Reinvigorated World Busker's Festival set to kick off in Christchurch

January 8, 2019

But will the changes solve the event’s financial struggles?

The country's biggest busker's festival has been reinvented once again - and it's about to launch into life in Christchurch this week.

With Australians now in charge, the World Busker's Festival is finally seeking to leave its recent financial troubles behind.

The festival has had a name change - now being known as Bread & Circus - and organiser Jess Rankin thinks the new direction will be welcomed by attendees.

"It's definitely stepping it up and bringing it to a new level this year, while still honouring the 25-year history of the busker's festival.

"We are bringing a whole bunch of new things to Christchurch and a lot that's never been to New Zealand," Ms Rankin told 1 NEWS.

The challenge has been to reinvent a festival that's had a troubled past, plagued with financial issues since the earthquakes.

For the first time, instead of just 10 days, the festival will now run for almost a month.

The line-up has almost doubled, with 527 shows and 90 hours of roving performers.

Bread & Circus kicks off on Thursday January 10.

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