Your essential guide to what’s on in Canberra this long weekend
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Need some inspiration on what to do this weekend? We have 25+ suggestions for you to choose from.
Here’s your essential guide to what’s on in Canberra.
Don’t miss…
Murrumbateman Moving Feast
Taking place over the weekend of Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October, visitors will have the unique opportunity to move from venue to venue, tasting the rich and diverse offerings of Murrumbateman through the annual roaming degustation of the Murrumbateman Moving Feast.
Attendees can enjoy savoury dishes that capture the essence of the region for just $30 and can indulge in delectable desserts for just $20. All wines are served in a complimentary Riedel wine glass (valued at $20) which participants get to keep.
Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October | Various locations in Murrumbateman | makersofmurrumbateman.org.au
Nightfest
Explore Floriade’s dark side as NightFest returns. Presenting a new and exciting program of after dark entertainment and horticultural illuminations, this nighttime event will put a spring in your step thanks to entertainment and fantastic food celebrating the Floral Wonderland theme.
Until Sunday 1 October | Commonwealth Park, Commonwealth Avenue, Parkes | Tickets here.
Floriade
The theme? Floral Wonderland. Us? Keen. Canberra’s annual festival of spring is back for another year! With the theme of Floral Wonderland, across the month there will be a bouquet (sorry) of spring-y activities, including circus performances and cabaret in the Floriade Wonderland Spiegeltent, a show called Circus Wonderland: A Neverland Adventure and everyone’s favourite pooch bonanza, Dogs’ Day Out. Mark it in your calendar!
Until Sunday 15 October | Commonwealth Park, Commonwealth Avenue, Parkes | floriadeaustralia.com
Canberra MG Rally Car Display
More than 100 of Australia’s finest MG sports cars built between 1923 and 1955 are gathering to celebrate a century of MG production. At this display, visitors can walk among the cars, marvel at their technical design and talk with owners.
Saturday 30 September | National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton | nma.gov.au
Mid-Autumn Festival at Westfield Woden
The Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived at Westfield Woden, with delicious food offers, cultural experiences, and traditional lantern decorations taking over the Asian dining precinct on Corinna Street.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a cultural festival celebrated across China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries throughout East and Southeast Asia. It is a time to celebrate the harvest and encourages families to come together and connect.
Throughout September, Westfield Woden will come to life with customers able to get involved in a lantern riddles competition and moon cake tasting as well as a range of food and beverage offers.
Until end of September | Westfield Woden | Find out more here
SILK ROAD Exhibition
Multiculturalism represents the main theme of this group exhibition drawing from selected artists born in Australia and overseas. The exhibition demonstrates the true sense of multiculturalism through painting, photography and printed media.
Plus, there will be music composed specifically for the event by a renowned classical pianist Alexander Kokic-Schmidt. Also, there will be traditional didgeridoo music performed by Sivaram Narayanamoorthy, who regularly performs within the local Indigenous community and Persian music. Finally, there will be a bush poetry by ‘Tooth’ (Jonathan Kendall) and Sufi poetry performed by Mohammed Ali a respected cultural and community identity.
Free entry
Sunday 1 October from 10 am – 1 pm at Cuppacumbalong Homestead 21 Naas Road, Tharwa | More information here.
Sport
2023 Table Tennis Australia National Veterans Championships
Featuring numerous ex-World Veterans Champions and over 400 athletes from every State/Territory and across the Tasman, this table tennis championship will have you on the edge of your seat. Spectator entry is free so make the most of it!
Saturday 30 September until Saturday 7 October | ACT Netball Stadium, Thurbon Road, Lyneham | nationals.tabletennis.org.au
Stage and screen
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, a group of survivors turns to rapidly-fading memories of their favourite episode of The Simpsons to try and stave off the dread of their new lives. This is the premiere of the National University Theatre Society’s (NUTS) 2023 production of Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play—and the Canberra premiere of Anne Washburn’s black comedy. Taking place in Kambri Theatre, Mr. Burns is an incredibly unique and entertaining work about the value of theatre and storytelling, brimming with musical elements, pop culture references and avant-garde theatrics.
Until Saturday 30 September | Kambri Theatre, Australian National University, Acton | Book here.
Rosieville
A homing pigeon with no sense of direction becomes the unlikely saviour of a young girl up against her first encounter with heartbreak. New from the Canberra Youth Theatre, Rosieville is a universal story about backing yourself when faced with heartbreak, and a homage to the instinct, loyalty, stamina and grit of homing pigeons who, despite countless obstacles and long distances, always somehow manage to find their way home. See it for yourself to support some talented performers!
Friday 29 September until Saturday 8 October | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Canberra City | Book here.
Japanese Film Festival
Experience the rich tapestry of Japanese storytelling at the 27th Japanese Film Festival comes to Canberra. From gripping historical dramas to innovative modern tales, you’ll find a a cinematic gem that explores the themes of the enduring link between the past and the present. Keep an eye out, there will also be post-screening talks led by esteemed academics and special performances to help truly immerse you in the Japanese artform!
Saturday 30 September until Sunday 15 October | Palace Electric Cinema, 2 Phillip Law Street, Canberra City | japanesefilmfestival.net
Music
Australian Chopin Festival ’23
Love Chopin? This exciting program of events includes concerts, masterclasses, and a very special interactive live-stream tour of the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, finishing with a recital of Chopin’s music direct from the Museum’s concert space.
Until Monday 2 October | Embassy of the Republic of Poland, 7 Turrana Street, Yarralumla | Book here.
Masterworks for Winds: RMC Band with School of Music Students
The Band of the Royal Military College is returning to Llewellyn Hall for its Masterworks for Winds concert series! Featuring engaging works composed for wind ensemble, the Band promises to provide a sensory experience like no other.
Saturday 30 September | Llewellyn Hall, ANU School of Music, William Herbert Place, Canberra City | Book here.
Exhibitions
Desert, Sea, Moon
Desert, Sea, Moon is a textile exhibition honouring cloth and slow-stitch (as well as the simplicity and patience that goes into it). Invoking forms found in the natural world, such as landscapes, the sky, and the water, it offers a collection of simple yet intricate pieces that intend to call in feelings of both reverence and delight.
Until Sunday 24 September | M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | m16artspace.com
[De] Constructed Landscapes
Driven by the desire to understand the current ecological crisis, this exhibition from Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Melody Spangaro evokes memories of environmental tragedy. Using drawings to reflect on our humancentric relationship to nature and exposing the imaginative and cultural failures at the foundation of this super-wicked global climate crisis, you’ll leave with the realisation that both the drawings and our existence can be wiped from the surface at any moment.
Until Sunday 24 September | M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | m16artspace.com
Slow Looking
Showcasing the work of Canberra artist Elisa Crossing, head to the Nancy Sever Gallery to see her exhbition Slow Looking. Characterising every stage in the making of a painting, it’s a celebration of the creativity inherent in slow looking.
Until Sunday 8 October | Level 1/131 City Walk, Canberra City | nancysevergallery.com.au
How Cities Work
From sewers to skyscrapers, How Cities Work at Canberra Museum and Gallery is an interactive family exhibition reveals something you might have never thought about—the secret workings of our busy urban centres.
Bringing to life the best-selling book of the same name, what makes How Cities Work extra fun is visitors big and small will be able to traverse a spectacular cityscape full of tactile and sensory activities, including a lively hands-on construction site, a futuristic design station, and a towering two-metre-high cityscape.
Until Sunday 8 October | Canberra Museum and Gallery, Corner London Circuit and Civic Square, Canberra City | cmag.com.au
Plasticus Organicus
Hundreds of thousands of bread tags turned into sculptures—it’s an unexpected but powerful combination. Created by Shani Nottingham (a multi-disciplinary artist that lives and works in Central West New South Wales) this exhibition presents an artificial world made entirely of bread tags that mimic our natural and built environments.
Visually stunning and thought-provoking, it highlights the issues surrounding mass production and how all our actions have impacts on the natural world.
Until Sunday 8 October | Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | More information here.
Zoe Brand
Materialism and consumerism are the main focus of contemporary jeweller and artist Zoe Brand. Working with repurposed plastic and reclaim materials, in this special exhibition at the Canberra Glassworks, you’ll be able to see how she uses text (and smart wordplay) to draw your attention to some of the important issues we’re facing in the world.
Until Sunday 8 October | Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | More information here.
Know My Name: Making it Modern
Building on the iconic Know My Name initiative by the National Gallery of Australia, this new major exhibition is drawn from the national collection—celebrating pioneering women artists who changed the course of modern art in Australia.
Showcasing the work of Ethel Spowers and Eveline Syme, Margaret Preston, Grace Cossington Smith, Clarice Beckett, and Olive Cotton, each artist explores what it meant to be a modern woman in their times. Perfect for anyone interested in history, art, and feminism, don’t miss out on seeing this.
Until Sunday 8 October | National Gallery, Parkes Place East, Parkes | Book here.
Emerging From The Earth: Clay & Flowers
Challenging the common misconception of floral design as being relegated to “flowers in vases”, this exhbition showcases pairings of botanic and ceramic artists as a symbiotic relationship between the plant material and the vessels which contain or sustain them. Curated by Eve Sawa (VoxFlora) and Narelle Phillips (brave botanics) expect to see flowers or plant materials that appear in unexpected and exciting ways!
Until Sunday 22 October | Canberra Potters, 1 Aspinall Street, Watson | More information here.
Care Structures
Care Structures’ brings together local, national and international artists working with expanded drawing practice. Offering a glimpse into the maker’s inner world and inviting viewers to consider time, thought and the human condition, don’t miss the opening at M16 Artspace.
Until Sunday 22 October | 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | More information here.
Day And Night
At this exhbition you’ll discover Penny Mason’s ‘Night and Day’, an evocative exploration of Tasmania’s landscapes. Expect to see frost-etched watercolors and natural motifs converge, embodying the interplay of materials, observations, and presence.
Until Sunday 22 October | 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | More information here.
Voyage
Showcasing animated watercolours from Southeast Asia, Voyage: Experience the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings of Southeast Asia is a digital installation bringing to life a stunning selection of botanical and zoological watercolours from the National Museum of Singapore. The best part? This exhbition is free!
Until Sunday 5 November | National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton | nma.gov.au
Workshops, webinars and more
Twilight Tours
Experience the sounds, smells and textures of the National Botanic Gardens as you spy for the nocturnal wildlife that have made their home there. The hour walk will allow you to discover the magic of the Gardens after dark.
Until Saturday 30 September | Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross Street, Acton | Book here.
Midnight Bar x Braddon Flowers Workshop
To celebrate the arrival of spring, Midnight Bar is hosting a flower workshop with local florist, Braddon Flowers! The Braddon Flowers x Midnight Bar Flower Workshop will see florists guiding the afternoon, leading guests to create their very own vase arrangement, thoughtfully curated with Braddon Flowers’ unique style in mind. Expect bottomless sparkling wine, spritzes, and mimosas, and small plates of delicious canapés for the afternoon.
Saturday 30 September | 1 Elouera Street, Canberra City | Book here.
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
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
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
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
Feature image: Courtesy Events ACT.
