Go to WORD!
WORD Christchurch Festival returns with a vibrant programme of bold ideas, memorable evenings, compelling stories and unforgettable performances for readers and culture lovers of all ages. More than 100 writers, thinkers and performers will fill venues across the city talking about the books and big ideas that are making waves right now.
There’s politics with Grant Robertson, Tāme Iti, Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson; outstanding investigative journalism with Asher Emanuel, Charlotte Glennie and Barbara Dreaver; true crime, local history, and powerful memoirs with Elizabeth Knox, Noelle McCarthy, Sally Wenley and Dr Lucy Hone; fantastic fiction with Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction winner at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Ingrid Horrocks, 2022 Booker Prize-winner Shehan Karunatilaka, bestselling author Charlotte Grimshaw and beloved UK writer Olivia Laing; and music and songwriting sessions with Aotearoa icons Dave Dobbyn and Jon Toogood. Gather your crew to see poetry powerhouses, riveting storytelling sessions including WORD’s ever-popular Risky Women and I Wish I Wrote That, and memorable collaborations with Ngāi Tahu.
WORD as ever goes beyond the page. Expect cocktails and tarot, a quiz, a very special kai event, performances, book launches, and masterclasses where you can learn from the best. There’s a shower of inspiring sessions and a rangatahi boogie for young bookworms, too.
WORD Christchurch Festival Tuesday 1 September – Sunday 6 September For tickets and the full WORD programme go to: www.wordchristchurch.co.nz