20 ways to spend this long weekend in Canberra (did someone say bubbles and Bridgerton vibes?)
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From a sustainable clothing swap to the ultimate Royal High Tea (hello Chocolate Perfection Pie and a glass of something bubbly), there’s plenty to do in Canberra this long weekend.
An Aboriginal Culinary Journey
See First Nations objects from the National Museum of Australia’s collection alongside a newly commissioned range of appliances featuring stunning designs from contemporary artists in An Aboriginal Culinary Journey: Designed for Living.
Part of the Breville Art Series, this exhibition is a partnership between First Nations peoples, Breville and the National Museum of Australia, producing objects for the heart of the home that celebrate contemporary design and reflect 65,000 years of ongoing Indigenous culture.
Until 7 August | National Museum of Australia | nma.gov.au
Shortis & Simpson in American Pie
Always happy to mark an anniversary, Shortis and Simpson will present their take on American Pie at the Belconnen Arts Centre. Exploring the social and political history of Australia and the world in the fifties, sixties and early seventies, Shortis and Simpson will blend songs and stories with surprising information, many laughs and the odd moving moment. And the best part is you can complete your experience with a gourmet $25 Grazing Box for two! Yum.
Saturday 11 June | Belconnen Arts Centre | belcoarts.com.au/american-pie
World Wide Knit In Public Day
Get your yarns and hooks ready on 11 June, and join Good Omen Goodeze (GOG) at Westfield Belconnen between 10.30 am and 3 pm, for what is a fantastic festival for all stitchers! Spend some time knitting or crocheting a square for a blanket to be donated to the Canberra Hospital, bring your own project to work on it together on the day, or simply drop in to have a chat with so many like-minded people.
And that’s not all GOG has in store for you….they’re calling for the snazziest Gogsters for a special Gogster Competition! This year, they would like to challenge you to make the most creative Gogsters to win a special prize. These Gogsters can be any size, up from 10cm x 10cm and you have just under 3 weeks to work on them, so size doesn’t matter. Drop your Gogster off at one of their drop off points if you can’t make it on the day (make sure you give them a name and put your name and phone number in the bag), or come on down and bring your Gogster with you on the day!
Saturday 11 June, 10.30 am – 3 pm | Westfield Belconnen first floor | goodomengoodeze.org.au
Saturday Afternoon Tunes
This month, Cornerstone – Gungahlin’s Pub will be hosting Saturday Afternoon Tunes, for some cosy winter vibes to top up your soul. Tasty beverages and delicious snack plates will be available to order from the bar to fill your bellies while Freelings—a Canberra based folk band serenade you.
Saturday 11 June, 3 pm – 5 pm | 51 Hinder St, Gungahlin | belcoarts.com.au/afternoon-tunes
The Jezabels at UC Refectory
The Jezabels have just announced a national tour and for the first time, the band will be playing their most successful record, in its entirety live on stage. Run, don’t walk.
Saturday 11 June | UC Refectory | Tickets via Moshtix
Arsenic and Old Lace
Mortimer Brewster—a theatre critic who hates theatre—has a problem: how to introduce his unconventional family to his pious fiancé. His aunts Abby and Martha Brewster seem ‘the dearest, sweetest ladies that ever walked the earth’, but they have been murdering lonely old men for years and his eccentric brother Bobby has buried them all in the cellar. Now his elder brother Jonathan—a homicidal maniac with a personal plastic surgeon—has returned and intends to carry on the “family business” from home.
Arsenic and Old Lace burst onto Broadway and the West End in 1941 and has been in production somewhere in the world ever since. In 2022, Rep presents a contemporary reading of this classic. Won’t you join us in the cellar?
Until 25 June | Naoné Carrel Auditorium | canberrarep.org.au
Canberra Duathlon
On your marks, get set…go! With a jam-packed schedule and three races to participate in (the Standard Distance race is an Australian Championships event and a qualifier for 2023 Multisport World Champs Ibiza), it’s the perfect opportunity to run and race in the beautiful city of Canberra.
Saturday 11 June | Rond Terrace, shores of Lake Burley Griffin, Parkes | eliteenergy.com.au/event/canberra-duathlon
Royal High Tea at Pialligo Estate
Calling all lords and ladies! In celebration of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, Pialligo Estate is hosting the highlight of the winter calendar: Royal High Tea at the Estate.
Expect to indulge in a 3-tiered selection of the most refined afternoon delicacies, including her Majesty’s favourite, Chocolate Perfection Pie, macarons and house-baked honey financiers as well other sweet treats. There will also be a wide assortment of savoury finger sandwiches featuring meats and seafood from the Estate smokehouse and (of course), scones with cream and Estate preserves. Add in a glass of something sparkling and an extensive selection of the finest teas and you’re in for a royal treat.
Did someone say Bridgerton vibes?
Sunday 12 June, 10 am – 1 pm | 18 Kallaroo Rd, Pialligo | thepialligoestate.com.au/royal-high-tea
CBR Gals Clothes Swap
On Sunday 12 June, a powerhouse collaboration of local mover-shakers (including Alpha, the CBR Gals Network, Evie Kay, Flow Forage Grow, Icon Water, and Rosella Street) are launching the Canberra WorkLeisure Clothes Swap at Sound CBR to disrupt consumption in a fashion industry that still values quantity over quality.
Throughout the event, expect an exciting line-up of round-table discussions with thought leaders and provocateurs covering a range of issues, from #WhoMadeMyClothes, to how to care for your clothes–and why it matters
With hundreds of high-quality items to choose from, refresh your wardrobe in a meaningful way.
Tickets are by donation, and include access to the event, fresh juice, food, and a Clothes Swap Kit.
Sunday 12 June | Unit 175, 44 Macquarie Street Barton | cbrgals.com/product/clothes-swap
Minnie Marks
A rare triple threat (singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist), Minnie Marks is making her way to Smith’s Alternative to push the musical limits with her mind-blowing, dynamic guitar wizardry and her insanely powerful voice.
Sunday 12 June | 76 Alinga Street, Melbourne Building | smithsalternative.com
Sputnik Sweetheart
Through their innovative post punk sounds, Sputnik Sweetheart are making a sweet mark throughout the Australian music scene. The band has built a reputation for delivering hard-hitting performances to sold-out rooms across the country, backed by an impressive suite of recorded material. Their latest single ‘Lindy Hop’ has been deemed as a fan favourite, and lucky for us it’s coming to Transit Bar.
Sunday 12 June | Transit Bar | facebook.com
Kids in the Shed
This is your chance to celebrate being a kid and doing what kids do best—have fun! Bring your kids, parents and grandparents to this super fun family day out at the markets. Explore stacks of products that kids love including handcrafted toys, kids’ room accessories, artworks and lots of bright, modern handmade clothes for babies and little boys and girls. With plenty of stalls to explore, you’re guaranteed to find something special.
Sunday 12 June | The Old Bus Depot Markets | obdm.com
Warped and Twisted
Showcasing the diverse work of Canberra Spinners and Weavers’ members, Warped and Twisted celebrates the art and craft of spinning and weaving in the ACT and surrounds. Unique pieces will be for sale and they will also have local handmade items for sale in the exhibition shop.
Until Sunday 12 June | 70 Maclaurin Cres, Chifley | canberraspinnersandweavers.org.au
Between You and Me: Eggpicnic Solo Exhibition
From the design duo that brought us the sulphur-crested Cockatoo balloon Instagram filter comes a solo exhibition celebrating the undeniable bond humans have with animals. Eggpicnic’s first solo exhibition in Canberra, it includes large-format flocks of hand-painted birds, sculptures in different mediums, original sketches, over 30 new prints, augmented reality and animation.
Until Saturday 16 July | 10 Mildura St, Griffith | thors.com.au/exhibitions/eggpicnic
Connection
Yes, that’s right, the creators and producers of the multi-sensory spectacular that was Van Gough alive are back and back with a vengeance. Connection is reinventing visual storytelling, giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists a voice through 360-degree, large-scale projections and cutting-edge light and sound technology. A powerful and captivating exhibition that seeks to bind together spiritual connections to land, water, sea and sky through a vibrant and multi-sensory symphony of sound, light, and colour. It’s an important and much needed tonal shift that we all should be popping on the top of our must-see June lists.
Until Sunday 9 October | National Museum of Australia | nma.gov.au/whats-on/connection
The Alice – An Immersive Cocktail Experience
Fall down the rabbit hole and come along on a 90-minute topsy-turvy journey into the magical realm of Wonderland. Brought to you by the interactive team behind The Wizard’s Den, Beyond Cinema, and A.K Wregg, this immersive cocktail adventure is the tea party to end all tea parties.
Join them for a theatrical, alternate reality experience that will take you down the rabbit hole and through the looking glass! Across 90 minutes you will create two bespoke Wonderland cocktails, solve riddles and challenges just like Alice, devour “Eat Me” cakes and cookies, paint the roses red and much, much more!
*Disclaimer – No flamingos will be hurt during the course of this adventure*
Until 31 Dec | Zoo Bar, London Circuit | Tickets $49.50pp via explorehidden.com
Reception this way: motels – a sentimental journey with Tim Ross
Travel around Australia revisiting your memories of the classic Aussie motel, from family holidays and long road trips to continental breakfasts and mid-century mod-cons.
In a land where the car has provided us with the ultimate freedom to hit the road and explore, it is no surprise that Australians wholeheartedly embraced the American concept of the motel. When motels began springing up in the 1950s, they represented a new, stylish and sophisticated way to travel.
Join National Archives and Tim Ross on a driving holiday through the quintessential Australian experience of staying in a motel. And find out why these images are part of the National Archives’ collection.
This exhibition is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians.
Until 4 Sep | National Archives of Australia | naa.gov.au
German Film Festival 2022
“Herzlich willkommen” movie goers, film aficionados and anyone in Canberra who loves Kino with a German flavour! The German Film Festival is back for 2022 to showcase the best of contemporary German cinema (direct from major festivals in Europe) plus a selection from its German-speaking neighbours, Austria and Switzerland. From comedy to drama, there’s something for everyone.
Get your ticket, take your seats and enjoy the show…
Until 19 June | Place Electric Cinema | germanfilmfestival.com.au
Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London
From Shakespeare to Winehouse, Darwin to Dickens, the Beatles, Brontë sisters and Beckham, the National Portrait Gallery London holds the world’s most extensive collection of portraits. While they undergo the largest renovation of their building in 125 years, more than 80 treasures from their collection are on show in Canberra for this exclusive exhibition.
Until 17 July | National Portrait Gallery | portrait.gov.au
Fourth National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony
Ceremony remains central to the creative practice of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. From the intimate and personal to the collective and collaborative, ceremonies manifest through visual art, film, music and dance. This immersive exhibition and program of events will challenge and unsettle; animate and heal.
Through the work of 35 artists from around Australia, Ceremony reveals how the practice of ceremony is at the nexus of Country, culture and community.
Until 31 July | National Gallery of Australia | nga.gov.au
On Stage: Spotlight On our Performing Arts
This exhibition brings Australia’s performing arts history into the limelight, also providing a backstage pass to the action behind the scenes, showcasing perspectives on stage direction, costume design, scripts, contracts and musical scores used by performers.
Presented together for the first time and drawing exclusively from the collections of the National Library, the exhibition features items that have never before been on display. Other highlights include the earliest surviving Australian printed document, selections from the JC Williamson theatre archives, and other contemporary live music and theatre posters.
Until 7 August | National Library of Australia | nla.gov.au
