Welcome to Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre
Dating back to 1877, The Arts Centre is a thriving community with a rich history
Located in Ōtautahi Christchurch, The Arts Centre is run by an independent charitable trust and comprises the largest collection of heritage buildings in the country. It is home to over 70 entities including galleries, museums, cinemas, boutique retailers, artisan eateries and bars, accommodation, engaging events, stunning venues and much more.
Festive Fun 2025
Make The Arts Centre your home for holiday cheer, with live performances, singalongs, workshops and a sleigh-load of Christmas magic for the whole whānau.
Find out moreArts Canterbury Open Studios: Artists' Studios
Saturday 1 - Sunday 2 & Saturday 8 - Sunday 9 November 2025 Engineering
Across the city and beyond, studios will be buzzing with activity as painters, sculptors, printmakers, ceramicists, and designers share their inspiration and creative process.
Free
Friends Fundraising Open Garden 2025
Sunday 7 December 2025
Join the Friends of the Arts Centre for a special visit to Frensham, a peaceful and wonderful 5* “Garden of National Significance” near Tai Tapu.
Dark Horse Art Exhibition
Tuesday 4 - Sunday 30 November 2025 Ground floor, Boys’ High
Dark Horse, a collaborative exhibition by Oliver Rabbett and Benjamin Mills, seeks to elicit discomfort and provoke curiosity through a series of somber, unsettling oil paintings and sculptures
Free
Collected Memories | Time, place, and the human condition.
Thursday 6 November 2025 - Saturday 31 January 2026 Library
Collected Memories. Time, place, and the human condition, Laurence Aberhart; Jordan Barnes; Isla Huia; Hannah Kidd, and Elizabeth Moyle all respond to the theme from their own unique understanding.
Free
Festive Fun 2025
Monday 1 December - Sunday 21 December Arts Centre wide
Make The Arts Centre your home for holiday cheer, with live performances, singalongs, workshops and a sleigh-load of Christmas magic for the whole whānau.
Book (Fight) Club
Sunday 28 September, Friday 17 October & Sunday 23 November 2025 Cloisters Studio
It's a book club.
It's a fight club.
It's a book fight club.
Ale House Rock
11 September - 11 December 2025 The Gym
Christchurch’s best kept noisy little secret is moving to Altiora at The Arts Centre for a series of monthly sessions.
The Seekers Mākete
Every Saturday 10am - 4pm Market Square
Welcome to Seekers Mākete, a market where artisanal craft, gourmet street food & live entertainment comes together every Saturday!
Free
Great Hall Lunchtime Concert Series 2025
Specific Mondays Great Hall
Your annual line-up of renowned local, national, and international musicians playing a curated selection of lunchtime concerts in the picturesque Great Hall.
What's Here
New Zealand-made homewares and gifts.
Frances Nation is a store specialising in Aotearoa New Zealand-made homewares and gifts of quality craftsmanship, authenticity and longevity.