This Week in The Can
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Here’s what’s happening this week in The Can!
YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS…
Woden Valley Youth Choir invite you to share in the spirit of Christmas at Carols by Candlelight.
Bring your family, friends, a picnic dinner and join thousands of others for an inspiring evening of music and celebration, as you sing along to your favourite Christmas carols in the beautiful surrounds of Commonwealth Park.
Bottled water available for sale.
A small number of songbooks and candles will be available on the night via a donation to Lifeline.
Wednesday 16 December from 7pm-9.30pm at Stage 88, Commonwealth Park.
The Canberra Solopreneur by End2End Events
End2End Events is hosting a 1920’s Solopreneur Christmas Party to celebrate Canberra’s Solopreneur’s successes and achievements for 2015 and to see out the year with shebang!
Get along in your best 1920’s inspired Christmas glam and enjoy a night hosted by Captain Spitfire. You can also expect music by Robbie Mann followed by karaoke and festive dance music.
Your ticket covers a great selection of canapes and a special 1920’s inspired Christmas cocktail not to mention some incredible Christmas treats courtesy of End2End Events.
Ticket prices start at $55 and can be found here.
On Tuesday December 15 from 6.30pm at Polit Bar, 8 Franklin Street, Manuka.
Carols in Town Park
The Salvation Army Tuggeranong is preparing to celebrate Christmas with the Canberra community at their annual Carols in Town Park.
Carols in Town Park is a family friendly event with kid’s activities starting at 5pm with jumping castles, pony rides and farm animals. And there is a chance of a visit from Santa! The community carols kick off at 6.30pm led by Amber Nichols from “The Voice”, Katie de Veau, Dallas Atkins, The Salvation Army’s National Capital Band & Timbrels and Canberra Community Voices. Commissioner James Condon, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army Australian Eastern Territory and Nip Wijewickrema, ACT Young Australian of the Year will also take part during the event.
Visit the website for more information. On Sunday December 20 from 5pm at Tuggeranong Town Park, Bartlett Place, Greenway.
New KSPACE at the National Museum of Australia
Kspace is a three-stage experience and up to 12 visitors can take part in each stage. Visitors start their adventure in the Design Station where they use touchscreens to create a time-travelling robot. They then enter a Time Pod where they are blasted back to a mystery location, such as the Victorian goldfields of 1854 or Sydney in the 1930s when the Harbour Bridge was being built.
Visitors then use their robots to explore the location and collect points before teaming up with others as one big robot to complete a mission unique to that time and place. Kspace sessions start every 10 minutes and take 30 minutes to complete.
Kspace is open to general visitors: Weekends, public holidays and ACT school holidays, with sessions starting between 9.15am and 4.00pm. Mondays to Fridays, with sessions starting between 12pm and 1.30pm (during school term time)
The Illusionists 1903
The world masters of magic are bringing a spectacle to Canberra, with their latest and most stylish production yet, The Illusionists 1903,coming to the Canberra Theatre Centre for a strictly limited season from 8 to 16 December 2015.
Journey back in time and watch in awe as the impossible is recreated live on stage at Canberra Theatre Centre this summer.
Tickets on sale now via the website or call 02 6275 2700. Ticket prices range from $79-$99.
Suffragette Fundraising Screening for Soroptimist ACT & Monaro
SI ACT & Monaro invite you to join us at the fabulous Palace Electric Cinema for a private advanced screening of the movie ‘Suffragette’.
Your ticket price includes a glass of champagne on arrival, a small popcorn and of course your donation to a great cause. Please note, Eventbrite charges a $2.79 fee per ticket for use of their website.
All funds raised on the night will go towards one of YWCA’s domestic violence primary prevention programs, ‘Teaching Respect Ed’. Our donation will enable a local primary school to implement a program that helps children recognise and maintain respectful relationships. The rationale for funding this evidence-based YWCA program is to work on the root causes of domestic violence: disrespectful attitudes that are based on perceptions of inequality, which are often formed early in life.
Wednesday 16 December from 6-9.30
Purchase your tickets here.
Quidam by Cirque du Soleil
Since premiering under the Big Top in Montreal in 1996, Quidam has captivated millions of people across five continents. Now Quidam has embarked on a new journey, with the same spell-binding production being performed in arenas around the world. The international cast features 46 acrobats, musicians, singers and actors who present a showcase of spectacular aerial feats, astonishing human agility, and heart-warming emotion.
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Québec-based organisation providing high-quality artistic entertainment.
The company has 4,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 155 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents.
Cirque du Soleil present Quidam from 10 to 20 December 2015 at AIS Arena, Bruce for 15 performances only. Tickets start at $75. Visit the website for more information.
Experience the work of legendary Australian artist Tom Roberts this summer at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra. This extraordinary exhibition brings together Tom Roberts’ most famous paintings. Paintings such as Shearing the rams (1888-90) and A break away! (1891) are among the nation’s best known works of art. An exhibition for all Australians, it’s not to be missed.
The exhibition takes place during an exciting period of change at the NGA, including a large-scale rehang of almost every work of art, with Australian art taking pride of place in a new location.
Daily from 10am – 5pm (closed Christmas Day) until 28 March 2016 at the National Gallery of Australia, Parkes. Book tickets here.
Spiders at Questacon
Imagine if you could taste with your fingers and hear with your hair!
Spiders – a joint exhibition between Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre and the Australian Museum will help you to unlock the secretive world of these captivating creatures.
Weave your way through the fascinating exhibits and interactive displays to discover how these web-weavers, hunters and burrowers outlived the dinosaurs to become one of the most successful creatures on earth.
Bravely step into the web of a net-casting spider to get your photo taken or peer into spider innards using 3D scanning technology—what do you see?
Challenge a peacock spider to a dance-off or, if you dare, ‘hold’ a virtual wolf spider in the palm of your hand!
Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of spiders as you listen to Australian Scientists detailing their latest discoveries and learn how you can get closer to spiders in your own garden.
Featuring up to 200 spider specimens including live Australian tarantulas, funnel-webs, redbacks and giant water spiders you will learn there is more than meets the eye to these beautiful creatures.
Opens 24 November from 9 am – 5 pm every day at Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre. For more information see the website.
Old Bus Depot Markets Christmas Market
Canberra’s favourite Sunday markets, the Old Bus Depot Markets, are hosting their popular Christmas markets throughout the month of December.
The Old Bus Depot Markets’ Christmas markets will feature handmade gifts and festive items including Christmas wreaths, decorations, table centrepieces, candles, stockings and advent calendars. Live Christmas trees are also an annual favourite, and modern handmade wooden Christmas trees offer an alternative you can style for your own home.
And the food, the glorious Christmas food. The markets will offer delicious Christmas fare including cakes, gingerbread houses, mince tarts, puddings, shortbread, party dips, farmhouse cheeses, olives and more.
At the annual Christmas Stallholder sale markets’ stallholders will be offering exclusive specials and fantastic deals – it’s a great chance for visitors to stock up on everything they need for the festive season.
Usually a Sunday-only affair, the markets will be open on both Saturdays and Sundays throughout December in the lead up to Christmas Day. This gives more time for customers to find what they’re looking for, and more opportunity for the many stallholders to spread the Christmas cheer.
Christmas at the Old Bus Depot Markets will be open Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free. For more information visit obdm.com.au.
100 Days of Summer at Lucky’s
Lucky’s Speakeasy at QT Canberra is throwing a massive party, all through Summer! There’ll be a James Bond 007 NYE party and QT Backyard Australia Day BBQ, as well as weekly events, like Friday sessions, secret men’s business, Latino nights, summer night markets and a ping pong tournament. This summer at Lucky’s is going to be on like Donkey Kong.
As one of Canberra’s premiere watering holes, you’ll find an event to suit every taste at Lucky’s. For more information see their website.
Play Up
Play Up pokes its tongue out at the idea that museums are hands off. Stand up, muck up, dress up, make up, think up and step up in a fabulous space that has turned the traditional idea of what goes on in museums completely on its head.
In Play Up it is visitors to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House (MOADOPH) who are the curators – the exhibition has been developed with children and celebrates the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Play Up celebrates the important role children have in the cultural life of our communities. Most importantly Play Up is a place for fun. At MOADOPH and open from 9am to 5pm daily.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Take a walking tour of the Mount Stromlo Observatory and learn about one of Canberra’s oldest sites. Mount Stromlo Observatory has been carrying out astronomical observations for over 100 years and, prior to the 2003 firestorm, had grown from a small outpost of pioneering astronomers to one of the great observatories of the world.
Its history includes designing optical munitions during the Second World War, weathering two devastating bushfires and earning one Nobel Prize. Come along and learn about the history, the science and the future of Mount Stromlo Observatory.
Bookings essential. Click here to book now.
Yoga Under The Stars
Only in the Country, away from the City lights, can you experience the stars the way they were intended to be viewed, with a new moon scheduled only 6 days before, this is one amazing experience you will not want to miss. Due to the overwhelming response, Clearview Coaching & Fitness Studio will host Yoga Under The Stars every month.
Instructed by our very own International Yogi, Victoria McLaughlin and her trusty assistants, you will begin this session as the sun sets, overlooking the Brindabellas with the most amazing Studio views and you will end (60-75 minutes later) in Shivasna with, weather permitting, a clear view of the stars and the milky way.
Gates will open at at 7:30pm and close at 7:50pm sharp, to ensure absolutely no disturbance to our 8pm kick off. Bring your yoga mat, a light blanket or an extra layer of comfortable clothes to ensure you remain nice and warm as the sun sets.
Tickets are $25, visit the website for more information. ON December 17 from 7.45pm at Clearview Fitness Studio, “Ryslipp Park”, Barton Highway, Murrumbateman.
Ranger Guided Walks and Activities at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve offers an extensive program of guided walks and activities and special school holiday activities throughout the year. Don’t miss your chance to see Australian wildlife in this beautiful natural environment.
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is home to a wide range of Australian animals including kangaroos, platypus, potoroos, wallaroos, possums, wombats, echidnas, emus, lyrebirds and many other birds and reptiles.
Walks and activities cater for a range of different age groups. Check their website for full details.
No charges apply for activities held at the Visitors Centre. Nominal entry fees apply for activities within the reserve.
From 2 January 2015 to 31 December 2015. Check their website for full details.
The Fit Muse – Social Running Club
Summer is just around the corner and our capital, little city has some amazing tracks for those of you who want to keep fit.
Meet every Saturday morning at 8:15am out the front of Muse in Kingston for an 8:30am start. It’s an easy 5km run up through Telopea Park, along the shore of Lake Burley Griffin up to the NGA and back again.
All levels welcome and there are additional challenges for the more experienced runner.
Every Saturday Morning, 8:30am FREE.
MARKETS, FESTIVALS & EXPOS
Christmas Experiences at Canberra Centre
Festivities
Customers will celebrate the season with a glass of bubbly at our Pamper Parlour. Each week, they’ll be treated to something different from hand massages to make-up trials – special experiences to prepare them for their night out.
Friday 11 and 18 December 4pm – 9pm
Ground Level, outside Nespresso
Live Art Installation
In celebration of Christmas, Australian typography artist Gemma O’Brien will take over a space in centre to bring #thatchristmasfeeling to life.
From December 10 – December 15
Ground Level, in between Nine West and Bailey Nelson
Entertainment
The floors of Canberra Centre will be bustling with Christmas music and festivities over the next few weeks. The beautiful voices of Canberra’s female trio, The Stilettos will ring throughout the Centre at select times, as will our other local entertainers, Canberra Chordsmen, String Theory Quartet, The Choral Society, Sweet Affair, and a pianist and harpist for soft tunes to put you in the Christmas mood. Performance times are available at canberracentre.com.au.
Services
Gift Wrapping
Presents will be wrapped to perfection for a gold coin donation. All proceeds will be donated to SIDS and Kids ACT.
From December 12 – 24
Level 1, outside Witchery
For further information and times, please visit canberracentre.com.au
Porter Service
Customers will receive VIP treatment from our team of porters who will help carry their gifts to their car and provide directions.
From December 12 – 24
Level 1, outside Witchery
For further information and times, please visit canberracentre.com.au
Extended Christmas Opening Hours*
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Saturday 19 December |
9.00am – 6.00pm |
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Sunday 20 December |
9.00am – 6.00pm |
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Monday 21 December |
9.00am – 8.00pm |
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Tuesday 22 December |
9.00am – 9.00pm |
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Wednesday 23 December |
9.00am – 9.00pm |
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Thursday 24 December (Christmas Eve) |
9.00am – 5.30pm |
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Friday 25 December (Christmas Day) |
CLOSED |
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Saturday 26 December (Boxing Day) |
8.00am – 7.00pm |
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Sunday 27 December |
10.00am– 4.00pm |
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Monday 28 December (Boxing Day public holiday) |
10.00am – 4.00pm |
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Tuesday 29 December |
9.00am – 5.30pm |
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Wednesday 30 December |
9.00am – 5.30pm |
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Thursday 31 December (New Year’s Eve) |
9.00am – 5.30pm |
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Friday 1 January (New Year’s Day) |
10.00am – 4.00pm |
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Normal Centre trading hours resume Saturday 2 January |
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*Individual store hours may vary. Please consult with individual retailers to confirm trading hours. More information here.
Old Bus Depot Markets Christmas Market
Canberra’s favourite Sunday markets, the Old Bus Depot Markets, are getting ready to host their popular Christmas markets, on throughout the month of December.
The Old Bus Depot Markets’ Christmas markets will feature handmade gifts and festive items including Christmas wreaths, decorations, table centrepieces, candles, stockings and advent calendars. Live Christmas trees are also an annual favourite, and modern handmade wooden Christmas trees offer an alternative you can style for your own home.
And the food, the glorious Christmas food. The markets will offer delicious Christmas fare including cakes, gingerbread houses, mince tarts, puddings, shortbread, party dips, farmhouse cheeses, olives and more.
At the annual Christmas Stallholder sale markets’ stallholders will be offering exclusive specials and fantastic deals – it’s a great chance for visitors to stock up on everything they need for the festive season.
Usually a Sunday-only affair, the markets will be open on both Saturdays and Sundays throughout December in the lead up to Christmas Day. This gives more time for customers to find what they’re looking for, and more opportunity for the many stallholders to spread the Christmas cheer.
Christmas at the Old Bus Depot Markets will be openSaturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, and Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free. For more information visit obdm.com.au.
Old Bus Depot Market
Discover 200 stalls within a fabulous old industrial building offering unique handcrafted items, gourmet take home food, regional wines, and freshly ground coffee.
Visitors can browse all kinds of items including funky lamp shades, tea cups and saucers, retro decorative art, antique jewellery, china and art glass, silver, linens and restored pieces.
The Old Bus Depot Markets are easy to access, have ample free parking and a wide range of food stalls to enjoy a multicultural meal, a coffee or a quick bite to eat – while watching talented musicians and taking in the hustle and bustle of the markets. On every Sunday from 10am to 4pm on Wentworth Avenue in Kingston.
Visit obdm.com.au for more information.
Southside Farmers Markets
The Southside Farmers Market is a village market that provides all the fresh food that you need for your weekly shop.
The market has a great range of fresh, seasonal produce from around 60 stallholders each week – including fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, fish, honey, bread, gourmet treats and much more.
Amongst the wide range of food available, you will find vegetables from Cowra, free range eggs from Tharwa, organic meat from Bombala, organic salad greens from near Hall, vegetables from Marulan, fresh mushrooms and seafood from the south coast, award winning olive oil from near Hall, vegetables from Thirlmere, citrus from Leeton, apples from Batlow Gunning and Pialligo, local breads, cooking sauces and condiments made in Canberra, and award winning organic and fair trade coffees roasted here in Canberra.
If you have a sweet tooth try some freshly baked, tarts, macarons or cakes. There is a wide range of certified organic and biodynamic produce available.
After your shopping relax over a cappuccino or a hot chocolate made with real Belgian chocolate, with a crepe, waffle, sausage sandwich or gozleme in the courtyard.
Open every Sunday morning from 8am until 11:30am at CIT Southside Campus, corner of Hindmarsh Drive and Ainsworth Street, Phillip. Visit the website for more information.
EAT LOCAL FRIDAYS Farmers Market
Eat Local Fridays is a brand new farmers’ market to hit Canberra. Held every Friday, buy chemical and GMO-free produce directly from the grower and makers.
Special guest Costa Georgiadis, will be there to kick things off. Visit their website for more information. On from 2.30pm – 7pm each Friday at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross Street, Acton.
Capital Region Farmers Market
Visit the largest regional markets in the Southern Tablelands — the Capital Region Farmers Market! Be tantalised by fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, seafood, cakes, condiments, meats, cheeses and more.
Fresh produce reflects the exciting seasonal characteristics and diversity of the region providing opportunity for you to learn more about the food you’re eating and the region it comes, and discuss what you’re buying with the growers.
On every Saturday from 7.30am to 11.30am at Exhibition Park on Flemington Road.
SPORT
The Fit Muse – Social Running Club
Summer is just around the corner and our capital, little city has some amazing tracks for those of you who want to keep fit.
We meet every Saturday morning at 8:15am out the front of Muse for an 8:30am start. It’s an easy 5km run up through Telopea Park, along the shore of Lake Burley Griffin up to the NGA and back again.
All levels welcome and there are additional challenges for the more experienced runner. And afterwards stay for a Red Brick Espresso coffee or something from our fitness friendly weekend menu!
Every Saturday Morning, 8:30am FREE
FOOD & WINE
Old Parliament House – Friday Night Drinks
Spring is back, and so is Canberra’s favourite Friday night drinks at Old Parliament House.
Unwind from the week and kick-start the weekend with your colleagues, friends or significant other in the historic courtyard of Old Parliament House. Enjoy live DJ, delicious snacks and chilled cocktails until March 2016.
Kick your weekend off in style for a drink in the historic courtyards of the House. Visit the website for more details.
King George Terrace, Parkes, Canberra.
FAMILY
Carols in Town Park
The Salvation Army Tuggeranong is preparing to celebrate Christmas with the Canberra community at their annual Carols in Town Park.
Carols in Town Park is a family friendly event with kid’s activities starting at 5pm with jumping castles, pony rides and farm animals. And there is a chance of a visit from Santa! The community carols kick off at 6.30pm led by Amber Nichols from “The Voice”, Katie de Veau, Dallas Atkins, The Salvation Army’s National Capital Band & Timbrels and Canberra Community Voices. Commissioner James Condon, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army Australian Eastern Territory and Nip Wijewickrema, ACT Young Australian of the Year will also take part during the event.
Visit the website for more information. On Sunday December 20 from 5pm at Tuggeranong Town Park, Bartlett Place, Greenway.
Little Griffins @ Brick by Brick
The National Capital Exhibition presents Little Griffins @ Brick by Brick; an exciting programme for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Little Griffins includes songs, activities and lots of Duplo™ construction fun as a gentle introduction to the wonders of the National Capital.
Held from 10am to 11am the last Friday of each month at National Capital Exhibition, Barrine Drive, Canberra.
Play Up
Play Up pokes its tongue out at the idea that museums are hands off. Stand up, muck up, dress up, make up, think up and step up in a fabulous space that has turned the traditional idea of what goes on in museums completely on its head. In Play Up it is visitors to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House (MOADOPH) who are the curators – the exhibition has been developed with children and celebrates the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Play Up celebrates the important role children have in the cultural life of our communities. Most importantly Play Up is a place for fun. At MOADOPH and open from 9am to 5pm daily.
National Dinosaur Museum Weekend Tours
The National Dinosaur Museum holds tours every weekend. Join one of their expert staff to experience a journey through time. Take your camera, your friends, those burning dinosaur questions and join the knowledgeable staff for a fun and educational tour suitable for all ages. Tours are free with admission. Tours are 30-minutes and run every weekend at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm until 27 December.
Family Space
The National Portrait Gallery has something for everyone to enjoy this school holidays in the Portrait Gallery Adventure Family Space.
Explore the lives of Australia’s greatest adventurers through interactive art carts, dioramas and dress ups.
Make your own portrait that expresses your spirit of adventure using fun art materials and the photo booth. All materials provided and free for all to enjoy! From 11am to 4pm daily.
Leap into your local library
Your local library is a treasure trove…not only are there free books and resources, there are regular amazing events! Giggle & Wiggle with your little ones (up to 2 years) and help them learn through language play using interactive rhymes, songs, games and stories.
Looking to improve your English and make new friends, then head along to your local library for one of the informal English conversation groups. For more events and info check them out here.
Friday Storytime for Preschoolers
Take your little ones along to The Australian National Botanic Gardens for some fun with stories, songs, rhymes and creative activities brought to life by the ACT Storytellers. An engaging treat for pre-school children, parents and carers.
First Friday of the month (different theme each month) and commences at 10am (duration one hour). Tickets are $5 per child and bookings are not required. Visit the website for more information.
WORKSHOPS & TALKS
Christmas Flower Workshop with Lady Larissa
Local floralista Lady Larissa will be holding a selection of small workshops before Christmas to help Canberrans create the most unique centrepieces and wreaths this holiday season.
CHRISTMAS CENTREPIECE FLOWERS
Learn how to make your own fresh Christmas floral centrepiece that captures the romantic English garden look. You will walk away with a bespoke table arrangement full of fresh flowers, wild foliages and fruit.
Includes Local Press juice or tea/coffee, cake, demonstration, container, tools + materials. $140 per person. Bookings essential to admin@ladylarissa.com.au.
Wednesday 16 December from 6.30pm – 9pm at Local Press Cafe on the Kingston Foreshore
Women in War museum theatre performances
Be part of the spring school holiday programs at the Australian War Memorial with Women In War. See actor Leith Arundel in two moving performances, Last letters and Radio silence, relating the experiences of women during wartime.
Other programs include story time, hands-on history activities, drop in craft sessions and gallery talks. Please visit the Australian War Memorial events calendar on their website for exact dates and times.
National Gallery of Australia talks and workshops
The National Gallery of Australia has an extensive program of talks and workshops run in conjunction with their current exhibitions.
Hear about local and international artists or specific techniques. Be inspired by the greats and create your own artworks.
Talks and workshops cater for a range of different age groups. For full details visit the NGA website.
STAGE & FILM
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The force remains strong amongst the people of the Nation’s Capital. Dendy Canberra has now sold-out the majority of their midnight screenings to the blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There is no reason for budding Jedi to panic just yet, as there are still seats available to the recently announced 6am breakfast sessions, on the opening day, Thursday 17 December.
These breakfast sessions are perfect for those who are determined to see this epic franchise return to the big screen on opening day, but still need to adhere to their work commitments.
The sessions begin at 6am and include a range of delicious breakfast items that are exclusively available for these special one-off screenings.
Tickets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens are now on sale and can be purchased at the box office or online at dendy.com.au – Bookings are highly recommended.
For more information please visit the website.
One of Canberra’s most popular summer attractions, IMB Bank Sunset Cinema, is back for its fourth season at the beautiful Australian National Botanic Gardens.
Screening from Friday November 13 through to the December 19, 4 sessions per week, IMB Bank Sunset Cinema offers its guests an entertaining mix of blockbusters, dramas, thrillers and family films, as well as live music, beanbags, fantastic food from London Burgers, and a fully licensed bar.
IMB Bank Sunset Cinema is so much more than just a trip to the movies!
The 2015 program has something for everyone, with blockbuster films such as ‘The Martian’ and ‘Spectre’, themed sessions including ‘Girls Night Out’ Wednesdays, screening films such as Mistress America, Magic Mike XXL, Man Up and The Dressmaker, to ‘Family Friday’ screenings including Oddball and Hotel Transylvania 2.
Tickets are on sale now. Visit the website for more information. On from Friday November 13 to Saturday December 19 at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross St, Acton.
MUSIC, DANCE & MORE
Get into the Christmas spirit at the National Carillon for an enjoyable afternoon of unforgettable music by Lake Burley Griffin. Step inside this spectacular instrument in one of the special Tower Tours, from 4.30 – 5.20 pm and 6.45 – 7.15 pm. See the bells and the batons up close metres above the ground! Limited number of tours available, so first in best dressed!
Hear talented carillonists play from 5.30 – 6.45 pm this Sunday, joined by the beautiful vocals of a choir.
Sing along or relax in the afternoon sun as the music drifts across the lake.
Sunday 20 December from 4.30pm – 7.15pm at Aspen Island. Tower tours and music are free.
Matilda Abraham is a Sydney based singer. She performs in an electronic trio with guitarist Carl Morgan (named best guitarist at Wangaratta Jazz Festival in 2015) and drummer James Waples. Abraham’s music explores a range of dynamic shifts, encompassing layers of both electronic and acoustic parts, interwoven with lush vocal harmonies.
With an emphasis on new and original music, Confluence creates possibilities for striking compositions, exciting collaborations and sonic delicacies. Curators Shoeb Ahmad (hellosQuare) and Thomas Fell (Jazz at The Loft) break down the boundaries between jazz, contemporary classical, electronic and improvised music.
Saturday 19 December, from 8pm – 9.30pm at Ainslie Arts Centre, 30 Elouera Street Braddon. Click here for more details.
Join us for the 2015 Community Carols, a free public event organised by South Woden Uniting Church and led by the Gospel Folk. This year we join vocal forces with Strange Weather Gospel Choir, producing an even more jubilant Christmas sound.
Plenty of community singing, along with guest performers, don’t miss Louise Page OAM, operatic soprano, and Credo, male vocal group. It’s free, fun and family oriented. BYO folding chair, rug and gold coin to buy candles.
Monday 14 December at Pearce Shopping Centre from 7.30-9pm. Free entry.
Dark Disco is a casual weekly dance event held in a dimly lit room. We turn the lights off and the music up for one hour so that you can dance like nobody’s watching.
It’s a place to have fun, de-stress and totally be yourself! We try to play a little bit of everything, from old stuff to dance, pop, rock, hip hop, Triple J tunes to super cheesy Top 40.
It’s light enough so that you can see the silhouettes of people around you, but dark enough so that you can’t make out their awesome dance moves!
Dark Disco is $5 and held every Monday from 7 till 8pm (except public hols) on Level 2 of The Griffin Centre, 20 Genge Street Civic.
Explore Australia’s TV, radio and music collection at your leisure in the National Film and Sound Archive‘s latest screen and sound experience in Acton – The Front Room.
Discover the history of sound, music and broadcast in comfort. Listen to radio broadcasts on a 1950s radiogram, watch classic TV in the lounge space or play CDs on one of the listening posts.
Whether you’ve got five minutes or five hours, there’s always something to see, hear or do in The Front Room. Free entry. Open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm until 24 December at the National Film and Sound Archive.
No Lights, No Lycra
There is no light, no lycra, no teacher, no steps to learn, no technique, just free movement. NLNL is a space where you can completely let go, shake out the stresses of the week, and lose yourself in the music and the physicality of your body.
NLNL is a daggy, non-pretentious place to completely be yourself. NLNL is on Wednesday nights from 7.30pm to 9pm at St John’s Anglican Church Hall in Reid (corner of Constitution Ave and Anzac Park West).
Lots of free onsite parking available, and admission still just $5 on the door.
Live Local Music
This post isn’t long enough to list all the various gigs around town, but if you’re into live music, we heartily suggest you check out what’s on offer at The Phoenix, Transit Bar, The Front, The Abbey, and BMA’s gig guide.
FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Art and Dementia Tour
Join this free interactive tour for people living with dementia and their carer at the National Portrait Gallery. Explore portraits and share stories with Gallery staff. Bookings required.
From 15 December 2015 to 16 February 2016 on Tuesdays at 11am at the National Portrait Gallery, Parkes.
Click here for more information.
ART
College Express 7 at Belconnen Arts Centre
An exhibition of energetic artwork by 100+ students in Year 11 & 12 from north Canberra colleges. Across the entire Arts Centre see innovative video, photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, textiles and design work.
This will be the seventh annual College Express exhibition presented by Belconnen Arts Centre. For the first time there is a $1,000 cash prize to one student, awarded by Ray White Belconnen.
Belconnen Arts Centre from December 18 2015-31 January 2016. More information here.
Behind the Lines 2015: The year’s best political cartoons
Behind the Lines 2015: The year’s best political cartoons celebrates the role of political cartoonists in Australia and highlights the power that their drawings have in contributing to our daily political and social discourse.
With a selection of 80 cartoons from 39 cartoonists, this year’s exhibition displays some of Australia’s most controversial cartoons that test the boundaries of free speech and the freedom of the press.
Until 25 November 2016, daily from 9am – 5pm at Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House. Closed Christmas Day. Click here for more information.
For over 30 years photojournalist Acikalin has documented the bonds and friendships forged through the experience of war.
He photographed the soldiers as old men, meeting in friendship on the very battlefields where they once fought as enemies when they were young. He captures the ongoing bond forged not only between the men, but also with their children and descendants.
Turkish Embassy, 6 Moonah Place, Yarralumla. The exhibition will run until 18 December.
Meet for conversation and sharing of ideas around the portrait of Kondelea (Della) Ellid by Ivy Shore and Eva Cox by Kim Spooner Facilitated by National Portrait Gallery staff, Portrait Encounter is designed to create in depth discussion around artists, subjects, technique and biography.
Bookings are essential.
Thursday 17 December from 1-2pm at the National Portrait Gallery, Parkes. Click here for more information.
Artist Peter Maloney first saw Wendy Saddington perform in Canberra when he was around 17 years of age. He became a lifelong admirer and then friend of the singer and amassed an extensive personal archive of material relating to this iconic Australian performer.
Using material from Maloney’s archive, the exhibition follows the development of Saddington’s career as a cult celebrity and a key figure in Australian popular music history.
This exhibition coincides with the International Association for the Study of Popular Music – Australian New Zealand Branch Conference at the Australian National University, School of Music, 4 – 6 December.
Opening hours: Weekdays: 10am – 5pm; Weekends: 12 – 5pm until 17 April 2016 at Canberra Museum and Gallery.
Celebrate 12 years of The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize at the National Archives this summer. Enjoy incredible prize-winning artworks exhibited alongside inspiring historical content from the collections of the National Archives of Australia and the South Australian Museum.
A partnership exhibition developed and curated by the National Archives of Australia and South Australian Museum.
Open daily 9am-5pm, except Christmas Day and Good Friday until 28 March 2016 at National Archives of Australia. Free entry.
This exhibition is a celebration of the work of sisters Polly and Emma Borland. Polly Borland, who is currently based in Los Angeles USA, is one of Australia’s most important contemporary photographers. Emma Borland is a glass artist based in Melbourne.
Until 7 February at Canberra Glassworks. Opening times: 10am – 4pm: Tuesday – Sunday.
Nicola Dickson Close Encounters: the Voyage of Bruni D’Entrecasteaux
During the French naval voyage commanded by Bruni D’Entrecasteaux to Australia and the Western Pacific in 1791-1794, encounters with people and place were recorded by the artist Jean Piron.
The nature of these meetings between minds and bodies, each with their own desires, needs and understandings is explored in this exhibition which re-presents engravings derived from Piron’s drawings.
Weekdays: 10am – 5pm; Weekends: 12 – 5pm (4pm in Winter) at Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Square.
Kaninjaku: Stories from the Canning Stock Route
Kaninjaku explores the history of the Canning Stock Route. Stories of contact, conflict and survival are featured in a striking new exhibition, Kaninjaku: Stories from the Canning Stock Route. Showing at the National Museum of Australia until 12 August 2016.
Other exhibitions
For a comprehensive round up of smaller exhibitions around town, visit Capital Magazine.
EXHIBITIONS
Experience the work of legendary Australian artist Tom Roberts this summer at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra. This extraordinary exhibition brings together Tom Roberts’ most famous paintings. Paintings such as Shearing the rams (1888-90) and A break away! (1891) are among the nation’s best known works of art. An exhibition for all Australians, it’s not to be missed.
The exhibition takes place during an exciting period of change at the NGA, including a large-scale rehang of almost every work of art, with Australian art taking pride of place in a new location.
Daily from 10am – 5pm (closed Christmas Day) until 28 March 2016 at the National Gallery of Australia, Parkes. Book tickets here.
Chandeliers made from uranium glass representing nuclear-powered nations and a nine-metre banquet table made entirely of salt feature in the first large survey show of internationally acclaimed Japanese and Australian artist collaborators Ken + Julia Yonetani at NGA Contemporary.
Ken + Julia Yonetani’s NGA installation is a provocative response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. In an installation of chandeliers reconfigured to emanate UV light, and decorated with specially sourced Uranium glass, each chandelier represents a country that operates nuclear power stations. It is work that is aesthetically astounding, accessible and engaging. Uranium glass poses no health risks.
Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday: 10am – 5pm from Saturday 12 Dec 2015 – 27 Mar 2016 at the National Gallery of Australia Contemporary, Parkes.
The exhibition Home in Time was inspired by a book written for the centenary of Canberra. 100 Canberra Houses: A Century of Capital Architecture by Tim Reeves and Alan Roberts surveys Canberra’s domestic culture from 1913 – 2013.
Ten homes from the book have been selected for this exhibition. They demonstrate a variety of themes, from public service inundation to architectural innovation and date back to the foundation of Canberra’s urban environment. Generous private lenders have contributed precious family heirlooms to this exhibition; furniture, paintings, plans, photographs are on display in this exposé of Canberra homes.
Opening times: Weekdays: 10am – 5pm; Weekends: 12 – 5pm from Saturday 12 December 2015 – 24 Mar 2016 at Canberra Museum and Gallery.
This exhibition celebrates the art of the newly-federated Australia alongside the work of Australians working in Europe during these formative years of the new century.
The paintings by twenty-five Australians invite viewers on a journey through the era and around the world, from patriotic visions of the Australian bush to the bohemian enclaves of London and Paris where sumptuous portraits were produced. Capital and country is a travelling exhibition of paintings from the national collection, developed as the National Gallery of Australia’s gift to the nation in celebration of Federation and the centenary of the Federal Capital in 2013.
Weekdays: 10am – 5pm Weekends: 12 – 5pm at Canberra Museum and Gallery.
Sideshow Alley: Infamy, Macabre and the Portrait
Featuring a spooky and sometimes disquieting selection of portraits, Sideshow Alley will map the various ways in which artists, photographers and entrepreneurs used portraits of Australian convicts and criminals: the canny publishers trading in salacious prints and penny dreadfuls; the studios doing a brisk trade in portraits of heroes and villains; and the waxworks proprietors who, with their ‘Chambers of Horrors’, turned violence, scandal and misfortune unto a lucrative art form.
Drawing extensively from the underbelly of the Portrait Gallery’s own collection, Sideshow Alley will also include fascinating, rarely seen objects from major public collections in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as well as from those of the Old Melbourne Gaol, the University of Melbourne, the Victoria Police Museum, and the Justice & Police Museum, Sydney.
Sideshow Alley will be on display from Saturday 5 December 2015 until Sunday 28 February 2016 at the National Portrait Gallery.
Sideshow Alley Highlights Tour
Step into Sideshow Alley at the National Portrait Gallery and explore the notorious Australian criminals from nineteenth century Australia. Featuring a selection of death masks, post-mortem drawings and other spooky and disquieting portraits.
Daily at 2.30pm. From 5 December 2015 to 28 February 2016. See above item for exhibition details.
Duration is 30 minutes. No bookings required. Exhibition ticket required.
Australia in the Great War
Australia in the Great War is the Australian War Memorial’s new exhibition in the First World War Galleries. Discover one of the world’s great collections of material related to the First World War.
The First World War Galleries integrate a wide variety of items from this collection, including dioramas, art works; uniforms; medals; technology such as artillery and firearms; photographs; film; and letters and diaries.
The Australian War Memorial presents the story of Australia in the First World War chronologically, covering all major theatres of operations: Gallipoli, the Western Front, Sinai and Palestine and the war at sea. On display now until 1 January 2017 at the Australian War Memorial.
William Edwin Pidgeon (1909–1981), war correspondent and artist
William Edwin Pidgeon was a painter, cartoonist, illustrator, and newspaper critic. This exhibition presents a selection of the over 400 works by William Pidgeon held in the Australian War Memorial’s Art collection.
The works relate to Pidgeon’s Second World War experiences in Darwin, New Guinea, Borneo and Morotai between 1943 to 1945.
On display in the Second World War Galleries until 7 March 2016 at the Australian War Memorial.
Encounters: Revealing Stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Objects from the British Museum.
Stories at the heart of our history
This not-to-be-missed exhibition reveals the powerful stories of rare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects from the British Museum’s unparalleled collection.
Encounters also features contemporary works produced by the Indigenous communities from which the British Museum’s objects were originally acquired.
Many of the objects from the British Museum have not been seen in Australia since they were first acquired during contact between early settlers and First Australians.
Entry is free. Timed tickets are available at the door but we recommend you book online. Encounters is on show from 27 November 2015 until 28 March 2016, only at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
Art is a Weapon
Art is a Weapon takes you back to an Australia gripped by the Cold War. Amid propaganda for and against communism, artists turned to an image familiar to most Australians; the Southern Cross flag of the Eureka Stockade.
The portfolio contains fourteen works from ten artists, including three from prominent Melbourne artist Noel Counihan, reflecting both the Eureka rebellion itself and, more broadly, the themes of workers’ rights and struggles against the established authorities.
Art is a Weapon explores how the Eureka story, legend and iconography have been used by groups and causes of all political flavours to spread their message.
Alongside the portfolio of works, other objects and artworks using the Southern Cross motif show how the idea of Eureka has been adopted by groups as diverse as young communists and motorcycle clubs.
Showing at the Museum of Australian Democracy. Visit their website for more information.
Magna Carta – an Australian story
This year we celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, one of the most famous and significant documents for democracy and human rights around the world.
First written in 1215, it set down rules limiting the power of the monarchy and safeguarding basic human rights and freedoms.
Over its long history it has been reinterpreted as an icon of justice and liberty. In this exhibition, created with the assistance of the British Library, explore the history and relevance of Magna Carta from an Australian perspective.
Showing now at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.
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