Open Christchurch 2026 celebrates Ōtautahi’s most exceptional architecture and explores how good design contributes to its rich sense of place and makes for a liveable, vibrant city.

This year’s festival, presented by Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture and City-Making, takes place 1-3 May and is an invitation to come together. Fifty-two buildings, two cycle tours, four guided walks and over forty activities make up its largest programme to date and offer a range of ways to connect with the city’s special places.

From the iconic Sugarloaf Transmission Tower to the unique commercial 200 High Street building, the programme spans a rich variety of buildings, landscapes and experiences. Open Christchurch 2026 covers 165 years of residential architecture, celebrates unusual and unexpected gems, explores architectural styles and shines the spotlight on design excellence in recreation and sustainability.

Special architectural encounters include being among the first to experience the latest addition to the city’s recreation-scape, One New Zealand Stadium. Open Christchurch, in conjunction with Venues Ōtautahi and Christchurch City Council, celebrates the architecture, design, architects and engineers of this public asset through a public open day and free, bookable tours, in addition to those designed specifically for blind and low-vision participants, the deaf community and those with mobility requirements on Saturday 2 May.

Other highlights on offer are the opening night speaker event hosted by 76 Small Rooms, the podcast about architecture from Aotearoa, where invited speakers discuss the buildings they would like to see before they die, held at the Modernist masterpiece Harewood Crematorium; family friendly student-led tours of Te Raekura Redcliffs School where student guides share the school’s cultural narrative and top spots; an architecture tour of Parakiore, the biggest sports and recreation facility in the country; exploring Princess Margaret Hospital from the outside; and the wonderful Ōtautahi in Bricks Exhibition — LEGO builders have constructed some the city’s special buildings.

The festival is also serving up several one-off and special access experiences, such as the chance to get behind the scenes at Transpower and the South Island Control System Building for a look into essential services; getting behind the closed doors of the immense Christchurch Fresh Distribution Centre and various private residences; and heading behind the hoardings of the mass timber 211 High Street to experience the latest in innovative sustainable design.

People are invited to explore the city in different ways, whether that be on foot for a guided walk to discover postmodernism or how designed cultural and living landscapes in the city interweave te taiao and Kāi Tahu narratives. Cycle tours take in the public spaces and bridges along the City to Sea Pathway, and explore sustainable construction methods by canvassing engineered timber buildings.

A range of whānau based activities are on offer — from an architecture treasure hunt and a mini-figure hunt at the Teece Museum to Open Christchurch themed Imagination Station activities and a Reflection Lounge at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Art Centre’s Common Room, where people can browse carefully curated architecture books and creative media from Christchurch City Libraries. These are just some of the highlights to appear in the annual one-weekend-only festival of architectural excellence.

The festival also offers people the chance to explore and become more familiar with buildings they know through talks and tours, such as the Addington Railway Station, Sumner Post Office, Antigua Boatsheds, Timeball Station and Mona Vale.

The full programme runs Friday through Sunday with 52 buildings of different ages, styles and uses open for the public to experience for free, apart from limited entry experiences that require a small booking fee.

The Saturday night event offers different ways of thinking about architectural styles and whether style still holds relevance in architecture. At ‘Style-ish’, invited speakers from a range of backgrounds share their thoughts in a 20 x 20 format (20 seconds for each of their 20 slides), making for a high energy evening at The Gymnasium (now Altiora), Te Matatiki Toi Ora.

Old favourites include behind-closed-doors access to the Observatory Hotel at the Arts Centre and university hall of residence College House. Over 40 activities, such as talks, tours, exhibitions and workshops, provide additional ways to learn about the city’s architecture.

Te Pūtahi director Jessica Halliday says, “We all know Ōtautahi Christchurch is a special place — and Open Christchurch is a celebration of this place, its architecture, history and designed spaces. Architecture literally shapes our lives and Open Christchurch invites everyone to explore a diverse range of the city’s buildings, many of which we don’t have access to on a regular basis. We welcome the city’s residents and visitors to Ōtautahi to plan their Open Christchurch adventure - come and explore these special buildings, encounter a place you might not otherwise know or get to know a treasured building better. The doors are open.”

Event organisers encourage residents and visitors to study the programme and website to create their own itinerary of highlights so that they can discover the city in new ways.

Buildings are open at different times across the weekend, bookable activities are timetabled and some buildings require advance bookings.

Open Christchurch celebrates our special places and local architecture, and the story of the city over time. Everyone is invited.

Open Christchurch wishes to acknowledge and thank its family of supporters for making the 2026 festival possible: Open Christchurch Champion, Christchurch City Council; Event Partner, Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects; Principal Sponsors Gib & NZ Steel; Supporting Sponsors, Resene, Vida Space, Blum and ECC; and Te Pūtahi Core Sponsors, Works and Kendons.

For the full programme, timetable of activities, bookings and accessibility information, please visit openchch.nz.