40+ things to do this week in Canberra (you’re gonna need more days)
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NAIDOC Week events, school holiday programs, illuminated igloos and a Gatsby-themed boutique indoor dog event…you’re gonna need more days.
This week is absolutely jam-packed. Here’s how to spend it in Canberra.
10 Not To Miss
Mid-Winter Nights at Questacon
Igloos are the coolest activity this winter with a light-up option also hitting the Canberra scene at the Mid-Winter Nights event at Questacon. As soon as the sun goes down the fun will go up, at this family-friendly event with a side of science. Learn about our five must-do experiences here. Online bookings are sold out, but there are limited tickets available at the door each night.
Wednesday 6 July – Saturday 9 July | King Edward Terrace, Parkes | Tickets via Ticketek
Winter in the City
Skate into the school holidays when Civic Square is converted into an ice skating rink for Winter in the City. A perfect activity for the young (and young of heart) you’ll be racing to lace up your skates and hit the ice. For those looking for something a bit more chill head along to the Winter dRINKs Bar at Canberra Theatre Centre Terrace or get cosy around some fireplaces, while you enjoy some gourmet hot chocolate and toast your own marshmallows. Learn more about this winter fun here.
Friday 1 July – Sunday 17 July | Civic Square | winterinthecity.com
Changemakers
A new exhibition at the Australian Museum of Democracy (MoAD) is celebrating the female torchbearers who have played a pivotal role in shaping Australian society, who rallied against limitations, forging new paths, and changing policy, laws, and opinions.
Changemakers will focus on 54 Australian women and shine a light on how the politicians, artists, activists, and sportswomen have shifted the national conversation and changed the future.
From Ash Barty and Chanel Contos to Rosie Batty, Barbara Cummings, and Louisa Lawsone, Changemakers will give a voice to the women via a series of images, objects, and videos while leading visitors through themes of equality, financial independence, birth and care roles, the challenges of gender and race, and more.
Now showing | 18 King George Terrace, Parkes | moadoph.gov.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.
Take advantage of extended opening hours for the final weekends of the exhibition–it will be open 9 am to 7 pm Thursday 7–Saturday 9 July, and Thursday 14–Saturday 16 July. The bookstore and café will also be open.
Until Sunday 17 July | National Portrait Gallery | portrait.gov.au
Westfield Woden’s Winter Wonderland
There’s nothing better than a cheeky G&T on the weekend, but what if we told you that you can now enjoy an exclusive gin tasting experience in a winter-themed dining dome? Erected in Woden’s Bradley Street Dining Precinct—allowing up to six to delight in a dome of warmth and privacy—you can now book into an exclusive 30-minute gin tasting experience that will offer the best beverages from Canberra distillery Underground Spirits.
Including the chance to try two gins and a cocktail of your choice as well as plenty of accompanying nibbles (like savoury treats provided by San Churro), the winter wonderland experience will also see snow falling throughout the precinct—perfect for utilising the 360-degree views from behind your private transparent dome.
Thursday 7 – Sunday 10 July | Westfield Woden, Bradley Street Dining Precinct | Tickets here.
Christmas in July at QT Lounge
The weather outside is frightful, but the wine is so delightful at QT Christmas in July. Serving up a mouth-watering three-course meal with views of Canberra and the lake, who says Christmas only has to be celebrated once a year?
Saturday 9 July | QT Lounge, London Circuit | Tickets via Eventbrite
The Canberra Truffle Festival
That’s right foodies, the Truffle Festival is back to bring exceptional gourmet products to your doorstep. And with plenty to do (think: hunting with truffle dogs, cooking demonstrations, growing and storing workshops, signature lunches and dinners, truffle tastings and more), it’s the ulimate celebration of the finest fungi.
Until Saturday 20 August | Various locations |trufflefestival.com.au
A Pooch Affair
The ulti-mutt (sorry) activity for you and fur babies has arrived. This Gatsby themed event is your excuse to buy that adorable bow tie you’ve been eyeing off for your puppy and get dolled up yourself. Serving im-paw-sibly good food, drinks and puppachinos whilst raising money for organisations like the RSPCA you’re barking mad to miss it.
Saturday 9 July | Budawang Pavilion, Exhibition Park | facebook.com/apoochaffairaus
First Wednesday Connect July
Looking to connect with some like-minded movers and shakers? Share stories and chat with local entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and innovators from Canberra’s innovation community at the Canberra Innovation Network’s First Wednesday Connect July. It’s free to come along, but registrations are essential!
Wednesday 6 July | City Community Health, 1 Moore Street, Canberra | Tickets here.
Trivia Night with Recycled Racehorses
Dust off your pop culture and obscure geographically knowledge because the charity Recycled Racehorses is having a trivia night. It’s time to assemble the perfect team to take home a range of prizes including signed items and experiences whilst raising money to retrain and rehome ex-racehorses. Tickets can be purchased individually or bring a table of approximately 10 people. You’re ticket also comes with a three-course meal to help keep the hangry at bay and your trivia brain racing.
Saturday 9 July | Gungahlin Lakes Club | recycledracehorses.com
NAIDOC Week
Art Steps by Hayley Millar Baker
Designed for the whole family to roll up their sleeves and get creative, Art Steps are instructions that invite you to create your own work of art.
Looking at how your intuitions and imaginations take you to special places and people while you are dreaming, Gunditjmara and Djabwurrung artist Hayley Millar Baker (whose film Nyctinasty is part of the 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony) will show you how to engage with these themes through drawing and sharing with family and friends.
Until Sunday 17 July | National Gallery of Australia | nga.gov.au
Tasting Australia with Adam Shipp
Take a tour of the National Museum’s Christina and Trevor Kennedy Garden—a living museum of Indigenous food and medicine plants from across Australia—and enjoy the sights and scents of the season as Adam Shipp (Wiradjuri) of Yurbay Consultancies shares his passion for native plants.
Each tour finishes with tea in the garden and the opportunity to sample some of the flavours found in the Kennedy Garden and around the Canberra region
12.30 pm and 3 pm Thursday 7 and 9.30 am and 12 pm Saturday 9 July | National Museum of Australia | nma.gov.au
NAIDOC Afternoons in the Theatre
Celebrating the leader who have been the champions of change, this NAIDOC Week the National Library is screening stories of those who have lived ‘Get up, Stand up, Show up’. Including the stories of Charles Perkins, Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue and Jimmy Little, the screenings are available thanks to National Film and Sound Archive and their wonderful Black Screen initiative.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that these screenings may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons.
Monday 4 – Friday 8 July | National Library of Australia | nla.gov.au
MEGAFauna afterDARK
Perfect for the whole family, step back in time at the National Botanic Gardens and experience an event like no other with MEGAfuna.
Start your adventure off by exploring the gardens to find the megafuna, ancient plants and more while learning about how they inspired some of Australia’s myths and legends, art and culture or book in and brave the dark to enjoy an immersive cultural event that offers a rare opportunity to explore the Botanic Gardens after the sun has gone down.
With the chance to be enchanted by a local Gurulidj (Bunyip) story and song by a First Nations storyteller, you can complete the experience by adding on a light supper of damper-style roll with pumpkin soup by Pollen café.
If you’re looking for a more hands-on experience, join Ronnie Jordan (a Kalkadoon Pitta Pitta woman) in a bush animal weaving workshop where you can create your own MEGAfauna creature. Inspiring a connection to Aboriginal culture, both children and adults will learn techniques of the age-old art of traditional weaving while Ronnie shares her traditional ecological knowledge.
Saturday 2 July – Sunday 10 July | Australian National Botanic Gardens | parksaustralia.gov.au
Story Time—Ceremony: Welcome to Our Country
Head to the National Portrait Gallery to celebrate NAIDOC week with a reading of Ceremony: Welcome to Our Country written by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing. Perfect for little ones, the reading will be followed by some colourful and playful activities.
Wednesday 6 July, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm | National Portrait Gallery of Australia | portrait.gov.au
NAIDOC Week at Cooleman Court
This NAIDOC Week, head to Cooleman Court as they invite the entire community to celebrate through art. Paying tribute to their traditional name of ’Yukembruk Place’ meaning ‘Place of the Crows’, local artist, Eddie Longford has created a large and beautiful permanent mural at the Northern Entrance of Cooleman Court.
And to further celebrate the new mural, Cooleman Court will be hosting boomerang painting workshops on Monday 4 July and a community artwork initiative on the centre’s ground level, inviting children to come and contribute their own artistic expression which will be displayed and enjoyed by the community.
Monday 4 and Friday 8 July, 10 am – 1 pm | Cooleman Court, level 1 (near Aldi) | coolemancourt.com
Bula’Bula Arts: Miyalk buku-manapanmirri (women gathering together)
Focusing on the weavings made by women artists of Gurrwiliny (the Arafura wetlands) miyalk buku-manapanmirri showcases the beauty of how they use pandanus, sandbark and kurrajong fibres, spun and subtly coloured with natural dyes, to create exuberant and elegant woven pieces.
Including pieces by Daphne Banyawarra, Delilah Lilipiyana, Linda Dalparri, Margaret Djarrbalabal Malibirr, Lisa Gurrulpa, Jordina Milibiwirri, Kathleen Malpamba, Evonne Munuyngu, Julie Djulibing Malibirr, Mary Dhapalany and Mary Rrikili, the exhibition is a tribute to how the women’s fine techniques give rise to a variety of sculptural forms and textures which lay witness to the long and powerful cultural continuity.
Until Saturday 9 July | Beaver Galleries, 81 Denison Street, Deakin | beavergalleries.com.au
Hand to Earth
Head to the National Museum of Australia to join Yolnu songman Daniel Wilfred and Korean jazz vocalist Sunny Kim in an Australian Art Orchestra musical collaboration as they tell stories of the stars, fire, and cooling rain. Performing for one night only, Hand to Earth is a beautiful invitation to share culture and learn from each other.
Sunday 3 July | National Museum of Australia | nma.gov.au
AustLang Code-a-thon
Ever wanted to make an important impact to First Australian’s cultural materials? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are invited to contribute their knowledge to collections from all over Australia and identify them for others by tagging items with the relevant language code from AustLang. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy a cuppa at home while taking some time to look for your cultural material.
Sunday 3 – Sunday 10 July | trove.nla.gov.au
Traditional weaving workshop walk-up
Suitable for ages 12 and up, you can celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as you join Ronnie Jordan (a Kalkadoon Pitta Pitta woman) as she shares her traditional ecological knowledge.
A hands-on experience, the workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to experience and heal through traditional culture.
Saturday 9 July, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm | National Portrait Gallery of Australia | portrait.gov.au
Life Source
A collection of works that speak of culture and Country as the foundations of life, Life Source is an exhibition created by Leah Brideson that focuses on the rivers in her Country, Kamilaroi, and the land she lives on—Ngunnawal.
Representing her own healing journey, Leah consolidates old ideas and explores new designs through a visual conversation, consistent with her feelings and visions of culture and Country. Representing the physical to spiritual, illustrating diverse elements of culture and Country, and illuminating the spiritual connection through colour, movement and story, it’s a great opportunity to see the work of a local artist.
Friday 8 July – Sunday 21 August | Generator Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre | belcoarts.com
Colonisation Exhbition
Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist of Aboriginal (Southern Arrernte), Chinese and Anglo-Celtic descent and her latest exhibition is here to challenge dominant socio-culture taboos. Breaking silences around Colonisation by documenting her cancer journey—taboos people shy away from talking about—she aims to start conversations about both.
Friday 8 July – Sunday 21 August | The Window, Belconnen Arts Centre| belcoarts.com
School holidays
Beats by Majura Park Shopping Centre
A silent disco is coming to Canberra with three playlists of music, as well as interactive games including a lit-up LED limbo bar it is sure to have your toes tapping and the little ones dancing their hearts out. Flip out is just around the corner and with delicious food options such as Lollipops café and playground, Majura Park is the perfect way to spend a day out of the house.
You can learn more here.
10 am–2 pm, Monday 4–Friday 8 July | Majura Park Shopping Centre | majuraparkshopping.com.au
Canberra Glassworks School Holiday Program
Looking for something creative and fun for the kids these school holidays? Why not book them into the Canberra Glassworks School Holiday Program and let them unleash their imagination in glass?
Under the guidance of some of Australia’s most acclaimed glass artists, they will learn introductory techniques in glassmaking to create their own masterpiece, including an illuminated sculpture and a seasonal tile!
Wednesday 6 – Sunday 17 July | 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | canberraglassworks.com
Maker2Market
Creative, collaborative and cracking to get into the business world? Maker2Market is a three-day intensive for young people (aged 10-17) who love making things, have probably been tinkering for a while, and have the aspiration to start their own business.
Over two days learn all about how to run a successful business whilst creating products to sell on the third day at local market stalls around Canberra.
9.30 am–4 pm, 7–8 July | University of Canberra | edii.com.au
Music and more
Amy Shark
Hitting the Canberra Theatre Centre for one night to play us her biggest hits, Amy Shark is not to be missed. After touring internationally and performing on several major US television shows (including The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), Amy’s back—and bigger than ever.
Thursday 7 July | Canberra Theatre Centre | Tickets here.
Bella Taylor-Smith: Look Me In The Eyes EP Launch
You know and love her from The Voice, Australia 2021 and now Bella Taylor-Smith is on her way to Canberra to first-ever Headline Tour of Australia (East Coast). Debuting a brand-new show with never before heard live performances of material lifted from her sublime forthcoming E.P, “Look Me In The Eyes” (EMI/Universal), it’s the perfect chance to hear her crystalline, intimate and extraordinary voice.
Friday 8 July | The Street Theatre | thestreet.org.au
Bandaluzia Flamenco
The Spanish soul is fiery and best expressed by Flamenco music and dance!
Acclaimed modern flamenco ensemble Bandaluzia led by ARIA nominated flamenco guitarist Damian Wright, present a spectacular new show that showcases contemporary flamenco dance and music whilst displaying the essential characteristics of the flamenco tradition. A journey through this unique and incredible artform by some of Australia and Spain’s most revered flamenco artists.
Friday 8 July | Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | theq.net.au
Satinder Sartaaj: Australian Rejuvenation Tour
This four-hour show stopper by multi-talented songwriter, singer, composer, poet and actor, Satinder Sartaa will be an experience worth staying up a bit later for. Since he started performing in 1999, he has released 24 albums and sold millions of albums worldwide, capturing millions of hearts with his hit song Sai you will love all he has to offer.
Sunday 10 July | Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | theq.net.au
Ball Park Music at UC Refectory
Get excited, Ball Park Music head out on the road for the first headline tour in four years! And while this almost implies the band have been quiet, nothing could be further from the truth. With two new albums under their belt, expect the first taste from their forthcoming 7th studio record.
Saturday 9 July | 11 Kirinari Street, Building 1, Bruce | Tickets here.
Deep in the Fallow Album Tour
Just off the road from supporting Paul Kelly throughout regional Australia, and simultaneously celebrating 10 years of her own touring brand, ‘The Country Halls Tour’, Fanny Lumsden and her band The Pack are bringing fallow out on its last hurrah in her notoriously entertaining live show. A family-friendly show perfect for anyone who wants to walk away with a little warmth and renewed hope in the world.
Saturday 9 July | Street Theatre | StreetTheatre.org
Film
Champions Of Change Film Festival
Technically these are a little out of Canberra but each one is well worth the drive. Featuring five films created by local emerging filmmakers these screenings also come along with a Q&A session where you can tap into the behind-the-scenes knowledge and expertise of these local people sharing local stories.
Friday 8 July – Sunday 10 July | Crookwell, Gundaroo and Dalton | southerntablelandarts.com
Stage
As Seen On TV
Drag powerhouses, Art Simone and Etcetera Etcetera, are hitting the road in 2022 to live out the ultimate Priscilla fantasy and they’re stopping at the Canberra Theatre Centre to give you backstage access to your favourite television shows – live and uncut.
Expect all the drama of your favourite soap opera and the glamour of a late night infomercial as they break the fourth wall and perform side-splitting numbers about their misadventures in drag.
Friday 8 July | Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com
A Flying Photon with Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer
Love stars, sequins and a hint of humour? Come on a glittering and whimsical journey and uncover a bizarre piece of quantum mechanics which brings us both a sunset and the internet: the tiny, tiny photon. With experiments, poetry, and a deep dive into some of the best features in the cosmos, this science show is the perfect mix of comedy and quantum.
Thursday 7 July | Smith’s Alternative | smithsalternative.com
The Year of Magical Thinking
An intimate, powerful and deeply personal story, The Year of Magical Thinking is a journey from the comfort and contentment of life into the surreal and dark world of grief, and beyond. Joan Didion’s celebrated memoir is brought to life by Green Room Award-winning actor Jillian Murray in a critically-acclaimed solo performance that reunites her with director Laurence Strangio.
Thursday 7 July – Saturday 9 July | Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | theq.net.au
Exhibitions
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 Darling Portrait Prize and National Photographic Portrait Prize
Head along to the National Portrait Gallery of Australia to view the 2022 Darling Portrait Prize and the National Photographic Portrait Prize. Your ticket gets you into both, so what are you waiting for?
Until Sunday 9 Oct | National Portrait Gallery | portrait.gov.au
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 Sunday 4 Sep 2022 | National Archives of Australia | naa.gov.au
While You Were Sleeping Volume 2
Back for its second instalment While You Were Sleeping Volume 2 brings together a showcase of contemporary First Nations artists from multi-disciplinary backgrounds including street art, fine art, photography, illustration, digital, sculpture, film and more. The art explores the joys and despair of the quest to secure recognition, equality and respect for the First Nations culture, heritage and people.
Until Sunday 31 July | Kambri Precinct ANU | ambushgallery.com
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
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 Sunday 18 September | National Museum of Australia | nma.gov.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
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
Kenneth Rowell: Designer for the Stage
Highlighting the work of Melbourne-born painter and designer Kenneth Rowell (1920-1999), characters and productions come alive through design at the National Library of Australia. While Rowell almost always designed both costume and set designs for a production, this exhibition showcases a selection of hand-drawn costume designs, as well as other items that give us a sense of his life in the theatre.
Until Sunday 11 December | National Library of Australia | nla.gov.au
Feature image: via facebook.com/nationalmuseumofaustralia
