gate was inside the audience area, so you had to pay for a show to order a wine, but the price was a mere $2 on top of the passing of the hat for donations, and the hat rarely made it as far back as the bar.
Chipolatas, another one of the many acts at the World Buskers Festival
The festival ran smoothly, an injury causing In And Out of Context to cancel at the Aerial Stage seemed to be the biggest hitch, but there were times in the early evening when the park slowed down immensely. Many stages were in between shows at the same time and, once you’ve had enough food and drink, there was little do but wait.
Rumors abounded of how much better the festival used to be and how much better it will be next year when segments of the historic Arts Centre reopen and some of the festival can return to there. Some more stoic citizens argued that the festival won’t return to its former glory until the city centre is fully rebuilt, which the city council estimates will take 15 years.
Christchurch, however, has made immense progress since 2011 and, although the festival changed, it is definitely worth a visit if you’re on the South Island already. Like a seasoned stage actor, it will only get better each year.
While visiting, there are also a number of other things to do. Christchurch was named one of Lonely Planet’s top ten cities to visit last year. The city shows an interest in clothing that stands out against the casual street wear more common to New Zealand because of its outdoorsy culture and the sheer cost of importing goods.
To replace the earthquake-damaged shopping district, a mall was built from shipping containers with construction so creative the display windows and finished inner walls pass for real yet funky storefronts. There is also the 19th century tannery building turned shopping centre. The building retains its antique beauty and even has a microbrewery next door for the bored boyfriend, but shopping is somewhat limited as they wait for more retailers to move in.
Oddly enough, the best spot for the fashion-curious is the Canterbury Museum, with an impressive collection of historical costumes and shoes, one floor above the exhibits on Maori culture and Moa birds. The museum also curates modern art exhibits; Banksy and artists he influenced are on display until March 23 2014.
To complement the sights and shows, be sure to save a day and drive over the hills to Akaroa or Lyttleton. There you’ll find easy hiking and casual harbour-side dining with local mussels or fish and chips (a Kiwi favourite).
Images courtesy of SCIRT World Buskers Festival 2014 – Moda Fotografica
