Everything you need to know about UPSTAGEING, Canberra’s creative ageing arts festival

Posted on 4 February, 2026

Creativity doesn’t retire or expire – that’s the message behind Australia’s first large-scale creative ageing arts festival. And it’s happening in Canberra.

Celebrating the bold, brilliant and diverse creative works of older Canberrans, UPSTAGEING will be taking over the city from Friday 20 until Sunday 29 March for nine jam-packed days.

Created by older people, for older people, the festival is hosted by the Council on the Ageing ACT (COTA ACT). The program will include performances, exhibitions, arts workshops, and more – all shining a spotlight on the ACT’s diverse arts scene.

Festival Director Dr Cathy Hope says that the idea for UPSTAGEING was born from a desire to celebrate positive ageing; something that emphasis joy, wellbeing and quality of life.

“Canberra is one of the most creative cities in Australia. We take creativity and culture very seriously, we’re passionate about it, and one of the things that this festival has really made clear to me is there is an incredible array of creative practitioners around town,” she explains.

“People genuinely understand how important creative activity is for health, wellbeing and quality of life. We really want to showcase that.”

Wanting to move away from what she call’s ‘deficit thinking’ – the idea that ageing is a negative thing – Cathy says the festival program not only showcases the diverse creativity activities happening in Canberra but also invites people to try them for themselves.

More than 80 activities and performances spanning visual arts, theatre, music, dance, film, and beyond are planned across more than 50 venues throughout the ACT.

From millinery and floral workshops to poetry readings, bush dancing, punk performances and ballet classes, the diversity of offerings makes one thing clear: creativity doesn’t cease after a certain age.

“I would love people to understand that creative activity is not just about the output. It’s really about the process, the meaning that you can get out of that process and how it can contribute to our well-being and our mental health,” says Cathy.

“The other component of this is about tackling ageism and making what is normally invisible, visible – that is, we have lots of older creative practitioners in this town across a wide range of art forms.”

Acknowledging that while it’s always important to support emerging creatives, Cathy hopes that UPSTAGEING uplifts older Canberrans who are still trying to contribute to cultural conversations.

And while the festival has been designed by older people and for older people, she’s quick to point out that audiences of all ages will find something to enjoy.

“One of the great things about the arts is it’s something that you can hand down through generations and it helps to keep different generations connected.”

“Everybody’s welcome. Bring your kids, you know, bring your grandparents – whoever wants to come!”

Working closely with the cultural institutions, theatres and more to bring UPSTAGEING to life, the full program will be released closer to the festival dates.

With more announcements to come, follow @upstageingcanberra for more information.