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Eating your way around the world, a Sunday sesh with vino and live music and a free event for the kids – there’s a lot to love about this weekend in Canberra.
Here’s everything that’s happening around town. Read on!
Special Events and Festivals
National Multicultural Festival
The National Multicultural Festival is back with a bang. This year more than 170 unique nationalities come together for three days to share culture, music, dance, food and more. There will be kaleidoscope of colours, sights, sounds and tastes as performers wow you, food fills you and you try your hand at a cultural workshop!
Friday 16 until Sunday 18 February | Garema Place and Glebe Park, Canberra | More information here.
Summer Garage & Plant Sale
Love a good garage and plant sale? This one is for you. Shop around vintage stalls, including clothes, books, music and more while enjoying the BBQ and café! Did we mention that it’s a free event?
Saturday, 17 February | 255 Goyder Street Narrabubndah | More information here.
Play Day
Sundays at Dairy Road, one of Canberra’s coolest precincts, just got cuter. Play Day is a free weekly event for kids and their adults, that offers theatrical performances, live bands, water play and activities for open-learning play in Dairy Road’s purpose built LESS Garden. Blending education and fun, don’t miss out on this free event!
Sunday 18 February | Dairy Road, 1 Dairy Road, LESS Garden, Fyshwick | More information here.
Markets
Little Burley Markets
Offering a diverse array of multicultural foods, much-loved beverages and brunchables, beautiful blooms, locally made art, fashion, photography and homewares, artisanal bread, delectable pastries, seafood, smoked charcuterie, truffles, meats, puppy treats, and much more, you’ll be able to find plenty of goodies at this bespoke lakeside market
8 am – 1 pm Saturday | Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes | thelittleburleymarket.com.au
Capital Region Farmers Market
At the Capital Region Farmers Market you can find fresh produce, flowers and the ready-to-eat food and coffee. What more could you need? The Capital Region Farmers Market has everything you need.
7 am – 11:30 am, Saturday | Exhibition Park in Canberra, Old Well Station Road, Mitchell | capitalregionfarmersmarket.com.au
Haig Park Markets
Moments away from Lonsdale street’s boutiques and cafes, the Haig Park Village Markets will delight your senses with delicious cuisines, tasty treats, beautiful blooms, fresh produce, delectable charcuterie and artisan products. It’s a lovely place to enjoy a picnic whilst feasting your senses on the culinary delights on offer or to browse the fabulous local handmade design stalls.
8:30 am – 2 pm Sunday | Haig Park, Girrahween Street, Braddon | haigparkvillagemarkets.com.au
Southside Farmers Markets
This village market is located at Canberra College, making it the perfect place to duck in to grab what you need (and maybe a few things you don’t). Order an egg and bacon roll to start the morning as you explore the best of fresh seasonal veggies, handmade pasta and pet treats.
8 am–11.30 am Sunday | 2 Launceston Street, Phillip | facebook.com
Old Bus Depot Markets
With more than 100 stalls (including your old favourites), you’ll have the chance to shop for a brilliant variety of Australian-made, handcrafted and premium products. Sneak a walk around the foreshore while you’re down there.
9.30 am – 2.30 pm Sunday | Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | obdm.com.au
Food and Wine
Luna Saturdays
Have you been to Luna yet? On Saturdays watch the bar transform for an evening where intrigue and luxury intertwine. There will be Cabaret Dancers, DJs and more! Book online or walk in.
Saturday 17 February | Luna, 99 London Circuit, City | More information here
Tipsy Sundaze
A Sunday sesh with vino and live music? Yes please. Grab some friends and elevate your Sunday at Amici. Unwind, sip, and savor while experiencing the very best Canberra’s music scene has to offer!
Sunday 18 February | Amici Wine Bar & Deli, 59 Northbourne Avenue, City | Book here.
Sunday Soirée
Live music, a Bentspoke pop-up bar and gourmet food and drink offers…what’s not to love? Head along to the Hyatt Hotel for a relaxing Sunday afternoon that will have something for the whole family. Perfect for friends, families and couples looking for a chilled Sunday afternoon catch-up, book ahead or walk in on the day!
Sunday 18 February | Hyatt Hotel Canberra, 120 Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla | Book here.
Stage and Screen
Henry Winkler: The Fonz and Beyond
Join the legendary Henry Winkler as he shares his life and times with tales from his 50 years in Hollywood. The universally-loved Emmy-award winning actor, best-selling author, director and producer will take you through his life, from the achingly vulnerable lows to the stratospheres of global acclaim.
Saturday 17 February | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Canberra | Book here.
Chinese Film Festival
Immerse yourself in the rich storytelling of the Chinese Film Festival at Dendy Cinema as they take you through a curated selection of new and classic Chinese titles. With an extensive program – including Farewell, My Concubine (1992) and Snow Leopard (2023)– there’s plenty to see.
until Sunday 18 February | Bunda Street, Canberra City | Book here.
Queers
Curated by Mark Gatiss and directed by Steph Roberts and Jarrad West, the critically acclaimed production Queers is coming to ACT Hub this summer. Celebrating a century of evolving social attitudes and political milestones in gay history, Queers is deeply personal, poignant, funny, tragic, and riotous – telling seven stories through the eyes of seven individuals as they relive major events.
Until Saturday 24 February | ACT Hub, 14 Spinifex Street, Kingston | Book here.
Music
Smith’s@Belco: Tim Rogers
Tim Rogers (whom you might recognise as the frontman of You Am I, one of the essential Australian rock n’ roll band), is kickstarting the 2024 at the Smith’s alongside Canberra-based singer-songwriter, Cathy Diver. Don’t miss it!
Saturday 17 February | Belco Arts, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen Arts Centre, Belconnen | Book here.
Chamber Classics: Beethoven Septet
The CSO Chamber Ensemble is presenting a lovely Sunday afternoon chamber series with Beethoven’s charming E-flat major septet. The Septet illuminates the fantastically conversational art of chamber music, showcasing winds alongside the traditional quartet of the chamber setting. An absolute masterpiece, this timeless work will leave you invigorated and uplifted.
Sunday 18 February | Albert Hall, Yarralumla, 100 Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla | Book here.
Canberra Blues Society Sunday Pro Jam
The Canberra Blues Society Sunday Pro Jam often features outstanding musicians from further afield and sometimes overseas. There will be a fine feast of excellent blues playing from a selection of Canberra’s finest blues musicians. It will be a fantastic afternoon, with an open bar, restaurant food available to order, and amazing music.
Sunday 18 February | The Zeppelin Room, 49 Jerrabomberra Avenue, Narrabundah | Book here.
Exhibitions
100 Stars Installation
Visit the Star Mandalas and the exhibition of handwoven stars hosted at Civic Library. The creator of the Star Mandala Project, has always felt an irresistible connection to stars. Reading about the disappearing stars inspired her to bring together her community to create a celestial artwork representing freedom and love. Want to get involved in star making? Visit Civic Library during the Multi-Cultural Festival to make your own star!
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 February | Civic Library, Civic Square, London Circuit | More information here.
Trans(ap)parencies by Anthea da Silva
This is a contemporary meditation on perceptions of human value by Anthea da Silva. Using charcoal, oil and acrylic mediums, collaged X-rays and light-boxes, the exhbition challenge social constructs around bodies and gender. Head along to see it for yourself.
Until Sunday 18 February | M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | More information here.
Un/spoken by Saskia Haalebos
Last January Saskia got an autism diagnosis. Suddenly parts of her life made sense. All of those times when words tumbled out awkwardly or wrong, when their tone was ill-fitted for situations, when their order seemed random, when their humour brought a laugh, when they didn’t appear at all. un/spoken is about things not said, things she wishes she could take back, and some terrible puns.
Until Sunday 18 February | M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | More information here.
Glyph by Clare Martin
Glyph, an exhibition by Clare Martin, is an interesting exploration on purposeful marks and the combination of image and text. Falling loosely into three sections (symbols and numbers, mark-making and time and zines that combine image and text), Clare’s aim is to work in the region where they overlap.
Until Sunday 18 February | M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | More information here.
Nicholas Burridge Solo Exhibition
Head along to the Canberra Glassworks to see a unique exhbition featuring intriguing rock-glass hybrids inspired by the concept of terraforming. Created by Nicholas Burridge, the works touch on themes of geology, time, and industrialisation – serving as a poignant reminder of the immense geological forces that have shaped our planet over millennia.
Until Sunday 25 February | Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | More information here.
Life Drawing: Lee Crisp
Presented at the Belconnen Arts Centre, in this exhbition, Lee Crisp looks at the contemporary lives of women from the perspective of the embodied subject. Drawing from life experience as an artist and her love of art history, Lee is reclaiming the female nude as her own by exploring agency, strength, sensuality and sexuality as lived by mature women.
Until Sunday 24 March | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | Book here.
Interwoven 7
Interwoven 7 brings together basketry and textile artists from the Canberra region and the NSW South Coast. Using a range of fibre traditions, combining natural, synthetic and recycled materials, artworks have been created using twining, coiling, looping, stitching and assemblage to reinterpret fibre art from functional vessels to sculptural forms. Born of an idea by artist Gabrielle Powell, this is a beautiful fusion of traditional and experimental works.
until Thursday 28 March | West Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | More information here.
Atmo-Spheres: Francis Kenna
Francis Kenna is a Kamberri/Canberra based interdisciplinary artist, who engages a number of different media to explore our experience of space and perception, temporality and the body. In this exhbition, Francis a takes transitory states of atmosphere as a place to begin questions around the mutability of space and humanity’s own experience.
Until Thursday 28 March | Generator Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | Book here.
The Benefit Of Doubt: Fran Romano and Zoe Slee
This exhibition is an experimental project, exploring the idea of self-doubt. Working collaboratively, Zoe Slee and Fran Romano are focusing on concepts of self-doubt, self-image and related preconceptions and biases. But they are being exhibited with a twist: they have each chosen what the other puts up for display.
until Thursday 28 March | The Window Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | Book here.
Lines Of Sight by Patsy Payne and John Pratt
Lines of Sight by Patsy Payne and John Pratt is the outcome of three years worth of phone conversations and postcard dialogues mostly at a distance of 1,100 kilometres between Darkinjung and Ngunnawal country. The focus of this exchange is a particular zone of the environment between Gulaga and the ocean on the rugged south coast of NSW, in Yuin country.
Until Thursday 28 March | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | Book here.
Friend Or Foe – The Rise Of Artificial Intelligence Exhibition
This exhibition at Questacon features more than 100 AI-generated artworks curated by Australian digital artist Luke Millanta. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a digital artwork presented on the Questacon QMAX large format screen, along with a range of other stunning digital artworks that seek to interrogate society’s relationship with AI.
Until 2025 | King Edward Terrace, Parkes | More information here.
Sport
Canberra 6HR Adventure Race
Take on the challenge of an epic six hour adventure race! You can run, kayak, mountain bike and navigate your way over a 15km or 30km un-marked, off road course with six hours to collect all the check points and get back to the finish line. It’s a two person team based challenge, so grab a friend.
Saturday 17 February | National Rock Garden, Lady Denman Drive, Yarralumla | More information here.
Canberra United v Sydney FC
Two clubs, two cities, and two culture clash in this awesome game! Having been two times Grand Final champion and three times Premiers of the regular season, Canberra United aims to bring another trophy home this season. Help cheer them on!
Saturday 17 February | Mckellar Park, Walkley Place, Mckellar | Book here.
Workshops, webinars and more
A Floral Design Workshop with Miss Moss
This is a hands-on Floral Design Workshop held in a beautiful garden setting, and catering for all levels of experience. Using seasonal locally grown flowers and providing information on climate and cultivation (as well as the design aspects of arranging flowers), you’ll learn from a qualified floral designer, and build your confidence to create with flowers.
Saturday 17 February | Miss Moss Florals Home Studio, 19 Derwent Street, Lyons | Book here.
Painting The Figure & Portrait: Oil Painting with Chelsea Lehmann
Join Chelsea Lehmann as she leads you through fun workshop where you’ll explore oil painting techniques. In this course, you’ll paint from a life model and witness demonstrations of various methods and materials. Designed to cater to the individual needs of each student, you’ll learn the foundational skills required for painting the human figure.
Saturday 17 February | Canberra Art Workshop, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Studio B, Griffith | Book here.
Chinese Lantern-Making Workshop
This is a fun activity for the whole family! You’ll learn how to make your own Chinese Lanterns at the Cook Community Hub. Instruction and materials will be provided but you’ll need to bring your own cutting board, scissors, ruler and pencil.
Sunday 18 February | Cook Community Hub, 41 Templeton Street, Cook | Book here.
Source: hercanberra.com.au
George Barham, an accomplished journalist and avid gambling enthusiast, serves as the esteemed Editor-in-Chief at fly-to-australia.com, Australia’s leading source for comprehensive gambling news and insights. With an unwavering passion for both the written word and the ever-evolving world of betting and gaming, George brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the helm of our editorial team.
