WORD Christchurch

WORD Christchurch 📚 WORD Christchurch gets the city buzzing with books, ideas and kōrero.
🎟️ Get your tickets at wordchristchurch.co.nz Tickets start from $10* (+booking fee)

WORD Christchurch gets the city buzzing over five days this August, with stories, ideas and kōrero. Audiences at Ōtautahi Christchurch’s favourite festival of words get live and direct access to the best storytellers, news-makers and idea-generators in Aotearoa New Zealand and the world, alongside Ngāi Tahu stories and plenty of local writers and artists. With over 60 events taking place in the c

ity centre from 23 to 27 August 2023, time is ripe for an Ōtautahi weekend of provocative perspectives. Over 20% of the programme is free to attend!

06/09/2026

WORD festival fit check! WORD lovers have great taste in clothes (and festivals!).

Today is the final day of WORD Fest 2026, please dodge the rain and join us! Tickets are available on our website and at all our venues.

04/09/2026

Part market, part library, part kōrero and 100% fantastical, All Things Romantasy brought Tūranga alive with fae and dragon-enthusiasts, romantics and booklovers. Hear from readers about why they love romantasy, and feel the spirit of the evening.

If you missed out on coming along, don’t miss Ōtautahi Zinefest where some of the artists will be selling their wares, and many mystical zines will be on offer.

Mihi nui to the writers (Ashley Andersen, AJ Lancaster, H.G. Parry, Stacey Broadbent and Darianne Schramm) who drew such a great crowd, Lizzie Tollemache for chairing, and to Christchurch City Libraries for hosting such a wonderful night.

What a NIGHT! We are so thankful to have Petra Mingneau back on board to capture the magic of the festival. Check out th...
03/09/2026

What a NIGHT! We are so thankful to have Petra Mingneau back on board to capture the magic of the festival. Check out these incredible images from Thursday’s events!

Two librarians grappled a win in the annual Lost the Plot WORD Quiz, this year in a team with the timely name ‘WORDing 9 to 5’. Congrats, team!

The University of Canterbury Masters of Creative Writing collection, Emergence, was launched at The Piano A broad ranging selection of creative writing - fiction and non-fiction.

Finally, Letters Out Loud, a spellbinding reading of historical correspondents made our audience laugh, groan and be still and contemplate times past. Huge thanks to Friends of the Turnbull and especially Barbara Brookes for your mahi. We also want to thank McMillan Brown Library for contributing some extremely special Keri Hulme letters read by Ariana Tikao.

WORD is ramping up with so many incredible events on today and over the weekend. See you soon!

Getting around the festival is easy! The majority of our sessions are between The Piano and Tūranga, which are just a bl...
02/09/2026

Getting around the festival is easy! The majority of our sessions are between The Piano and Tūranga, which are just a block apart.

Parking in the central city can be a mission, so we encourage cycling, carpooling and bussing to the fest to avoid the hassle. For all our drivers, we’ve scoped out the parking situation too. Click the images for the top parking spots, bike parking and bus stops close to our main venues.

PSA: Some on-street parking is FREE after 5pm from Monday to Thursday.

We can’t wait to see you at WORD this week! Anyone wearing a WORD t-shirt can give you a hand, please come and find us with any questions.

Coming to Ōtautahi Zinefest ? Make sure you don’t miss these two FREE events in the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o W...
02/09/2026

Coming to Ōtautahi Zinefest ? Make sure you don’t miss these two FREE events in the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū auditorium!

Sat 5 Sept, 2.30pm - 3.30pm
Zines NZ: Bryce Galloway
Learn about the history of zines and zine culture in Aotearoa from a zine maker and collector.

Sun 6 Sept, 2.30pm - 3.30pm
Between Dreams: Grace Gassin
Grace Gassin, Curator Asian New Zealand Histories at Te Papa Tongarewa, will weave Aotearoa Asian’s histories together by sharing various objects from the Te Papa collection. This kōrero is presented by Friends of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū courtesy of the Estate of Julie King.

Both of these run during Zinefest, so make a weekend of it! All the information on these free sessions and more can be found on wordchch.co.nz

31/08/2026

Voices from the Archives: Part 5

Sarah Johnston, Coordinator at Macmillan Brown Library, shares posters from the 1981 Springbok tour. She reminds us of a time of unrest and activism, not dissimilar to our world today.

At Letters Out Loud, you’ll hear correspondence ranging from critical human rights issues to the minutiae of life at home. These vantage points, paired together and juxtaposed, give us a rounded insight into our histories, and through familiar voices, bring the past to life.

Join us for Letters Out Loud, an event made possible by Friends of the Turnbull and supported by Macmillan Brown Library at the University of Canterbury. Buy your tickets from wordchch.co.nz

Happy WORD week!We kick off on Tuesday night with a very special musical and spoken word performance - Ā Mua. There are ...
30/08/2026

Happy WORD week!

We kick off on Tuesday night with a very special musical and spoken word performance - Ā Mua. There are so many cool events to immerse yourself in this year and It’s not too late to get amongst.

Head to the website, browse the programme and book your tickets ASAP! www.wordchch.co.nz

Address

The Piano, 156 Armagh Street
Christchurch
8011

Telephone

+6433775313

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