September’s going to be a funny month. Comedy both international and local is on the cards, with the Comedy Carnival in town as well as Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain and a showcase of comics at Lincoln to end the month. There’s plenty of style on show as well, with Ballantynes Fashion Week. Christchurch turns it on for music fans again, with Jimmy Barnes, Stan Walker, Zed and Joe Bonamassa among the highlights. And in case you missed it, there’s some rugby on this month as well. Go the ABs!

COMEDY CARNIVAL, LAUGH AT THE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY NIGHT

Two festivals guarantee to bring the laughs this month. The Comedy Carnival runs at various venues around the city until September 21, with some of the best local and international acts performing in more than 35 shows. And at the Lincoln Event Centre on September 28 you can catch funny man Dai Henwood alongside other hilarious acts performing in the Laugh at the International Comedy Night.

Comedy Carnival: comedycarnival.co.nz

Laugh at the International Comedy Night: find it on Facebook

DARA Ó BRIAIN

The laughs continue with the first visit to the city by acclaimed Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain, who brings his Voice of Reason to the Christchurch Town Hall on September 23. He told Cityscape he’s looking forward to meeting some orcs and sampling some Marlborough sauv blanc while he’s here.

Read our Q&A with Dara.

ticketek.co.nz

BILL HAMMOND: PLAYING THE DRUMS

Art fans, rejoice! More than 40 rarely seen works by local artist Bill Hammond will be showing at Christchurch Art Gallery until January 2020 in the exhibition Playing the Drums. Hammond is most well-known for his half-human, half-bird creatures that commonly adopt human-like stances.

christchurchartgallery.org.nz

RUGBY WORLD CUP

Whether you like it or not, the next two months are going to be dominated by the Rugby World Cup. We key you in to the rules, the stars, the big games, and everything else you need to know to survive the full-noise six weeks of sport.

BALLANTYNES FASHION WEEK

Fashionistas rejoice – September brings Ballantynes Fashion Week. The stylish central-city department store will show why they are the most on-trend hangout in town as they host the South Island’s biggest fashion event from Thursday September 19's opening show. Among the must-see events are appearances by three of New Zealand’s leading fashion icons – Kathryn Wilson, Paula Ryan and Karen Walker – all offering a variety of events.

ballantynes.co.nz

ZED: 20 YEARS OF SILENCER

Christchurch rock legends Zed are celebrating 20 years since their debut studio album Silencer by playing an intimate show at Blue Smoke on September 21.

bluesmoke.co.nz

JOE BONAMASSA

Grammy-nominated blues-rocker Joe Bonamassa is heading to the city for the first time since 2016. Catch him at the Christchurch Town Hall on September 25.

jbonamassa.com

JIMMY BARNES

Rock legend Jimmy Barnes will shut down the city as part of his Shutting Down Your Town tour when he takes to the stage at the Christchurch Town Hall on September 26. Expect a slice of the new with a solid helping of classics from the Barnes and Cold Chisel back catalogue.

Read out Q&A with Jimmy.

jimmybarnes.com

STAN WALKER

A star on both sides of the Tasman, Stan Walker is embarking on his nationwide Springboard tour this month. Walker’s pitch-perfect vocals and cheeky sense of humour always make for a mighty fine night out, so grab yourself a ticket to his September 28 Town Hall show.

premier.ticketek.co.nz