Other entertainment in Christchurch
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Town Hall
Closed until further notice.
The riverside town hall and its two main spaces (the 2500-seat Auditorium and the 1000-seat James Hay Theatre) are the main venues for local performing arts such as orchestras, choirs and bands. The venue’s acoustics are excellent.
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Cartel
Closed until further notice.
Cartel may look like the end result of a garage sale at your quirky uncle’s house, but inside the retro interior is a wine list and cocktails to die for. In cooler months, pull up a bean bag in front of the toasty outdoor fire and look forward to music you thought only you knew about. There’s only room for 30 punters, but that doesn’t stop Cartel from hosting occasional DJs and live bands.
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Goodbye Blue Monday
Closed until further notice.
Tucked away in Poplar Lane, Goodbye Blue Monday’s mismatched retro couches are a cool spot for a drink early in the evening, and then the ambience usually morphs to include live bands and DJ beats, often with an indie accent. It’s the preferred venue of about-to-be-famous Kiwi bands. It’s also the only place, anywhere, you’ll find Bodgie Beer’s organic Pilsner.
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Cleaners Only
Closed until further notice.
Good luck finding this place – it’s tucked away in the corner of SOL Sq – but once inside you’ll be in Christchurch’s quirkiest bar. Apparently it used to be the lunchroom for cleaners at nearby warehouses, and a gloriously retro ambience is still intact, complete with comfy old sofas from your first student flat.
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Lyme
Closed until further notice.
Good for a drink before or after diving into the restaurant strip along Colombo St, Lyme was named NZ’s best new bar a few years back. The award-winning bartenders still make damn fine cocktails, and on Friday nights it’s a good place to meet young professionals celebrating the end of the working week.
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Thirsty Weta
Closed until further notice.
Not so long ago, the NZ beer scene was as dull as dishwater. Now you can try more than 70 Kiwi microbrews at this slim space incongruously located in Christchurch’s retail hub. If you’re a bit peckish, have a gourmet pie, or order in from the Indian restaurant upstairs.
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Bard on Avon
Closed until further notice.
The Bard has an authentic English ambience and plenty of traveller-friendly events such as the pub quiz (Sunday at 7pm) and live music from Thursday to Saturday. The pub is a few blocks from ‘the Strip’, and the better for it.
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Ministry/Propaganda
Closed until further notice.
Two venues in one big space combining an intimate lounge bar and an always-pumping club. House and drum and bass is the usual recipe, but the occasional metal night with live bands ambushes things.
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Bedford
The brick building dates back to 1903, but now the sprawling Bedford hosts a thoroughly modern mix of up-and-coming international bands and the best of Kiwi acts with a rocky tinge.
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Double Happy
Closed until further notice.
The city’s best bar-club hybrid with great cocktails, Euro beers on tap and an ever-changing diet of dub, house and soul. Perfect for chilled late-night/early-morning denizens.
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Southern Blues Bar
Closed until further notice.
NZ’s oldest blues venue is still going strong; gigs kick off nightly around 10.30pm. Expect a friendly crowd of musos, office workers and the confidently unfashionable.
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Isaac Theatre Royal
Closed until further notice.
This is one of the versatile stalwarts of the local scene, with offers including the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the Canterbury Opera and occasional touring plays.
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Al’s Bar
Closed until further notice.
Live music is definitely the hero at Al’s Bar, with the cosy brick-lined space and excellent sound system drawing a diverse mix of local and international acts.
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Yellow Cross
Closed until further notice.
An eclectic live-music haven amid the largely manufactured beats of SOL Sq is a good thing. Wood-fired pizzas and Euro brews are the icing on the cake.
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Base
Closed until further notice.
Down a slightly seedy side alley a few doors along from SOL Sq. Specialises in electro, house and trance. Admission is cheaper until midnight.
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Rialto
Art-house central with plenty of foreign flicks and the occasional mini film festival.
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Arts Centre Cinemas
Closed until further notice.
Comprises two venues (the Academy and Cloisters) at the Arts Centre.
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Court Theatre
In the Arts Centre, this theatre performs everything from Beckett and Chekhov to popular NZ playwrights such as Roger Hall. The resident Court Jesters troupe stages its long-running improvised comedy show, Scared Scriptless, Friday and Saturday nights at 10pm ($15). Also popular is the theatre’s regular Ghost Walk.
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AMI Stadium
This stadium hosts cricket internationals, but it’s best known as Canterbury’s rugby heartland. Watch the Crusaders in Super 14 action from February to May. The stadium got a whizzbang makeover for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
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