The annual Christmas Show Parade will be held on Sunday, November 24, and the long-running Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park concert will be on Saturday, November 30.
Volunteers behind the parade are working around the clock to prepare the colourful floats.
The parade will mark its 76th year, but this will only be the second time it has been held at the Canterbury Agricultural Park showgrounds.
Director Jason Reekers said it will be even better than last year.
"We're expecting this year to be really big. Around 30,000 people attended the free festive event last year."
Reekers said the parade has 70 entries which will traverse the 1.2km course around the park.
"We've got new floats, we've got some reimagined old floats, old favourites that have all been done up.
"We've got a new elf-on-the-shelf, we've got lots of new characters that have come in for the parade."
He said they are working with the team at Event Hire who have taken over the running of the Christchurch Show.
"It's a big festival and parade day for the whole city. So it's a Christmas market, food vendors, amusement rides, lots of displays, and an animal farm.
"The library's going to be there doing stuff, we've got the Imagination Station, all sorts of things happening all day. And then a big, amazing parade at 2pm."
The gates will open at 11am and the Christmas Parade will start at 2pm. There will be free parking and a free Santa Express bus will also take people to the event from three locations around the city.
- By Geoff Sloan, made with the support of NZ On Air
