hornby contains a large retail mall named 'the hub hornby', which is the westernmost within the christchurch urban area. the suburb, which could almost be considered a town in its own right, is separated from the heart of the city by wigram aerodrome and the industrial estates of sockburn to the east. hornby is home to a velodrome and a bmx track. it has annually hosted the "westside party in the park" for the last several years.