Building lovers and architecture fans! Open Christchurch is back in May. In 2025, there'll be 51 open buildings, 5 guided walks, 2 designed landscapes and over 40 activities.
Make sure to book for any sessions that require booking - some sessions are already booked out!
What's on at Tūranga
Tūranga is home to the Open Christchurch Info Desk at He Hononga | Connection, Ground Floor from 10am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday. For the duration of the festival, wonderful Open Christchurch volunteers will be on hand at the Info Desk to answer any questions, help you plan your festival experience and support with bookings.
Creative Gothic: Etch your own architectural coaster - for ages 12 plus
Sunday 4 May 10.30am to 12.30pm; 2pm to 4pm
Taupuni Waihanga / Production Studio on Auahatanga | Creativity, Level 4
Learn how to create your own set of architecturally themed coasters. Explore the work of Gothic Revival architect Benjamin Mountfort by adapting our templates into simple ink drawings and etching these into plywood on the laser cutter.
You’ll be able to craft custom badges, draw digital art on iPads, and tour the rest of our creative facilities as well.
Ages: 12+ years
Cost: $5.85 (including booking fee)
Bookings required: Book online
The design of the Court Theatre
Saturday 3 May 2pm to 3pm
Tautoru / TSB Space, on Hapori | Community, Level 1
With Athfield Architects & The Court Theatre. Learn about the new Court Theatre from the architects and artistic advisors who brought this theatre to life. Gain insight into the creative process, design challenges and artistic vision that shaped the theatre’s new home. The design is sophisticated from structural, mechanical and theatrical perspectives – join this session and find out more.
Free, bookings required
Exhibition: Mountfort and the Canterbury Museum
Tuesday 29 April to Sunday 11 May
He Hononga | Connection, Ground level
Curated by Holly Neave (University of Canterbury)
Explore the history of Benjamin Mountfort’s work at the Canterbury Museum. Expect an interdisciplinary exhibition of architectural material that will guide you from 1870, when the Canterbury Museum was first built, through to the present day, with the current redevelopment phase revealing glimpses of the future.
Find out more
Visit our page on Benjamin Mountfort
More Open Christchurch activities in Tūranga
- Architecture treasure hunt: for whānau during the festival. Collect from the Open Christchurch info desk on the Ground Floor He Hononga | Connection.
- Artful gothic children’s activity, Sat 10-10.45am, for children 4-9 years, parental supervision required. Free, just turn up.
- Hands-on engineering activity for ages 7 and over (parental supervision required), Saturday 11am-12pm & 1-2pm. Free drop-in session.
More about Tūranga's architecture
Listen to an audio tour of Tūranga about the building's cultural narrative with Joseph Hullen and Carsten Auer.
Find out more about Tūranga's architecture and the artworks and cultural narrative at its heart.
Architecture resources
Check our page highlighting all things architecture.
More about Open Christchurch
Run by Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture and City Making, Open Christchurch celebrates Christchurch’s most exceptional architecture by opening buildings to the public for free and offers people the opportunity to connect with their city by discovering new spaces or getting up close to the buildings they love.
Add a comment to: Open Christchurch 2025: Friday 2 to Sunday 4 May