The programme of events for Ōtautahi Christchurch’s favourite summer street celebration has been announced.
Spanning three weekends from 15 to 31 January, the Bread & Circus Backyard Buskers Festival will return to the circus capital of Aotearoa. This year’s street festival will showcase the best hand-picked, home-grown circus, comedy, music and acrobatic talent.
The line-up is packed with old favourites and brilliant new events. It includes a gala at the Isaac Theatre Royal hosted by The Topp Twins, performances from circus gurus Laser Kiwi and comic juggling sensation Fraser Hooper, and the ever-popular Kids Comedy Gala.
A new addition are the Bread & Circus Garden Parties, giving Christchurch residents the chance to host a performance in their own backyard from the likes of the New Zealand String Quartet, and musician Troy Kingi.
Scott Maidment, Festival Director, said the 2020 pivot had been “rich with reward and learning”.
“A silver-lining to the disruption has been a rediscovering of the immensity of circus and musical talent right here in Aotearoa,” Maidment said.
“The sheer breadth of artists available to us has meant that despite losing the “World” in our title for 2021, we’ve not lost the “world-class” from our programme.”
ChristchurchNZ supports and facilitates the event, recognising it as a key event on the city’s cultural calendar.
Loren Heaphy, ChristchurchNZ General Manager Destination and Attraction, said she was ‘’thrilled Bread & Circus Backyard Buskers Festival is returning to our city streets with a fantastic local line up emblematic of Aotearoa New Zealand’s vibrant art scene”.
“At a time when cities around the world are struggling to hold public events, Bread & Circus is an epic celebration of arts and culture, and we welcome Kiwis from across the country to Ōtautahi Christchurch to see what the fuss is about,” Ms Heaphy said.
For the full programme, ticketing details, and everything else you could want to know, head to breadandcircus.co.nz.
