Offering the most perfectly luxurious picky bits and a high-end wine menu, Tintino in Kingston is the perfect spot for drinks (and a little more) with friends. Offering beautiful surroundings with outdoor seating available and an elevated interior, there is no bad place to sit and enjoy your wine among company. Whether you pair a Tintino Cheeseburger with their Beaujolais wine – or believe that the best thing to go with a glass of wine is another one – Tintino’s is perfect for a spring sesh with the girls, or a sunset evening filled with Shiraz.
The restaurant operates Wednesday to Sunday, with the bottle shop also trading seven days. Menu and trade times change daily; see the website for more details!
Let Rosa’s transport you to Italy with woodfired pizzas, pasta and antipasto that pairs perfectly with the wine and cocktails available. With their alfresco garden bar, the atmosphere is representative of an Italian summer’s day, filled with wine and good company. Serving up Aperol spritz, Italian margaritas and specialty cocktails, like their ‘Pear of Monkey’s (made with Monkey Shoulder Whisky, elderflower liquor, pear and jasmine syrup, lemon juice and soda), there certainly isn’t a shortage of beverage options to enjoy.
And is it really a drinking sesh if you don’t take advantage of a happy hour? Available from Wednesday to Friday, from 4 pm to 6 pm, ‘sip pretty’ with $9 house wines and selected tap beers.
Open from 7 am, Sunday through Thursday until 3 pm, and Friday through Saturday until 9 pm.
Along with several indoor rooms, the Alby in Phillip has an incredible beer garden made for soaking up sunshine with a cold drink in hand. Make the most of their heightened bar food, whilst still enjoying the casual yet classy atmosphere. The open-air terrace fits up to 80 people and is perfect for your next event or catch up with friends. Truly the perfect place to enjoy good, hearty food with friends at the end of the week or at the start of a new one.
A place that puts just as much effort into their bar as their kitchen is a place worth spending your weekend evenings. At AKIBA in Civic, enjoy their many alcoholic beverages available; whether you choose to immerse yourself in the Pan-Asian culture through the sake flight or try one of their Akiba creation cocktails, there is something delicious for everyone.
If food is more your thing, there is a vast range of delicious Asian-fusion dishes for sharing among friends (although the food is so good, you may not want to share). The kingfish sashimi served with coconut, nam jim and coriander is the perfect fresh and flavourful bite, especially when paired with a Sauvignon Blanc. Not to mention their pork and chicken dumplings, served in a savoury truffled Szechuan and chilli crunch sauce.
Looking for a more elevated hangout, where you can pair carefully curated meals with creative cocktails? Rebel Rebel is your next dinner spot. With dining areas available indoors and outdoors, it is a beautiful spot to spend your evening regardless of the weather. Indulge in Rebel Rebel’s award-winning menu, packed with rich meats, fresh seafood and creative vegetable dishes.
Open Monday through Wednesday from 5 pm till late, and Thursday through Sunday from 12 pm.
Nine-year-old Canberra boy Beau Carr is on a big mission.
While other young boys are playing sport, catching up with friends or watching TV on the weekend, on Sunday 8 November Beau will be undertaking a very special challenge for a cause close to his heart.
He’ll be lacing up his sneakers to walk 65 kilometres in a single day around Lake Burley Griffin alongside his mum, Kelly, and dad, Sam, to raise funds and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis Australia. But he needs your help.
Aiming to complete 13 laps of the Bridge-to-Bridge walk – covering 65 kilometres in approximately 13 hours – Beau and his family are raising money for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) life-shortening genetic condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system.
For Beau, it’s personal: his mum was born with CF.
While Kelly has always been a devoted mum to Beau and his younger sister Mia, living with CF has meant a lifetime of daily treatments, twice-daily physiotherapy, nebulisers, more than 30 tablets a day, frequent hospital admissions, and regular intravenous antibiotic treatments.
For much of Beau’s childhood, hospital wards have felt like a second home.
With no known cure, Beau and his sister have grown up watching their mum battle relentless coughing, vomiting, hospital stays and intensive treatments. They know that when nurses arrive at the family home, it means their mum is very unwell.
Kelly’s daily fight serves as a powerful reminder of just how much children notice, understand, and carry alongside a parent living with a chronic condition.
A lifetime of battling Cystic Fibrosis
This year, Kelly celebrated her 40th birthday, a milestone she never thought she would reach. Diagnosed at just 16 months old, she says that her parents were told that she likely wouldn’t live to see her 12th birthday.
At age 10, she started a medication called Pulmozyme, which dramatically improved her lung function from 60 per cent to 80 per cent, helping her to avoid hospital admissions for 22 years.
In 2025, Kelly became eligible for Trikafta, a breakthrough CF modulator therapy. While it significantly improved her lung health, it took a major toll on her mental health. Then, in 2026, another breakthrough arrived: Kelly gained access to Alyftrek, a new CF modulator therapy that completely transformed her life.
Her persistent cough and vomiting disappeared, her mental health stabilised, she no longer needed continuous oral antibiotics, and her lung function reached an incredible 110 per cent. For Beau and his family, the transformation has been life-changing, allowing Kelly to live a life that once felt out of reach.
Making every step count
Watching his mum has made Beau passionate about raising awareness around CF. Walking for every person living with CF, every family impacted by the disease, and every child who deserves the chance to live a longer, healthier future, Beau and his family are determined to make every step count.
Because while treatments have improved, there is still no cure for Cystic Fibrosis. Above all, Beau and Mia hope for a future where they no longer have to ask, “Mummy, are you okay?”
These are the best retreats near Canberra for your next dose of holiday zen.
When it comes to booking a holiday, sometimes less really is more. While there’s nothing like the euphoria of walking 20,000 steps in a different country as you eat and explore your way through the city, some of the most memorable holidays involve slow mornings, nourishing food and the chance to reconnect with yourself.
Luckily, you don’t need a plane ticket to soak in sound baths and practice yoga in stunning natural surrounds – there are some amazing wellness retreats near Canberra.
From hideaways set in bushland to sanctuaries that prove that wellness doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all, your next escape awaits.
Heartspace Retreat
This boutique, eco-luxe yoga retreat is nestled in the rolling hills of Yass Valley. Offering two-night escapes a short 45-minute drive from Canberra, you’ll stay in a picturesque mudbrick homestead set on 14 acres while making the most of yoga sessions, workshops and more.
Only have one day to spare? They also offer Saturday-only retreats, which include breakfast, lunch and dinner, two yoga classes, two sauna and cold plunge sessions and even a group sound healing experience.
Located on a small working property just outside Braidwood, Nunyara Farm stretches across 100 acres of a fully off-grid landscape that’s home to an abundance of wildlife.
Founded by wellness practitioner and long-time spa owner Bianca Prichard, Nunyara offers two- or three-days restorative retreats, with the experience including everything from nature walks to breathwork, meditation, journaling, a fire circle and storytelling, river dipping and more.
With Nunyara literally meaning “to restore to health”, it’s a space to pause, take stock and reconnect with what matters.
Home to some gorgeous therapy horses, the Highlands Centre for Healing offers an escape like no other. Here you won’t find spas or itineraries – instead they’re all about Somatic Equine Therapy (working alongside horses to calm your nervous system), reiki healing, breathwork, and massages.
Allowing guests to design their own retreat, they recommend planning no more than three activities a day for a true reconnection to nature and yourself.
Offering self-contained cottages and safari tents nestled across 27 acres of pristine Australian bush, Bay and Bush Jervis Bay promises to be an unforgettable experience on the coast.
Planning to host wellness retreats in the future, you can currently book wellness experiences designed to nourish the body, calm the mind, and inspire the spirit. Join yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes, enjoy spa experiences or hire the venue to host your own event.
Located just under three hours’ drive from Canberra in the small town of Otford, Heart & Soul Retreat offers wellness getaways all year round, with single night stays and day passes available.
Perfect for when you just need one day (or night) away to reset, included in your stay is a program that features two yoga classes, workshops, evening sanghas, and three delicious vegan meals. But don’t worry– you’ll also have plenty of downtime with the chance to book in for a massage or energy healing at their Healing Centre or explore the stunning natural surrounds.
Holistic Women’s Health and Wellness Retreat with Alex Wright-Moore
If you’ve read Alex Wright-Moore’s How I Got Here, you know that the former UN human rights lawyer, award-winning public servant, and Women’s Holistic Coach is all about helping women reconnect with their inner guidance.
Along with offering one-on-one coaching programs, reiki and sound therapy at her south Canberra studio, Alex also hosts regular luxury health and wellness retreats for women. Designed to be intimate with only 12 spots available across three nights, the all-inclusive experience will help you recalibrate your mind, body and spirit to help you to reconnect, and reset.
Including daily movement, transformational workshops, somatic modalities, and nourishing plant-based meals (as well as free time to unwind and connection with like-minded women), it promises to be a long weekend of deep rest.
With the next retreat held from Friday 27 until Monday 30 November at Zensi Luxury Retreat in Mudgee, book your spot here so you don’t miss out.
Ready to make the absolute most of your weekend? Canberra is putting on a show, packed with an exciting mix of open-air markets, live music, circular design, and culinary feasts.
No matter what you feel like doing, we’ve drawn up the ultimate lineup so you don’t miss a beat. Grab your crew, clear your schedule, and dive into your official playbook for the best things to see, do, and experience across Canberra this weekend!
With so many events to make your way through, here are some jump links to take you straight to the section you’re interested in:
Looking for even more to do in Canberra? Check out our What’s On section to find hundreds of events happening around town.
Don’t miss…
2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival
Celebrate Canberra as a thriving creative capital during the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival, showcasing the work of over 500 creatives across the community. Centred around the powerful theme of Dissent, this 10-day festival advocates for creativity as a tool to question and reshape societal norms while exploring sustainability, environmental impact, accessibility, and the enduring value of the handmade. Across 10 days and more than 120 activations, the program features symposiums, talks, open studios, design markets, and innovative performances in fashion, dance, and theatre, complemented by exhibitions across the city’s public spaces.
Discover a joyful rebellion against fast fashion during a vibrant weekend festival connecting sustainability, performance, and circular design. Presented by Australian Dance Party, Kelli Donovan, and Canberra Institute of Technology, the event opens with a glamorous evening showcase of sustainable design brought to life through electric live dance. Daytime activities feature hands-on workshops, clothing swaps, installations, and panel discussions designed to inspire meaningful action toward sustainable textile practices.
Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November | CIT Woden Campus, 36 Bradley Street, Phillip | australiandance.party
La Fiesta
The sights, sounds, and flavours of Latin America take over Canberra’s city centre for La Fiesta, a vibrant, free community celebration. Visitors can wander through Latin American Plaza to enjoy live music performances, colourful dance showcases, interactive cultural workshops, and delicious street food vendors. Designed for all ages, the festival transforms the urban precinct into a lively street party celebrating rich Latin heritage, dance rhythms, and community connection in the heart of the city.
Saturday 7 November, 1 pm–10 pm | Latin American Plaza, 38 Childers Street, City | inthecity.com.au
2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival Open Studios + Organisations Open Day Weekend
Go behind the scenes of Canberra’s thriving creative community during the Open Studios weekend, presented as part of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival. Local artists, sculptors, jewellers, and design organisations open their working studios to the public across two days. Supported by home.by.holly, this event offers visitors a rare opportunity to meet local makers, observe traditional and contemporary craft techniques, and purchase one-of-a-kind artworks directly from the creators.
Ritmo Collective’s Dance Fitness Fiesta: Latin Queens
Ritmo Collective presents Latin Queens, the first event in its new Ritmo Fiesta series of dance fitness parties. Each Fiesta runs for 90 minutes, longer than a regular class, and brings the whole Ritmo Collective instructor team together on one dance floor.
Latin Queens celebrates women in Latin music, with a playlist featuring Shakira, Karol G, Jennifer Lopez, Anitta, Becky G, Selena and Celia Cruz, among others. Everyone is welcome.
The Training Ground presents Collections 2026, a showcase of award-winning routines, solos, duets and ensemble works from its season. The program also includes excerpts from The Edge, the studio’s full-length contemporary dance production. The Training Ground has been developing dancers in the ACT since 2020. The venue is wheelchair accessible, with parking available.
Celebrating ‘The Art of Snail Mail’ with Martina Calvi and Scrap Society
About: Join author Martina Calvi and Scrap Society for a crafty celebration of the new book, The Art of Snail Mail. Guests can slow down and create handmade snail mail for loved ones, themselves or strangers, enjoy a Q&A session with the author, and take photos in the dedicated photobooth. The event features a Swedish candy bar, complimentary drinks, and a variety of crafty materials. Every guest receives a copy of the hardcover book and a lip glaze.
Sunday 8 November, Session 1: 10 am–12:30 pm, Session 2: 3 pm–5:30 pm | Ainslie Arts Centre, Canberra | events.humanitix.com
Canberra Open Homes | Australian Institute of Architects
Explore award-winning local architecture as the Australian Institute of Architects (ACT Chapter) opens landmark civic buildings and sustainable residential homes to the public. Presented in partnership with the Craft + Design Canberra Festival, the open home tours highlight how local and national architects challenge conventional design to shape Canberra’s built environment. Discover innovative spatial concepts, sustainable building materials, and creative residential retrofits across multiple suburban sites.
Celebrate the vibrant diversity, creativity, and spirit of the region during Canberra’s premier month-long pride festival. Throughout November, the annual SpringOUT program transforms Canberra with a dynamic lineup of inclusive events, ranging from the popular Fair Day at Glebe Park to the eagerly anticipated Pink Tennis Bush Dance. Explore exciting sports matches, arts exhibitions, theatrical performances, and community gatherings designed to champion equality and connection. With plenty of free and low-cost activities scattered across the city, it is a wonderful opportunity to experience Canberra’s welcoming community spirit.
Step back in time and wander through a living horticultural masterpiece with guided tours of the Old Parliament House Rose Gardens. Established in 1927 as a tranquil retreat for politicians and their families, the stunning grounds now feature over five hundred varieties across four thousand rose bushes, including rare blooms sourced from Persia and China. Knowledgeable guides share fascinating tales of the gardens’ history, design evolution, and botanical significance. It is a peaceful, beautiful seasonal escape that celebrates Canberra’s rich heritage in full floral bloom.
Until Sunday 29 November (Check venue for daily tour times) | Statue of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons, Old Parliament House Rose Gardens, King George Terrace, Parkes | eventbrite.com.au
Christmas Gifts of Joy
Canberra Outlet’s Christmas Gifts of Joy initiative supports Roundabout Canberra, a local charity providing essential items and practical support to babies, children and families experiencing hardship. Participants choose a gift tag at the activation with help from staff, buy a present from the centre’s retailers, then return it to the activation for collection and gifting to a local child.
Merchant Campbell’s Providore Foodie Market Day returns to Yass for its third year, filling the shop’s car park with regional producers. Expect honey from Boorowa Bees, Hillman Bros gin, wine from Intrepidus, Vineyard 1207, and Rosnay Organic Wines, Crafty Cider from Batlow, Murrumbateman Chocolate Co, and smallgoods from Bungendore Country Butchery, taking Christmas ham orders.
There’ll also be Seed Food With Love with Jane’s handmade seasonal jams, chutneys, sauces and cordials, plus free range fresh-as-a-daisy local eggs and the Dandelion Lady with her apothecary of fabulous lotions and potions made from locally harvested plants, including dandelions!
Two makers work on the day: Jim Hutton of Made From Fallen Wood carving spoons, and Helen of Good Hope Pottery hand-coiling vases. There’s a solar-powered coffee cart and treats for dogs.
Free entry. Rain, hail or shine, an hour from Canberra.
Witness an extraordinary spectacle of human-powered ingenuity at the National Carillon during the Canberra Kinetic Sculpture Race. Part vehicle and part moving art, these imaginative kinetic sculptures navigate a challenging tri-terrain course spanning land, sand, and water. Visitors can watch the machines splash into Lake Burley Griffin, explore the designs up close, and chat with the artists behind the inventions. Blending pageantry, engineering, and humour, this free community event celebrates the capital’s creative design spirit.
Saturday 7 November, 11 am–4 pm | National Carillon, Lake Burley Griffin, Queen Elizabeth II Island, Parkes | craftanddesigncanberrafestival.org
St Joseph’s Primary School Fete
Enjoy a fun-filled afternoon for the whole family at the St Joseph’s Primary School Fete in O’Connor. Visitors can indulge in a wide selection of food and drinks, including woodfired pizza, a sausage sizzle, doughnuts, milkshakes, coffee, fairy floss, and home-baked treats at the cake stall. Entertainment and activities include a colourful Colour Run, pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, sideshow alley games, a photo booth, lucky dip, wine tombola, and a raffle. A Cozy Corner craft and colouring area is also available. Conveniently located just a 10-minute walk from the Macarthur Avenue light rail stop.
The ACT Scale Modellers’ Society presents ScaleACT 2026, a comprehensive scale modelling convention and public display hosted at Thoroughbred Park. Featuring one of Australia’s largest scale model competitions, the two-day event showcases intricate displays, swap-and-sell stalls, modelling supplies, and expert workshops led by renowned international modellers. With hands-on building activities for kids and on-site catering, it provides a fantastic, family-friendly weekend outing for hobbyists and curious visitors alike.
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November | Thoroughbred Park, 1 Randwick Road, Lyneham | actsms.asn.au
BITCH!
Join hosts Loren and Amy from the homegrown podcast We Prescribe Alanis for BITCH!, an empowering and candid perimenopause support group with a twist. Set within The Bordella, this interactive session offers a welcoming space to vent, laugh, swap practical wellbeing tips, and navigate the hormonal rollercoaster of perimenopause alongside supportive women. Complete with music, light refreshments, and plenty of humor, attendees leave feeling connected, informed, and reassured that they are not alone.
Music Theatre Projects presents a fundraising concert, Singing for their future, to help engage professional local artists for its 2027 production. The charity launched its PATH program (Performing After Training Hard) in 2025 to create clearer industry pathways for young performers in the region. The 2027 show will focus on golden age Hollywood musicals, with live music from local professionals.
Sunday 8 November, 3 pm | The Street Theatre, Canberra | thestreet.org.au
Food + Drink
Terra Open Fire
Experience an incredible feast of authentic Latin American flavours cooked over an open fire as part of the vibrant La Fiesta Latin American Festival. Peruvian chef Julio from Bar Outro joins forces with Terra to serve up mouth-watering culinary treats in the heart of the city. Set against the lively festival atmosphere, it is a wonderful opportunity to indulge in exceptional smoky barbecue creations, celebrate rich cultural traditions, and enjoy an unforgettable afternoon and evening of great food and community spirit.
Saturday 7 November, 1 pm–10 pm | La Fiesta, 38 Childers Street, City | terracanberra.com.au
Brahms, Bach and High Tea at Lanyon Homestead
Enjoy an intimate morning of classical music and culinary indulgence inside the historic 1860s drawing room at Lanyon Homestead. Featuring Canberra Symphony Orchestra Kingsland Fellows Jojo Yuen on piano, Chloe Law on cello, and Jacob Aziz on violin, the uplifting program showcases Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 alongside works by Saint-Saëns and Bach. Following the performance, guests retreat to the marquee for a handcrafted high tea featuring savoury treats, finger sandwiches, house-made sweets, and sparkling wine.
Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets and Plonk are hosting Beer Day Out, with brewery stalls set up throughout the Markets. Breweries from Canberra and across Australia are taking part, including Bentspoke Brewing, Capital Brewing, Cypher Brewing, Jindabyne Brewing, Powder Monkey and Bridge Road Brewing. Entry is free, as are samples for those aged 18 and over. Beers can be purchased at Plonk.
Soak up sweeping views of our bush capital in bloom with a seasonal high tea at Queen’s Terrace Café. Perfectly timed for your Floriade outing, this high tea experience showcases exceptional Australian produce across a delicious array of sweet and savoury treats. Guests can sip on artisan teas, barista-made coffee, or upgrade to a glass of sparkling wine for a true spring celebration. Make the most of your visit by pairing your afternoon tea with a wander through Parliament House’s courtyards, architecture, and world-class exhibitions. It is an unforgettable way to experience Canberra’s most iconic landmark this season.
Until Sunday 29 November | Australian Parliament House, 1 Parliament Drive, Canberra | aph.gov.au
Weekend Buffet at the Yacht Club
Looking for a relaxed, generous feast to kick off your weekend? The Yacht Club in Yarralumla is putting on a mouth-watering buffet spread every Saturday and Sunday. Diners can tuck into freshly carved roast meats, cold seafood straight off the ice, hot pasta, hearty seasonal soup, and a whole table of indulgent desserts. It is the ultimate dining experience for families and friends gathering along the water’s edge. Plus, kids receive complimentary chicken nuggets and chips with the purchase of an adult buffet, making it a stress-free weekend treat that caters to every appetite.
Until Sunday 29 November | Canberra Southern Cross Club Yacht Club, Mariner Place, Yarralumla | cscc.com.au
The Spritz Club
Escape to the sunny deck at Capitol Bar & Grill for The Spritz Club, a relaxed aperitivo experience featuring ice-cold infusions of Aperol or Hugo Spritz paired with crisp chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks. Designed as an effortless Riviera-inspired ritual, guests can unwind with oversized sunglasses and zero urgency, enjoying bittersweet prosecco cocktails in a stylish inner-city setting.
Until Saturday 30 January| Capitol Bar & Grill, 6 Marcus Clarke Street, City | qthotels.com
Markets + Expos
The Little Burley Fashion Fest
Slow fashion takes centre stage by the lakeside as The Little Burley Fashion Fest returns to Queen Elizabeth Terrace. This exciting community celebration showcases incredible local talent, featuring a diverse array of stalls dedicated to sustainable apparel, custom accessories, handmade jewellery, designer wear, and even adorable puppy couture. Visitors can explore ethical style innovations while enjoying delicious gourmet foods and beverages from local producers. It is a fantastic morning out supporting creative change and emerging designers in the capital.
Saturday 7 November, 9 am–2 pm | The Little Burley Market, Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes | thelittleburleymarket.com.au
For Purpose Markets
Support local social enterprises and community initiative businesses on the first Saturday of each month in Dickson. The For Purpose Markets showcase Canberra’s purpose-driven vendors, ensuring every purchase generates positive community impact. From empowering refugees and migrants to supporting environmental conservation, mental health services, and LGBTQI+ programs, this vibrant market lets you shop mindfully while discovering unique handcrafted goods, foods, and artisan products.
Experience a massive festival of style, music, and community as Fashion Thrift Society takes over the Coorong Building at EPIC. Bringing together handpicked vintage garments, pre-loved fashion, and local independent designers, the event offers a vibrant thrift marketplace. Beyond sustainable fashion browsing, visitors can enjoy live DJ sets, food trucks, photo booths, piercing and tattoo stations, henna, and custom jewellery crafting in an inclusive, electric atmosphere open to all ages.
Go along to sample the region’s freshest produce from over 100 stallholders who bring freshly picked, grown and hand-crafted goods to Canberra and speak directly with growers and learn cooking tips while supporting the Rotary Club of Hall’s community projects.
It will make you appreciate your Saturday morning shopping trip in a whole new way.
Lovers of fine hand-crafted wares, clothing collectors, food fanatics and jewellery junkies are just a few of the people who head to Canberra’s award-winning Old Bus Depot Markets every Sunday. In a fabulous old industrial building, you’ll experience the endless colour, tastes, sounds and atmosphere that is “Canberra’s Sunday Best”.
Not your average market, each week you’ll find over 200 stalls of exceptional quality, featuring items all hand-crafted by local and regional creatives. The sheer variety means you’ll discover something unexpected every visit, whether that’s a piece of pottery that speaks to you, a stunning necklace, or the perfect vintage find. There’s simply no better way to spend your Sunday in Canberra.
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, pet treats and more.
Another local favourite, spend your Sunday morning browsing delicious cuisines, fresh produce, artisan products and locally handmade crafts while enjoying live music, an artists’ table and family-friendly activities.
It’s the kind of market where you can linger over breakfast, discover a new artist, and stock up on fresh produce all in one lovely morning, making it the perfect Sunday outing in leafy Braddon.
Bring the little ones along for an enchanting visual theatre experience based on Mem Fox and Judy Horacek’s beloved children’s book. Blending delightful puppetry with charming animation, the production follows three farmers on an imaginative quest to find the elusive green sheep amongst blue, red, and bath-loving sheep. Co-created with student voices, this engaging family show resonates deeply with young audiences.
Grab your butterfly clips and low-rise pants for a hilarious, nostalgia-fuelled drag parody prequel starring an all-star cast including Art Simone and Thomas Jaspers. Fountain Lakes: Y2k delivers wickedly sharp comedy, iconic ’90s references, and fabulous camp tunes as beloved characters navigate pre-millennium chaos. Following sellout success wherever it travels, this fast-paced theatrical comedy promises an unmissable night of laughter.
Chaika Theatre presents Picnic at Hanging Rock, Tom Wright’s stage adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s novel, directed by Caitlin Baker, at ACT Hub’s Causeway Hall in Kingston from 23 October to 7 November. Set on a Valentine’s Day in 1900, the story follows a group of schoolgirls from Appleyard College whose picnic at Hanging Rock ends when several girls and a teacher vanish without explanation. Five young women later attempt to reconstruct events, as shifting memories blur the line between fact and myth. The production runs 80 minutes with no interval and features Jessi Gooding, Karina Hudson, Thea Jade, Breanna Kelly and Paris Scharkie.
Until Saturday 7 November, various times | ACT Hub, Causeway Hall, Kingston | acthub.littleboxoffice.com/
Khaled Khalafalla
Prepare for a night of sharp wit, reflection, and continuous laughter as acclaimed comedian Khaled Khalafalla brings his national tour to The Street Theatre. Following a string of sold-out shows across Australia, Khalafalla returns with a fresh performance that brilliantly weaves unspoken thoughts and relatable truths into captivating stage stories. Honest, clever, and deeply funny, his unique comedic style leaves audiences both thoroughly entertained and thoughtfully engaged long after the curtain falls. Early booking is strongly recommended for this popular event.
Saturday 7 November, 6.30 pm–8.30 pm | The Street Theatre, 15 Childers Street, City | thestreet.org.au
One-Take Musical
Experience an unscripted theatrical event as four talented improvisers and a live pianist create an original musical completely from scratch at Smith’s Alternative. Directed by Mike NL, One-Take Musical combines spontaneous comedy, original storylines, and improvised songs created live in front of the audience. Every single performance delivers a unique, non-repeatable musical comedy experience starring local performers Chonnie, Damian, Inez, Matt, and pianist Jessica.
Celebrate the finest storytelling, humour, and drama from across the UK as the British Film Festival returns to Palace Electric Cinema. Cinema enthusiasts can look forward to a rich, month-long program featuring eager awards contenders, captivating period dramas, hilarious comedies, and compelling documentaries starring Britain’s top talent. From sweeping romances to suspenseful thrillers, the festival offers an authentic taste of British cinema culture paired with fine wines and choc tops. Grab your tickets early to catch exclusive premieres and restored classic screen gems right here in the capital.
Enjoy the NFSA’s curated program of recent releases and revived classics, from high art to guilty pleasures. There’s something for everyone!
Follow the pull of earth, water, fire and air in the Spring Film Series at Arc Cinema. From epic river journeys and windswept adventures to stories of passion, change and survival, these films reveal the forces that shape our world and ourselves.
Step into these elemental worlds and discover stories that move, challenge and transform.
Until Monday 30 November | NFSA Acton, McCoy Circuit, Acton | nfsa.gov.au/whats-on
Life in the Great Barrier Reef 360° VR Documentary
Submerge yourself in a breathtaking underwater world without leaving the inner north. Premiering at the National Museum of Australia, Life in the Great Barrier Reef is an immersive 35-minute cinematic documentary utilising custom-built 8K 360° virtual reality technology. Guided by leading scientists, reef stewards, and Traditional Owners, audiences are transported to the depths of two UNESCO World Heritage sites to encounter manta rays, whales, and rare coral spawning events, while gaining a deeper understanding of current conservation efforts.
Ongoing, session times vary | National Museum of Australia, Acton Peninsula | nma.gov.au
Brazilian Film Festival 2026
The Brazilian Film Festival screens recent Brazilian cinema at Dendy Canberra across two weekends. The program includes action comedy A Very Brazilian Heist, inspired by a 1987 bank robbery in Londrina, and Narciso, a drama starring Seu Jorge. Also screening are Dreaming of Lions, The Nature of Invisible Things, The Closer to the Sun, the Brighter, and Little Creatures, winner of Best Fiction Feature at Festival do Rio 2025.
Dance the night away at Ainslie Arts Centre with Salsa on Saturday, Canberra’s premier long-running monthly Latin dance party. Commencing with an introductory one-hour dance workshop, the evening welcomes dancers of all experience levels to enjoy a lively atmosphere filled with salsa, bachata, and Cha-Cha-Cha. Featuring resident DJs and a spacious dance floor, it offers a friendly community space to socialise, learn new moves, and experience Latin dance culture.
Saturday 7 November, 7.30 pm–11.30 pm | Ainslie Arts Centre, 30 Elouera Street, Braddon | salsaonsaturday.square.site
Come and Try Jump Rope Day
Jump Rope ACT holds its first Come and Try Jump Rope day, a free community session introducing rope skipping to people of all ages and skill levels. Coaches, including current Team Australia members, lead participants through fundamental skills, with instruction adapted to individual pace and movement needs. Skipping ropes are provided, and live demonstrations show more advanced techniques, including single-rope skills and dynamic manoeuvres. Jump Rope ACT works to grow the sport across the Australian Capital Territory, offering accessible pathways to build agility, coordination and cardiovascular fitness. Every participant goes home with a goodie bag. Registration is through an online form.
Stay active, connected, and involved in the game with Capital Football’s Walking Football summer season at Hawker Football Centre. Designed for adults of all fitness and skill levels, this low-impact competition focuses on fun, social interaction, and movement without the physical strain of traditional matches. Mixed teams compete on Thursday evenings, offering a welcoming environment for newcomers or past players returning to sport. It is an ideal, inclusive format to maintain health, make new friends, and enjoy social sport.
Until Thursday 25 March, 6.20 pm–8.10 pm | Hawker Football Centre, Walhallow Street, Hawker | capitalfootball.com.au
Music
Lamia Yared & Efren Lopez – From Minho to Euphrates
Lebanese-born vocalist Lamia Yared and Spanish multi-instrumentalist Efrén López present an exquisite musical journey across the Arab world and medieval Iberia at The Street Theatre. Drawing on Yared’s Syriac-Maronite heritage, the performance blends fourth-century Syriac hymns, medieval Iberian songs, Aleppine Muwashahāt, and Sufi poetry. Played on historical modal instruments, this intimate concert highlights how sacred traditions, courtly melodies, and ancient musical cultures continue to converse across history.
Saturday 7 November, 7.30 pm–8.45 pm | The Street Theatre, 15 Childers Street, City | thestreet.org.au
Go West, With Love
Canberra Qwire presents Go West, With Love, an inspiring concert celebrating geography, community, and human connection at The B in Queanbeyan. Performed by one of Australia’s premier LGBTQIA+ choral ensembles, the program features fan-favourite tracks alongside two major world premieres: I Will by Cloud Tan and Find Your People by Alex Palmer. This special performance showcases the strength and diversity of choral music before Qwire represents the ACT at the 2026 Out & Loud Choral Festival in Perth.
Saturday 7 November, 5 pm–6.30 pm | The B, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan | theq.net.au
80s Synth Anthem Voxneon
Relive the unforgettable energy of 80s electronica with Voxneon’s high-energy live show, Synth Anthems, at the Zeppelin Room. Armed with synthesisers, keytars, Simmons electronic drums, and synchronised visuals, the band delivers a passionate celebration of synth-pop and new wave classics. Fans can dance along to timeless hits from Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, New Order, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys, and Tears for Fears. It promises an immersive night of pulsing rhythms, retro nostalgia, and 80s euphoria in Narrabundah.
Ami Williamson’s live show has been described by a Sydney Morning Herald music critic as “forceful, funny, powerful and poetic – a singer-songwriter like no other!”
Ami’s celebrated “One Woman Show” has been performed at major festivals and venues in Australia and abroad including Port Fairy Folk Festival, Woodford Folk Festival and The National Folk Festival. ”Ami Williamson is my favourite Australian act!” (International Folk Icon Judy Collins)
Ami Williamson’s show is a “roller coaster of fun”. Her songs are wicked, poignant and sometimes downright hilarious – matched by her brilliant, versatile voice and flamboyant stage presence.
Introduce young children to classical music with a relaxed, informal thirty-minute pre-concert performance presented by Apeiron Baroque. Tailored for inquisitive young minds who may find full-length concerts challenging, this session features instrumental show-and-tell alongside accessible short works. Guest artists Adam Masters on oboe, Tim Willis on violin, and Ben Hoadley on bassoon provide an engaging, family-friendly musical experience at Wesley Uniting Church.
Apeiron Baroque concludes its 2026 concert season with a vibrant double-reed showcase featuring leading Australian early music specialists. Guest artists Adam Masters on oboe and Tim Willis on violin join bassoonist Ben Hoadley to perform baroque masterworks on historical period instruments. The rich chamber program explores works by Castello, Graun, Janitsch, Corette, and Graupner inside the acoustic surrounds of Wesley Uniting Church.
The National Capital Orchestra concludes its 2026 RESONATE season under the baton of Artistic Director Louis Sharpe with Classical Pops: Let’s Dance! at Snow Concert Hall. Celebrating rhythm, energy, and movement, this vibrant concert features audience-favourite orchestral works including Tchaikovsky’s dance suites, Khachaturian’s iconic Adagio from Spartacus, and Ravel’s hypnotic Boléro. It promises a joyful, high-energy afternoon of classical masterworks showcasing Canberra’s award-winning community orchestra live on stage.
Sunday 8 November, 3 pm–5 pm | Snow Concert Hall, Canberra Grammar School, 40 Alexander Street, Red Hill | nco.org.au
Talks, Tours + Workshops
Introduction to Night Sky Photo and Aurora Forecasting Tharwa
Discover the unexpected opportunity to photograph the Aurora Australis and master general landscape astrophotography in the dark skies near Canberra. While solar activity peaked around 2025, excellent imaging opportunities are expected through 2027. Combining a theory session with a practical night-time field session, instructor Ian Williams provides expert tuition on monitoring solar flares, geomagnetic activity, and configuring camera or smartphone settings to capture stunning starscapes and auroral displays.
Matcha and Ceramic Painting Workshop by Noa Matcha Canberra
Unwind and tap into your creative side during a delightful two-hour workshop combining Japanese tradition with hands-on artistry. Hosted across welcoming community spaces in Canberra, this relaxed session teaches participants how to properly sift and whisk ceremonial-grade matcha to create a delicious latte. Following the tasting, guests will choose a ceramic mug or bowl to paint using simple, step-by-step techniques with all materials provided. No prior experience is necessary, and you get to take your unique hand-painted ceramic piece home.
Saturday 7 November and Saturday 14 November | Various locations, Canberra | noamatcha.com
Book launch: Bird Park
Introduce young readers to the wonder of Australian birds during the official book launch of Bird Park at the National Library of Australia. Author Julie Murphy and illustrator Annie White share a lively reading of their new picture book in the library foyer, followed by an interactive outdoor wildlife presentation by the Canberra Walk in Aviary featuring real feathered friends. Tailored for children aged three to five, this engaging morning event combines rhythmic storytelling with hands-on nature discovery.
Saturday 7 November, 10 am–11 am | National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Parkes | library.gov.au
Quietly Seething | A Panel Discussion
Canberra Contemporary hosts an engaging panel discussion exploring themes of power, rage, politics, and craft as part of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival. Featuring exhibiting artist and craftivist Dr Tal Fitzpatrick alongside MoAD curator Stephanie Pfennigwerth and moderator Raquel Ormella, the panel examines the intersection of feminist activism and creative making. Centred on Fitzpatrick’s installation Quietly Seething: Fate, Fury and Transmutation, the conversation invites audiences to reflect on dissent and collective storytelling.
Immerse yourself in Latin American music, dance, and cultural traditions during a full day of hands-on workshops presented as part of the La Fiesta Fringe Program. Featuring visiting artists from SENES Flamenco, Suns of Mercury, and iLe iLu, the sessions span flamenco dance, Cuban percussion, Afro-Cuban batá and rumba, pandeiro, and Brazilian samba rhythms. Each extended session pairs practical movement and musical instruction with rich historical and cultural context.
Sunday 8 November, 10 am–4.15 pm | Blank Cultural Platform, 131 City Walk, City | events.humanitix.com
Moving Semangat Forward: The Semangat Body
Discover movement as a living force of memory, endurance, and renewal in a two-hour workshop led by Aida Redza. Drawing from Redza’s Penjaga (guardian) practice, participants explore the shifting physical states of the storyteller, warrior, and healer using breath, rhythm, and sensory scores. No prior dance background is required for this inclusive BOLD Festival session focused on listening to the body’s natural expressions and stories.
Sunday 8 November, 10.30 am–12.30 pm | Gorman Arts Centre, 55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon | theboldfestival.com.au
Moving Freely – An Inclusive Sensory Movement Workshop
Led by Aida Redza as part of The BOLD Festival, Moving Freely provides a safe, welcoming sensory movement space tailored for individuals with Autism, Down Syndrome, and varied learning or physical abilities. Through somatic practices, rhythm, breath, and sensory tools like scarves and fans, participants explore bodily memory and coordination. The workshop encourages self-expression, communication, and confidence through gentle, guided creative movement.
Sunday 8 November, 1 pm–2.30 pm | Gorman Arts Centre, 55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon | theboldfestival.com.au
Lynn Petersen–Radical joy
Artist and educator Lynn Petersen presents Radical Joy, an exhibition forming part of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival 2026. Lynn also hosts two free puppet-making workshops inspired by the exhibition on Saturday 14 November, at 10.30 am and 1 pm. Using simple felt-making techniques, participants create a protest finger puppet while reflecting on the exhibition’s themes. They consider how humour and creativity can express a personal story, hope or an act of resistance. Each puppet becomes a small gesture of protest and optimism, responding to the challenges and concerns shaping communities and the world.
Until Wednesday 18 November | Q Gallery Art Hub, Ainslie | q-gallery.com.au
Exhibitions
A very merry Christmas
Gallery of Small Things (GOST) closes its 2026 program with A Very Merry Christmas, a group exhibition responding to the festive season. Gallery Director Anne Masters invited 11 artists, mostly from interstate, to create a small series of works for the compact gallery. Ceramicists Tamsin Ainslie, Ginny Lagos and Lucy Ings present circus friends, sculptural figures and baubles, while Fiona Chandler, Sally Browne and Simon Palmer contribute abstract paintings. Cleo Higgins shows embroidered brooches, Lisa Cahill presents glass coral sculptures, and Gwenyth Macnamara offers printed cushions. Eggpicnic and Outer Island add bird art prints, cards and decorations.
Until Sunday 20 December, 11 am–4 pm | Gallery of Small Things, 27 Wade Street, Watson | galleryofsmallthings.com
Filotimo Charity Art Exhibition
Discover powerful works of art with a profound purpose at Kambri’s Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre. Some of Australia’s most talented Greek-Australian artists have united for a bold AHEPA Australia fundraising exhibition, showcasing stunning paintings, sculptures, photography, and illustrations deeply rooted in Hellenic heritage. Every artwork purchased directly supports vital medical research at the ANU Centre for Personalised Medicine, giving back to the community that shaped these creators. It is a wonderful chance to acquire exceptional contemporary art while contributing to meaningful health breakthroughs that benefit people across the nation.
Until Sunday, 15 November (Check venue for daily hours) | Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre, University Avenue, Level 2 The Gallery Kambri ANU, Canberra | filotimoart.com
Raw and Refined
Presented as part of the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival, Canberra-based contemporary jeweller Phoebe Porter presents Raw and Refined, a thought-provoking exhibition exploring the tensions between raw and worked, natural and cultural, and material and meaning. Responding to the festival’s theme of Dissent, Porter’s work challenges traditional ideas around value, preciousness, and craft. Set in the Canberra Airport Departure Lounge, the display contrasts raw Australian gold, native copper, uncut sapphires, and meteorite fragments with precision-crafted structures—celebrating deliberate craftsmanship as an act of creative dissent.
Funny Peculiar, Not Funny ‘Ha Ha’: Solo Exhibition by Erin Dickson
Immerse yourself in a striking new body of work by British artist Erin Dickson, marking her first Australian solo exhibition. Hosted at the Canberra Glassworks, this irreverent and maximalist showcase fuses endangered craft traditions like glass gilding with digital technologies, contemporary signage, and internet memes. The exhibition boldly explores the friction between high and low culture while navigating complex themes of humour, grief, anger, and isolation. By colliding British and Australian cultural references, Dickson challenges conventional gallery standards and redefines the boundaries of modern craftsmanship.
Until Sunday, 31 January | Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | canberraglassworks.com
Enough? Enough! ENOUGH
Canberra Potters presents Enough? Enough! ENOUGH, an exhibition bringing together artists Kara Wood, Raquel Ormella, and Zoe Brand to explore activism, labor, and women’s power. Featuring Wood’s large-scale installation of raw, unfired clay vessels crafted in collaboration with local potters using reclaimed clay, the exhibition combines textile art, wearables, and ceramics to reflect on collective strength, remembrance, and social change.
Until Sunday 29 November | Canberra Potters, Watson Arts Centre, 1 Aspinall Street, Watson | canberrapotters.com.au
Inke Falkner: Round and Round
CMAG on the Square presents a major contemporary sculptural work by biologist-turned-artist Dr Inke Falkner. Created following her success at the 2025 Lanyon Art Prize, Round and Round uses the traditional 17th-century technique of straw marquetry on a monumental scale to depict the organic succession and microhabitats of an ant mound. Dyed, split, and flattened by hand, the reflective geometric straw patterns contrast with and mirror the intricate patterns of ecological growth and change.
Saturday 7 November to Sunday, 13 June 2027 | Canberra Museum + Gallery, 180 London Circuit, City | cmag.com.au
POWER – The Future is Here
Canberra Contemporary presents POWER – The Future is Here, a collaborative exhibition between First Nations artist Dennis Golding and Torres Strait Island students from Alexandria Park Community School. Developed through Solid Ground, the exhibition displays handcrafted superhero capes featuring cultural iconography and personal narratives. The capes empower young creators while offering a sharp critique of social and cultural representations of contemporary First Nations experiences.
Saturday 7 November to Saturday, 30 January | Canberra Contemporary, 44 Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes | craftanddesigncanberrafestival.org
Quietly Seething: Fate, Fury and Transmutation
Explore an immersive textile and audio installation by artist Dr Tal Fitzpatrick at Canberra Contemporary. Quietly Seething: Fate, Fury and Transmutation features intricate appliqué and embroidery crafted from upcycled materials, surrounding visitors as they listen to headphones playing anonymous confessions of feminine rage from sixty female-identifying individuals. Presented as part of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival, the exhibition creates a gentle yet powerful space reflecting on emotion and gender.
Saturday 7 November to Saturday 30 January, 11 am–5 pm | Canberra Contemporary, 44 Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes | craftanddesigncanberrafestival.org
ASOC Spring Exhibition
The Art Society of Canberra (ASOC) presents its 84th annual Spring Exhibition, featuring nearly 300 works by more than 70 local artists. Independent judges will award prizes across nine categories, including Best in Show, Abstract, Flora/Fauna/Still Life, Landscape and Portrait/Figure, while visitors vote for the People’s Choice. ACT Minister for Arts Michael Pettersson will open the exhibition on Saturday 7 November at 6 pm. Founded in 1927, ASOC is one of Canberra’s oldest cultural organisations. Entry is free.
Kris Ancog presents Yearning to Breathe Free, a solo exhibition of paintings titled after Emma Lazarus’ poem The New Colossus. Inspired by refugees travelling towards safety and rebuilding their lives in unfamiliar lands, the works also reflect the life-changing moments many people encounter. Drawing on the compositional harmony and restrained palettes of Renaissance and Rococo painting, Ancog reworks the classical tradition as contemporary abstraction. Viewed up close, the canvases read as expressive brushwork, colour and light, while from a distance, scenes gradually emerge as though recalled from memory. Light runs through the series as a metaphor for resilience, offering hope without denying struggle.
Until Sunday 8 November | Aarwun Gallery, Shop 11, Federation Square, Nicholls | aarwungallery.com.au
‘Byproducts II’ by Anie Nheu
‘Byproducts II’ began in 2024 with Nheu’s transformation of found materials. Attentive to their histories, functions and uses, their reassembly draws them into new relations guided by their inherent attributes.
Together, elements generate unexpected, sometimes clumsy encounters, neither fully planned nor resolved. The result is not a finished object but a record of transformation: an ongoing negotiation between construction and deconstruction, stability and flux.
Step into the inspiring world of young creative talent with the upcoming Future Feature exhibition at M16 Artspace in Griffith. Showcasing the diverse perspectives of emerging teenage artists, this thoughtful collection offers a fascinating glimpse into their artistic journeys as they build confidence and step toward future maturity. It is a wonderful chance for local art lovers to support the next generation of creatives, celebrate fresh local talent, and witness the hopeful, imaginative visions shaping the future of our arts community right here in the heart of the capital.
An art and design exhibition highlighting regional artists whose practices prioritise craftsmanship, slow design, and sustainability as an alternative to mass production.
Questacon presents an interactive exhibition exploring the science of light through 13 hands-on exhibits. Visitors can experiment with light refraction, colour blending, shadow manipulation and reflection across multiple activity stations. The exhibition demonstrates how light travels, reflects and refracts, alongside displays of tools humans have developed to harness light. Activities include bending light, using sensors to create music, and working with lenses. The exhibition is designed for hands-on engagement with scientific concepts. Illuminate: How Science Comes to Light is a Museums Victoria Touring Exhibition running until November 2026.
Until Sunday 22 November | Questacon–The National Science and Technology Centre, King Edward Terrace, Parkes | questacon.edu.au
Hop In! – An Immersive World of Play
Turn the familiar family home inside out at Hop In!, a hands-on exhibition designed for children aged three to 12 and their families. Rooms shift in scale to encourage active play, letting little ones crawl under oversized furniture, stretch beneath cloud-filled skies, and wander through reimagined backyards and kitchens. At the heart of the space is artist Beci Orpin’s Bunny Dearest, a gentle companion guiding children through these imaginative spaces. Created for open-ended discovery, this interactive experience sparks curiosity, builds creative confidence, and offers families a wonderful opportunity to connect through shared play in the heart of the city.
Until Sunday 22 November | Canberra Museum + Gallery, 176 London Circuit, City | cmag.com.au
Exhibitions at Belconnen Arts Centre
Belconnen Arts Centre opens six diverse new exhibitions showcasing regional talent across textiles, printmaking, ceramics, digital imagery, and painting:
Animal Portraits: Brenda Runnegar presents composite digital works reimagining domestic pets as majestic figures in early American folk art.
Occupying Space: Helen Heslop explores South Coast landscapes, colonial history, and Yuin Country through intricate art quilts and collages.
Passions, Journeys and Imaginings: Christine Upton uses carved bird figures, patterns, and abstract blossoms to explore nature and personal memory.
Phases: Staff and collaborators from the UC Faculty of Art and Design reflect on global transition, change, and harmony.
Colour Through My Eyes: Visually impaired artist Lien To shares vibrant Copic marker and collage works reflecting her imaginary safe spaces.
Histories & Habitats: Fenja T. Ringl combines archaeology, palaeo-ecology, and printmaking on paper and ceramic forms.
Until Sunday 29 November | Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | belcoarts.com.au
60 Years – Canberra Spinners and Weavers
A retrospective exhibition showcasing contemporary textile works by members of the Canberra Spinners and Weavers to mark 60 years of local craft heritage.
Behind the Lines 2025: ‘Are We Rolling?’ celebrates the year’s best political cartoons.
Featuring established and emerging cartoonists from across Australia, this exhibition highlights the significant contribution they make to cultural and political debates through witty, insightful and often poignant satirical drawings.
This year our Behind the Lines theme is the cinema, acknowledging that, like some of our favourite movies, 2025 has been full of thrills and spills, romance and heartbreak, with plenty of unexpected plot twists. Australia’s cartoonists and illustrators have tackled many of the issues that made news, including the federal election, the cost of living, energy policy, interest rates, housing security, the economy, climate change and stories from overseas.
Until December 2026 | Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House | moadoph.gov.au
Gurindji Freedom Banners
A powerful new exhibition commemorating the pivotal 1966 Wave Hill Walk-off opens at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. Gurindji Freedom Banners: Mumkurla-nginyi-ma parrngalinyparla–From the darkness into the light unites all ten hand-painted banners for the first time in years, telling the story of when Gurindji and neighbouring peoples, led by Vincent Lingiari AM, walked off Wave Hill Station on 23 August 1966.
Their demands for fair working conditions and return of traditional lands sparked landmark change, leading to the first handback of Aboriginal land in 1975 and paving the way for the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976. The textile banners were created in 2000 by 35 Gurindji people, many walk-off participants, with one recently recreated after going missing.
Now showing until late 2026 | Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House | moadoph.gov.au
Wangka Wakaṉutja: the story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre
Between 1979 and 1990, the Papunya Literature Production Centre produced hundreds of illustrated bilingual books–funny, moving, extraordinary documents of Pintupi-Luritja language and culture, guided by community Elders who were also pioneers of the Western Desert art movement. Many of those books have been held in the National Library’s collections ever since, and this landmark new exhibition finally brings them to life. Featuring stories, drawings, photographs, manuscripts, and oral histories drawn from multiple collections, it’s a profoundly significant celebration of Aboriginal literary culture, collective creativity, and the remarkable human effort to keep language alive across generations.
Until Saturday, 31 January | National Library of Australia, Parkes | library.gov.au
Rosalie Gascoigne
Opening at the National Gallery of Australia, this major exhibition celebrates the career of Rosalie Gascoigne (1917–1999), one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Famous for transforming discarded, weathered items—such as retro-reflective road signs, wooden crates, and feathers—into poetic assemblages, her works reflect the light, color, and texture of the surrounding Kamberri/Canberra landscape.
Until Sunday 14 February | National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
David Hockney: Portraits in Print
David Hockney: Portraits in Print opens at the National Gallery of Australia, drawing on the gallery’s own collection, the largest holding of Hockney’s work in the country. The display brings together more than 60 prints spanning almost 30 years, tracing the artist’s portraits of family, friends and collaborators across Los Angeles, Paris and London in the 1970s and 80s. Works include etchings, lithographs and photocollages, alongside experimental processes such as mylar sheets and faxes.
Until Sunday 14 February 2027, free | National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place, Parkes | nga.gov.au
Quantum Tomorrow: Imagined Futures
Step into a vibrant, near-future Australia where once-impossible technologies transform how we live, work, and play. Questacon’s latest immersive gallery, Quantum Tomorrow: Imagined Futures, makes the complex world of quantum physics accessible, playful, and incredibly fun.
Developed in collaboration with Canberra illustrator Paul Summerfield, the exhibition brings tomorrow’s tech to life through colourful, highly detailed illustrations, giant airborne sculptures, and a mesmerising cloud chamber that reveals the invisible world of tiny particles. Along the way, visitors can meet the pioneering Australian researchers who are harnessing the unique behaviours of quantum objects to solve some of the world’s most critical challenges. From un-hackable communications and personalised medicine to ultra-responsive prosthetics, you’ll discover how a quantum future promises to make ordinary lives extraordinary.
Open daily through 30 June 2027 | Gallery 8, Questacon, Parkes | questacon.edu.au
Yarning: Sharing Stories, Celebrating Culture
Explore Yarning, a vibrant new exhibition at Australian Parliament House showcasing the creative voices and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students from across the nation. Featuring artworks from over 70 young artists, the display showcases entries from the Yarning competition exploring themes of Country, identity, family, and reconciliation, including the three winning pieces. Located in the public area on the Level 1 Senate side, this inspiring collection offers a powerful platform for young First Nations storytellers.
Open daily until February 2027 | Australian Parliament House, Capital Hill | aph.gov.au
RELICS: A New World Rises
Step into an extraordinary, imagined future where vintage objects become homes for intricate miniature worlds built from LEGO® bricks. Created by LEGO® Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler, RELICS: A New World Rises features over 15 large-scale installations set in a world humanity has abandoned. Discover a refrigerator turned cryogenic resort or a grandfather clock transformed into a time machine. Packed with hidden details, humor, and nostalgia, this immersive exhibition playfully explores sustainability, consumer culture, and human creativity. Designed to captivate visitors aged 0–99, it is a wonderful reminder to slow down and embrace curiosity.
Until Sunday 31 January 2027 | Canberra Museum + Gallery, 176 London Circuit, City | cmag.com.au
Floral Impressions: Coins in Bloom
The Royal Australian Mint’s exhibition Floral Impressions: Coins in Bloom draws on never-before-seen objects from the National Collection to explore the rich symbolism of flowers on coins from around the world. The exhibition traces how floral designs struck into metal carry stories of national identity, cultural heritage and remembrance — from Australia’s kangaroo paw and the South African protea to the Western Samoan Teuila.
Decorative motifs such as laurel, olive and oak wreaths, used for centuries as symbols of victory, peace and strength, also feature. Commemorative coins in the exhibition show how flowers have honoured significant historical moments and individuals across cultures.
Until March 2027 | Royal Australian Mint, 62–114 Denison Street, Deakin | ramint.gov.au
Tamara Lalayan Gallery Exhibition
Immerse yourself in a world of colour and imagination with Tamara Lalayan’s latest art showcase, currently on display in the elegant Howard Lounge. Inspired by memory, movement, and the quiet beauty of everyday moments, Tamara’s expressive works invite viewers into richly layered landscapes. Each piece captures the subtle emotions and natural wonder found so effortlessly in our surrounding environment. Set within the historic surroundings of Hyatt Hotel Canberra, this peaceful exhibition offers art lovers and visitors a tranquil space to reflect and appreciate local creative talent. Pop in for a quiet moment of inspiration during your next city outing.
Until 28 February 2027 | Howard Lounge, Hyatt Hotel Canberra, 120 Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla | hyatt.com
National Library of Australia Treasures Gallery
The National Library has millions of books, and the Treasures Gallery answers the frequently asked question, ‘Where are they’. They also collect other items. From maps and manuscripts to photographs and paintings, the Treasures Gallery is where you can find highlights from their vast physical and digital collections. Behind-the-scenes videos, pages from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice from the First Folio, a cedar bookcase carved by Dorothea Mackellar, photographs from the nation’s photo album, and a display of The Wiggles’ websites from 1997 to today from the Australian Web Archive are among the new additions.
Until December 2030 | National Library of Australia, Parkes | library.gov.au
Illustra: 50 Women for 50 Years
Illustra: 50 Women for 50 Years is a permanent portrait exhibition celebrating 50 years of women as residents at John XXIII College. Featuring fifty alumni, the exhibition pairs portraiture with personal reflections to capture the evolving experience of women across five decades. Photographed by ANU School of Art graduate Bronte Morel across Australia and internationally, each work is set in a location of personal significance. Together, the collection forms an intergenerational narrative of leadership, identity and community, recognising the enduring contribution of women to the College and beyond.
Permanent exhibition, open 9 am–5 pm daily | Front foyer, John XXIII College, 51 Daley Road, Australian National University, Canberra | johnxxiii.anu.edu.au
This spring, why not plan a scenic escape through rolling farmlands and boutique cool-climate cellar doors?
With 140 vineyards and 40 cellar doors located within a 35-minute drive from our city centre, the Canberra wine region is a wine lover’s paradise. From Canberra to Hall, Murrumbateman, Yass, Bungendore, Lake George, Wamboin, and Gundaroo, the region’s thriving wine and food culture is ideal for anyone looking for a gourmet getaway close to home.
Whether you want to enjoy paddock-to-plate dining or sit in the sun to sip crisp Rieslings, here’s your spring weekend guide to Canberra’s wine region.
Note: You’ll need at least three days to truly explore the region. With plenty of ground to cover, start planning for your springtime sips!
Murrumbateman and Yass
Poachers Pantry. Supplied.
Located in the heart of the Canberra wine region – and just a short 30-minute drive down the Barton Highway – Murrumbateman and Yass are home to over 20 boutique vineyards and cellar doors.
Murrumbateman itself is a hub for award-winning cool-climate wines, with 15 cellar doors located in the village, making it a must-stop for anyone interested in trying a diverse range of wines while enjoying the scenic beauty of the countryside.
Meanwhile, those who believe the food and atmosphere are just as important as the wine should make a stop at Shaw Estate for a refined Mediterranean-inspired culinary experience, while Wins Creek Meadery & Brewing Co is known for serving award-winning mead made from house-produced honey in a cosy café.
Looking for something more casual? Four Winds Vineyard is known for their wood-fired pizzas served against an Instagram-worthy backdrop and for something a little bit different, Murrumbateman Winery serves freshly baked scones with jam and cream on the weekend. Finally, Dionysus Winery offers a chocolate pairing or chocolate tasting plate – perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
Closer to Yass, Dog Trap Vineyard is known for rich, dry reds crafted from premium Shiraz and Cabernet grapes while Poachers Pantry offers tastings of its range of estate-grown cool climate wines alongside an acclaimed smokehouse menu. Intrepidus Wines offers tastings strictly by appointment, and Mallaluka Wines is a boutique operation with private tours, tastings and functions available to be booked.
Canberra, Hall and Wallaroo
Mount Majura Vineyard. Photograph: Stuart Miller
With urban and suburban vineyards close to the city, this part of the region is perfect to explore if you’re short on time.
Located only 15 minutes from Civic, Mount Majura Vineyard is known for its Sparkling, and Riesling and is a leading Australian producer of the Spanish variety Tempranillo. Meanwhile, Brindabella Hills Winery offers sweeping views of the Brindabella mountain ranges and the cellar door is open every weekend for tastings.
Looking for something a little closer to home? Contentious Character is Kingston Foreshore’s very own urban winery. Featuring award-winning cool-climate drops, lake views, and waterfront dining, it offers a vibrant taste of the region without leaving town.
Located just north of the ACT border (approximately 20 minutes from the city), Wallaroo will transport you straight to Italy’s Tuscany wine region. Set against the backdrop of the Brindabella Ranges, Surveyors Hill and Pankhurst Wines are well worth a visit on a sunny spring day. Just down the road from Hall, Nick O’Leary’s Heywood in Wallaroo combines a vineyard, winemaking facility, tasting bar, and restaurant all in one stylish space.
Bungendore, Wamboin, Gundaroo, and Lake George
Lerida Estate. Image supplied.
These high-altitude locations are known for distinctive terroir and scenic views – ideal for a springtime road trip.
Bungendore is home to two amazing wineries: Sapling Yard Wines, and Lark Hill Winery. Just up the road in Wamboin, Aranya Acres hosts Sapling Yard tastings alongside a native-inspired menu, while Norton Road Wines serves up cool-climate drops with craft BBQ.
In Gundaroo you’ll find Tallagandra Hill Winery, and Gundog Estate Cork St Cellar, while just off the Federal Highway, Lerida Estate has long been a local favourite and offers breathtaking views of Lake George. And of course we have to mention Lake George Winery. Founded in 1971, it’s celebrated for its minimal-intervention, award-winning wines.
With so much to explore, why not grab your partner-in-wine and make the most of the season? Discover more of the region at canberrawines.com.au.
Feature image: Heywood. Credit: Ben King Photography.
Calling budding tennis stars, fundraising enthusiasts, and anyone looking for something fun and different to do this November – this event is for you.
The challenge? To pick up a racquet for a good cause and make a difference to the lives of sick kids and their families by hitting the local tennis courts to raise money for Ronald McDonald House ACT & South East NSW.
Taking place on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November, Rally for Kids is searching for players of all ages and abilities to join the Rally for Kids McHappy Day Carnival at the Weston Creek Tennis Club.
Featuring a One Point Slam event, free adult and junior tennis clinics, activities for children, a DJ and more, founder of Canberra School of Tennis Mark Walton says that this year’s Rally for Kids event is bigger and better than ever before.
“We pride ourselves on wanting to connect with the community around the area,” he explains.
“Last year we raised just over $15,000. Hopefully, we can aim a little bit higher, with all funds going directly to Ronald McDonald House ACT & South East NSW.”
This year also marks the first collaboration between Ronald McDonald House ACT & South East NSW, McDonald’s Weston Creek, Canberra School of Tennis and Tennis ACT. Building on more than 10 years of community fundraising, the partnership for the 2026 Rally for Kids marks the next chapter of Canberra’s much-loved 24-Hour Tennis Challenge.
As a result, local tennis clubs across the ACT are joining in on the action by hosting their own fundraising events.
“We’ve been trying to connect a little bit more over the last five years, and then Mark La Brooy [CEO of Tennis ACT] reached out to me and asked, ‘How can we get involved?’” Mark says.
“It’s only a small step but maybe it’s something that will grow larger across Canberra, where multiple venues may even potentially do a 24-Hour Challenge.”
For CEO of Tennis ACT Mark La Brooy, the partnership also offers them an opportunity to “use tennis for good.”
“It’s a great sport and something that’s really fun for people of all ages and stages to play. For us to leverage our sport to give back to the local community – in particular, families going through challenging times who need support through Ronald McDonald House – that’s what excites me the most,” he says.
In 2025 alone, Ronald McDonald House helped over 196 families and provided over 3,000 nights of accommodation. Forming part of local McHappy Day celebrations, Ronald McDonald House ACT & South East NSW CEO Eoghan O’Byrne says that Rally for Kids is one of the biggest fundraising events for the non-profit organisation.
“Any amount of money makes an impact. It costs $190 for a family to stay a night – we don’t charge the families; what we do is we just take away the burden of finding accommodation, and offer the comfort of home right near their loved ones at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children,” explains Eoghan.
“We’re just making sure that we can continue to deliver on the home cooked meal every day, to deliver on the warmth and comfort that we provide within the house, and to ensure that people can stay close together.”
But what is the 24-Hour Tennis Challenge and how does it work? Starting from 4 pm on Friday 13 November, participants can book a one-hour Cardio Tennis session and enjoy a fast, fun and coach-led tennis workout supporting families.
Running continuously until 4 pm the following day, registration is $40 per person for an hour-long slot. You can book a single session, play multiple times, or gather a team to help cover the full 24 hours. All of ticket proceeds and donations from Rally for Kids will go to support the local programs of Ronald McDonald House ACT & South East NSW for families with ill or injured children.
“Whether you play for 24 hours, participate in a One-Point Slam or simply come along and enjoy a BBQ, prizes and support the day, every person that rallies with us helps make a meaningful difference for local families,” says Eoghan.
“Even if you can’t or don’t want to participate if that’s not for you, just come on down and have a look around – it’s quite amazing.”
Other participating clubs:
Barton Tennis Club
Belconnen Tennis Club
Campbell Tennis Club
Forrest Tennis Club
Majura Tennis Club
Manuka Tennis Club
QueanbeyanPark Tennis Club
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Rally for Kids
When: Friday 13 November to Saturday 14 November Where: Western Creek Tennis Club, Dillon Close, Weston
Web: Rally for Kids 2026
It felt as if it happened in the blink of an eye: one minute my daughter was perfectly happy with a sugar-fuelled playground party, the next she turned nine and decided indoor play centres were for babies.
Suddenly, the list of venues for future birthdays became a big question mark. Where to go when your child is no longer a little kid but not quite a fully-fledged teenager?
The good news is Canberra is brimming with cool options for tweens. Whether they want to get creative, burn off some energy or simply hang out with their besties in style, we’ve rounded up the spots that will be sure to score you some cool-parent points quicker than you can say “bruh” (sigh).
Metaphysica VR rooms
If your tween is obsessed with gaming but you still want them celebrating with friends in the real world, stepping into a virtual reality centre is the next best thing. Metaphysica in Tuggeranong transforms a standard birthday into a futuristic adventure, where kids can immerse themselves in collaborative multiplayer games or high-octane simulators.
For the wild-at-heart tween craving an adrenaline rush, Treetops offers aerial obstacles and flying foxes that let them test their bravery amongst the scenic landscape of Majura Pines. The beauty of this setup is that it caters to the varying confidence levels of a tween crowd, allowing the thrill-seekers to tackle the highest ropes while keeping the more cautious climbers happy on the lower tiers.
If you’re hunting for something social and just a little bit rebellious, a messy DIY paint party is sure to hit the sweet spot. Studios like Splash Lab in Mitchell let the kids suit up and get messy in a neon splatter room, blasting music and throwing paint onto canvases to create their own custom masterpieces.
If your tween prefers a slightly more curated vibe, boutique spaces like Instala DIY Studio in Braddon offer candle making, jewellery and fluid bear painting workshops that feel both therapeutic and trendy. Better yet, every guest gets to and walk away with a tangible souvenir from the day, making it a dream for the artistic tween.
Venues like the multi-level Zone 3 in Belconnen provide a fast-paced, heart-pumping environment where party guests can form alliances, sneak through dark mazes and tag their friends. It’s the perfect option for larger groups because the rules are simple and everyone is included in the action. Expect plenty of laughs and tactical debriefs over pizza once the final scores are displayed on the leaderboard!
For a celebration that feels sophisticated but demands zero physical exertion, a trip to the movies is the perfect low-key alternative. Upgrading a standard cinema trip to a premium experience like Hoyts Lux in Belconnen and Woden or Dendy Premium in the Canberra Centre allows you to use the cinema exclusively, making your tween and their friends feel grown up as they sink into reclining chairs with snacks. It’s a wonderfully stress-free option for parents to organise (and you get to sit back with a snack too!)
This venue gives kids one hour to solve a sequence of engineered, interactive physical puzzles. For the tween demographic, “The Vault” drops them straight into a thrilling post-apocalyptic world that feels like stepping into a cinematic video game, complete with a brilliant twist finish, forcing them to work as a team to beat the countdown clock. There’s also a gorgeous outdoor Garden Party space to relax with a drink post-game!
Designed to look like a whimsical luxury hotel, this venue swaps out bedrooms for interactive Challenge Rooms and mini-golf. The kids check in at a faux reception before being sent down eclectic hallways in small groups to tackle four-minute puzzle rooms (think giant floor pianos, basketball hoops and memory games) While the kids are busy trying to beat the high scores, adults can comfortably retreat to the beautifully styled lobby bar to sip a coffee or cocktail, should it take their fancy!
If you want to go a little more luxe, consider swapping a standard sleepover for an overnight safari at Jamala Wildlife Lodge. Tucked inside the National Zoo and Aquarium, the Giraffe Treehouses elevate the concept of a birthday staycation. Because this treehouse caps occupancy at eight guests (configured with one lavish king bed and two double pull-out sofas) this option is designed for an intimate, VIP sleepover with their closest besties, where they can hand-feed carrots to resident giraffes right from their private balcony, join a zoo tour and indulge in afternoon tea and a delicious dinner in the Rainforest Cave restaurant alongside lions or hyenas. Don’t want to stay the night? The Zoo hosts wild safari parties during the day too!
For the sweet tooth, a private cupcake workshop with Flour and Frost is a recipe for birthday success. Carissa from Flour and Frost opens her beautiful kitchen space to teach the kids how to bake, level and pipe the most gorgeous, professional-grade buttercream creations. Complete with matching aprons, party guests can learn fancy vintage piping techniques and let their inner artists loose with custom colours, sprinkles and toppings. (Added bonus? They get to take home a box of gorgeous cupcakes they made themselves, deliciously solving the party-bag dilemma!)
Think you need a plane ticket to feel like you’ve escaped from Canberra? Think again. From a skyspace that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into an art installation in the middle of nowhere to gardens that could have been plucked straight from Japan, there are plenty of places around the capital that feel surprisingly far from home.
So, if your camera roll is craving a change of scenery, but your bank account isn’t quite ready for an overseas holiday, here are 10 Canberra places that might just make you forget where you are.
Located at the National Gallery of Australia, Within Without is the kind of place that makes you stop and look up. Created by American artist James Turrell, the permanent Skyspace uses an open-air ceiling to frame the sky, transforming something as ordinary as a sunset into the main event. With its concrete walls, endless sky and unreal atmosphere, it feels less like Canberra and more like you’ve wandered into a remote art installation somewhere in the middle of the desert.
Sculpture Garden, National Gallery of Australia, Parkes | nga.gov.au
For a moment, you forget you’re in Canberra. From Dairy Farmers Hill, the sweeping views, rolling landscape, and mountains in the distance can feel a little like you’re somewhere in the Swiss countryside. The National Arboretum’s hundreds of hectares of forests make it easy to swap Canberra’s city streets for wide-open landscapes, and Dairy Farmers Hill is one of the best spots to take it all in.
Ever wanted to travel around Europe in about an hour? Cockington Green Gardens might be the closest Canberra gets. This miniature village attraction is packed with tiny buildings, trains, people, and landmarks from around the world. It’s basically a European road trip, just on a much smaller scale. And yes, you can absolutely spend an unreasonable amount of time looking at the tiny details and have the world at your feet (literally).
With its waterfront setting, modern architecture, cafés and people wandering along the promenade, the Kingston Foreshore can feel a little more Scandinavian than Canberran. On a sunny afternoon, grab a coffee, take a walk by the water, and you could almost convince yourself you’re spending the day in Copenhagen.
Dramatic cliffs, towering trees, and water surrounded by mountains? You’d be forgiven for thinking you had somehow ended up in Norway. Cotter Campground is one of those places that reminds you just how much nature is hiding around Canberra. The combination of the surrounding bushland and rugged landscape makes it an easy escape from the city.
Tucked away in the city, Tiger Lane is about as far from Canberra’s usual leafy, spacious personality as you can get. With its colourful laneway atmosphere, lights and bustling energy, it gives off serious Tokyo side-street vibes, particularly once the sun goes down.
If Canberra’s usual landscape is making you think ‘dry’, ‘eucalyptus’, and ‘very Australian’, head to the Australian National Botanic Gardens and take a completely different route. With plants from across Australia, rainforest pockets, lush greenery and winding paths, parts of the gardens can feel like you’ve wandered somewhere much more tropical.
You don’t need to fly to Japan to wander through a Japanese-inspired garden. Located beside Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra Nara Peace Park was created to symbolise friendship between Canberra and its sister city, Nara. With its Japanese-style landscaping, stone features and peaceful setting, it offers a little pocket of Japan right in the capital.
Just next door to Nara Peace Park, Beijing Garden takes you somewhere completely different. Inspired by traditional Chinese gardens, the space features Chinese architectural elements, landscaping and a peaceful setting beside the lake. It’s one of those Canberra spots where you can walk through a gate and suddenly feel like you’ve left the city behind.
Rolling green fields, historic architecture, sprawling gardens, and mountains in the distance? Welcome to… Canberra? Lanyon Homestead sits at the foot of the Brindabella Ranges, with a countryside setting that can make you feel transported to rural Italy. Swap the Tuscan vineyard for an Australian homestead, and you’ve got the Canberra version of a European countryside escape.
After reading this, who says you need to leave the country to feel like you’ve gone somewhere new? From Japan and China to Norway, Tuscany and even a miniature European adventure, Canberra has plenty of places that can make an ordinary weekend feel a little more like a holiday.
