Warm up your applauding hands and prepare to be amazed, because Bread & Circus – World Buskers Festival is back on Christchurch's event calendar for 2022.

Christchurch's famous World Buskers Festival may have been knocked from its usual January slot thanks to the shenanigans of old mate Covid, but everyone's favourite laugh-out-loud performing arts and street theatre event will be back to entertain us during the Easter school holidays, from 22 April to 1 May.

This year's festival playground will be Victoria Square and The Commons, with two main stages, roving performers, food stalls and activities for the whole whānau. Both Fridays and Saturdays during the festival will feature a late night programme aimed at a more adult audience. The Bread & Circus site will be free to enter, and you will need to show your Vaccine Pass on entry.

“In a troubled world, we all need more time to relax and time to play," says Festival Director Scott Maidment. "At Bread & Circus, we have created a playground for the young, the old and the young at heart. We’re excited to present this unique festival experience and the perfect antidote to our troubled times.”

As always, the programme will feature some absolutely unmissable international and local acts, such as award-winning comedian and magician Jared Fell; the Mystical Jinx duo, with their specialised form of illusion dating back to 16th Century Italy; and Kozo Kaos, who combines juggling, magic and comedy with danger and the macabre.

ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction Loren Heaphy says, “Bread & Circus has become one of our city’s favourite events, an annual celebration of talent, vibrancy and diversity. It will bring life to the central city and confirm Ōtautahi Christchurch as a centre for arts and culture."

There are many more artists to be announced and more precincts too, so keep an eye on the Bread & Circus website and socials for the latest info.

breadandcircus.co.nz