Is this the biggest week in February? With 70+ things to do, we think so
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The Royal Canberra Show, Lunar New Year, The Korean Feast, the Belco Bowl Jam and 70+ things to do.
This week in Canberra is overflowing with events. With something for all ages, read on and get ready for a non-stop week. And just think, March isn’t even here yet…
Don’t miss…
Canberra Lunar New Year Festival
Celebrate Lunar New Year in Dickson as Woolley Street comes alive with colour, music and community spirit. From morning until night, enjoy a full day of performances, food and family fun as they welcome the Year of the Fire Horse.
The main stage will feature Celestial Chronicles, a signature choreographed performance created especially for Dickson’s Lunar New Year celebration. Enjoy K Pop Heroes, a major attraction for families and young audiences, along with large scale performances from national artists. The evening will close with pyrotechnics lighting up the event in true Fire Horse style.
On the community stage, experience traditional and contemporary acts from local cultural groups, workshops in dance and kung fu, and interactive sessions for children. Across the event, discover roving zodiac performers sharing Hongbao and Lai See Bao, the popular Zodiac Gallery with horoscope insights for the coming year.
Food lovers can explore the extended food village showcasing Woolley Street favourites and ACT based vendors, along with bar offerings from local businesses. The Mini Mongkok market area will feature artists, craftspeople and community stalls that reflect the spirit of Lunar New Year through creativity and cultural connection.
Saturday 21 February, 10 am–10 pm | Woolley Street, Dickson | lunarnewyearcanberra.com
House of Heroes Late Night
The National Portrait Gallery’s annual late-night event celebrates Yankunytjatjara artist Kaylene Whiskey and her exhibition Super Kaylene Whiskey. Curated by The Huxleys, the immersive evening features live performances, creative pop-ups, interactive workshops, art tours and a dancefloor playing music from Dolly Parton, Cher and Tina Turner. Roving performances from Bendy Ben, Gabi Barton and Rosie Allways entertain throughout the night. Activities include bag charm making with Haus of Dizzy, line dancing with Kath Ebbs, and performances from The Huxleys, D Flowers, Felicia Foxx and others. DJ Charlie Villas and MC 2Joocee keep energy high. Food stalls and bars operate throughout. Prizes reward best-dressed attendees.
Friday, 20 February, 7 pm–11.59 pm | National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes | portrait.gov.au
Royal Canberra Show
The 2026 Royal Canberra Show features over 150 attractions, 5,000 animals, 450 trade displays and 1,500 competitors across three days at Exhibition Park. Visitors can explore livestock exhibitions, agricultural displays and equestrian events from morning through to evening. The show includes carnival rides, show bag stalls, food vendors and entertainment suitable for all ages. Collectors can purchase collectible and coloured circulating coins, while children aged 5–12 can participate in coin trading activities. The event offers wheelchair access, on-site parking and family-friendly facilities throughout the venue. Entry tickets are available online.
Friday, 20 February–Sunday, 22 February, 2026 | Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), Flemington Road, Mitchell | canberrashow.org.au
Illuminate: How Science Comes to Light
Questacon’s newest exhibition opens this Friday 20 February. Through hands-on interactive play, visitors are invited to go on a colourful adventure as they explore the science behind light, the fastest traveller in the universe. Packed full of vivid hands-on activities and interactive exhibits, this exhibition will have you bending light, blending colours, dancing with shadows, and transforming your reflection.
As you journey through the exhibition, discover how light behaves, where it comes from, how it reflects and refracts, and explore the tools humans have created to harness its power.
Opens Friday 20 February | Questacon, King Edward Terrace, Parkes | questacon.edu.au
The Korean Feast
The National Museum presents a fine dining experience featuring contemporary Korean cuisine by Jung-Su Chang, Executive Chef of two-hatted Sydney restaurant Allta. The evening includes a themed cocktail on arrival, a three-course meal paired with modern Korean and native teas or premium Australian wines, and exclusive after-hours access to the Hallyu! The Korean Wave exhibition. National Museum Senior Curator Kate Morschel leads a curator talk before dinner. The event runs for three and a half hours from early evening. Individual tickets are $295, with group bookings of six or more at $285 per ticket. All prices are inclusive.
Friday, 20 February, 7 pm–10.30 pm | National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton | nma.gov.au/hallyu/korean-feast
Canberra Valentine’s Paws Party: Sniff Right
A Valentine’s-themed event for dogs and their humans takes place at Haig Park alongside the Haig Park Markets. The Sniff Right Paws Party features live music, complimentary treats and goodies for dogs, a Valentine’s photoshoot and dog matchmaking opportunities. The two-hour morning event encourages socialisation between dogs and their owners in a festive atmosphere. Attendees can participate in the Haig Park Markets during the same timeframe. The event takes place at the top of Mort Street in Braddon. The party celebrates Valentine’s Day through dog-friendly activities and community gathering. Free entry for all dogs and humans.
Saturday, 22 February, 10 am–12 pm | Haig Park, top of Mort Street, Braddon | facebook.com/events/1284602286833154
Special Events and Festivals
Belco Bowl Jam
Australia’s most popular annual skateboarding event returns for three days of competition and music across Canberra City and Belconnen. World-class professional skateboarders compete for over $30,000 in cash prizes throughout the weekend. The festival combines skateboarding demonstrations, competitions and live music performances at multiple venues. Events take place across Friday, Saturday and Sunday with different activities scheduled at various locations each day. The festival attracts top skateboarders from Australia and internationally, showcasing high-level skateboarding skills and tricks. Detailed schedules and venue information are available through the event’s Instagram page. The weekend celebrates skateboarding culture through sport, music and community gathering.
Friday, 20 February–Sunday, 22 February | Various locations, Canberra City and Belconnen | @belcobowljam
Belco Bowl Jam Street Party
Belco Bowl Jam weekend opens with a street party in Verity Lane featuring Australian punk rock band Frenzal Rhomb and support from Leatherman. The evening includes the world premiere of Volcom’s new skateboarding video Microwave and a cash splash skate jam showcasing professional skateboarders from Australia and internationally. The street party launches the three-day Belco Bowl Jam festival, Australia’s most popular annual skateboarding event. The weekend features skateboarding competitions and music across Canberra City and Belconnen venues. Over $30,000 in cash prizes attracts world-class skateboarders to compete. The Friday evening street party runs for four hours in Verity Lane.
Friday, 20 February, 6 pm–10 pm | Verity Lane, Canberra City | @belcobowljam
Bridgerton Soirée at Hotel Kurrajong
Lady Whistledown cordially summons guests to an evening of elegance, indulgence and scandal-worthy splendour at Hotel Kurrajong Canberra. The Regency-style soirée invites attendees to sip, swoon and sparkle in true period fashion. The evening features indulgent delights fit for the Ton, exquisite free-flow champagne, live period entertainment to stir hearts, and dancing beneath music tempting even the most reserved debutante. Delightful florals provided by Mayflower Designs complete the romantic atmosphere.
Guests are encouraged to dress in finest Regency-inspired attire or something utterly divine, as in a room such as this, one never knows who might be watching. The social calendar demands gathering for romance, charm and just the right amount of mischief. Attendance required for those wishing to be truly seen.
Friday, 20 February, 6–9 pm | Hotel Kurrajong Canberra, Barton | trybooking.com
Canberra Miniature Railway train rides at dusk and in the dark
This Saturday, 21 February, the Canberra Miniature Railway is hosting train rides at dusk and in the dark.
Rides begin at 5 pm so that the littlies can enjoy them before they’re off to bed but the real fun begins at dusk and in the dark when the incredible light show comes alive! Many of the trains have light shows themselves but the greatest attractions are the animated lights around the tracks – trains travel beside, around and even under thousands of computer-controlled lights.
Every person requires a ticket to enter. Ticket includes unlimited rides. The canteen will be open for hot and cold food, and drinks – grab some dinner and enjoy it in the covered picnic area while watching the trains go around.
Saturday 21 February, 5–9 pm | Canberra Miniature Railway, Southern end of Jerrabomberra Avenue, Symonston | trybooking.com
UNESCO International Mother Language Day Carillon Concert
Senior Carillonist Dr Thomas Laue presents a concert celebrating UNESCO International Mother Language Day at the National Carillon. The performance features live singing from the International Mother Language Movement Canberra, the organisation behind the city’s annual Mother Language Walk. The program divides into three segments: Unity across Cultures and Peoples, Songs for Our Children, and Songs for and about Peace. Music includes children’s songs from the Philippines, Estonia, Ukraine, Catalonia, and Canada, alongside peace anthems from China, Indonesia and Japan. The concert also features Anthem Combined and I am Australian. With over 90 mother tongue languages spoken in the ACT, the event celebrates Canberra’s linguistic diversity.
Saturday, 21 February, 12.30 pm–1.30 pm | National Carillon, Queen Elizabeth II Island, Wendouree Drive, Parkes | nca.gov.au/national-carillon-concert-programs
Freestyle Kings Live
Freestyle Kings Live brings action-packed freestyle motocross and BMX spectacular to GIO Stadium for one show only. The two-hour choreographed show features world-class athletes including Guinness World Record Holder Robbie Maddison and his sons Kruz and Jagger, multiple X Games Gold Medalist Rob Adelberg, X-Fighters World Champion Clinton Moore, World Champion Pat Bowden, and world’s best female BMX rider Ellie Chew.
This family fun event includes pyrotechnics, firebreathers and non-stop action with world-dominating tricks. From international competitors to social media FMX superstars, the lineup showcases the best in freestyle motocross alongside BMX talent.
Saturday, 21 February, 6 pm–8 pm | GIO Stadium, Bruce | freestylekings.com
Kids Free Fun February at Bunnings
This month, families can look to Bunnings for a free and engaging way to keep kids entertained every weekend. Across every weekend in February, Bunnings will run fun, screen-free workshops in every store across Australia that kids can do while their parents shop. Coming up this weekend is Magic Garden, and Wooden Robots next weekend.
To help build excitement, Bunnings is also launching its new Kids DIY Passport Program. Designed to reward little D.I.Yers, kids can collect stamps at every workshop they complete, with milestone rewards at 4, 8 and 12 stamps. This will be an ongoing initiative, so kids can enjoy the rewards for their hard work throughout the year.
Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February – check website for times | Your local Bunnings | Book via bunnings.com.au/kidsdiy
Australia’s First Junior Dragon Boat Regatta
Canberra hosts a historic sporting milestone as more than 160 junior paddlers compete in Australia’s first dedicated Junior Dragon Boat Regatta at Grevillea Park, Lake Burley Griffin. Dragon Boat ACT presents the groundbreaking event bringing together young athletes from across the country in a regatta designed exclusively for juniors. Races feature junior crews competing in vibrant, high-energy atmosphere highlighting teamwork, strength and community spirit. Dragon boating is one of Australia’s fastest-growing water sports, and this inaugural junior-only regatta reflects strong commitment to developing the next generation of athletes. The event provides competitive, safe environment for junior paddlers whilst showcasing the sport’s growth among young people. Spectators witness fast-paced racing supporting junior athletes making history on the dragon boating stage.
Saturday, 21 February, 8 am–2 pm | Grevillea Park, Lake Burley Griffin | dbact.com.au
Greyhound Adoption Day
Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) is returning to Canberra with a large Greyhound Adoption Day at Petstock Brindabella, bringing 30+ pet-ready greyhounds available for adoption to the ACT. The event follows strong adoption interest and a positive community response at previous Canberra events, highlighting the continued popularity of greyhounds with local households.
Canberra has become a standout region for greyhound adoption, with many locals — including young families — drawn to the breed’s calm, affectionate nature and suitability for home life.
Multiple happy greyhound adopter case studies are available, with opportunities to arrange interviews, photography and on-camera vision featuring ACT families and their greyhounds, as well as event-day footage.
The Brindabella event gives locals the chance to meet pet-ready greyhounds in person, speak with the GAP team, and learn more about the adoption process in a relaxed, community setting.
Saturday 21 February, 9–12 pm | Petstock Brindabella, 2 Johns Place, Hume | gapnsw.com.au
Food and Wine
Lunar New Year at Hyatt Hotel Canberra
Hyatt Hotel Canberra marks the Year of the Horse with an evening event at the Promenade Café. The celebration includes a seafood buffet featuring authentic Asian cuisine across multiple courses. A live lion dance performance takes place during the evening. The event runs across four consecutive nights from Monday through Thursday in mid-February. Bookings are required and can be made through TableCheck. The dining experience combines traditional Lunar New Year customs with contemporary hotel dining. The Promenade Café is located at Hyatt Hotel Canberra in Yarralumla.
Tuesday, 17 February–Friday, 20 February, 2026 | The Promenade Cafe at Hyatt Hotel Canberra, 120 Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla | tablecheck.com
Parrilla Masterclass Tuggeranong
Executive Chef Bradley Howden leads this hands-on cooking workshop focused on traditional parrilla techniques. Participants will learn authentic fire cooking methods, working through the complete process from preparation to plating. The masterclass covers grilling techniques, temperature control and flavour development specific to parrilla-style cooking. The session takes place in a social setting suitable for both experienced grill enthusiasts and those new to cooking over fire. All necessary equipment and ingredients are provided during the three-hour workshop. The class offers practical skills in traditional South American fire cooking methods.
Saturday, 21 February, 11 am–2 pm | Canberra Southern Cross Club Tuggeranong, Cnr Pitman & Holwell Street, Greenway | cscc.com.au
Markets
Canberra Psychic Fair
A two-day event at Ainslie Football and Social Club features psychic readings, spiritual services and wellbeing stalls. Attendees can browse displays of crystals, handcrafted jewellery, candles, clothing, scents, and Wicca and Witchcraft items. Available services include psychic readings, medium consultations, wax art readings, aura readings, spirit drawings and reiki healing. Practitioners from across Australia will be present throughout the weekend. Bookings for individual readings can be made on-site. The fair operates across both Saturday and Sunday with stallholders and readers available throughout opening hours.
Saturday, 21 February–Sunday, 22 February | Ainslie Football and Social Club, Wakefield Street, Ainslie | canberrapsychicfair.com.au
Capital Region Farmers Market
This farmers’ market is iconic for a reason.
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.
Saturdays, 7 am-11:30 am | Exhibition Park in Canberra, Mitchell | capitalregionfarmersmarket.com.au
Old Bus Depot Markets
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.
Sundays, 9.30 am – 2.30 pm | 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | obdm.com.au
Southside Farmers Markets
This village market is located at Canberra College, making it the perfect place to duck in to grab what you need (and maybe a few things you don’t). Order an egg and bacon roll to start the morning as you explore the best of fresh seasonal veggies, handmade pasta, pet treats and more.
Sunday 7 am -11.30 am | 2 Launceston Street, Phillip | facebook.com/SouthsideFarmersMarketCanberra
Stage
La Souris Blanche (The White Mouse)
The Street Theatre presents a production following Nancy Wake’s journey from New Zealand to her role in the French Resistance during World War II. The play depicts Wake’s espionage and sabotage activities that made her the Gestapo’s most wanted woman. Set in 1944 occupied France, the production explores Wake’s missions and her evasion of capture during the war. The performance runs across three days in mid-February. The production highlights the stories of women in resistance movements during WWII. Tickets are available through The Street Theatre website for evening performances.
Wednesday, 18 February–Friday, 20 February | The Street Theatre, 15 Childers Street, Canberra | thestreet.org.au
Garibari
Garabari is a powerful gathering where performer and spectator, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, all become part of a thrilling dance party.
A gripping dance of story and rhythm where Wiradjuri culture meets pulsing techno energy, Garabari invites you to plunge into the swirling depths of a new civic ritual and experience culture as a living connection between people and Country. This is your chance to participate in a millennia-old ritual on a monumental scale. Developed on Wiradjuri Country with Elders and artists, Garabari shares the Giilang (story and song) of Marramalngidyal Marrambidyagu, the making of the Murrumbidgee River, gifted by the late Uncle James Ingram.
Bodies, light and sound weave together in a contemporary experience of gathering. Guided by performers, audiences gain a visceral sense of how story, song and dance continue to live and evolve today. With ethereal costumes by Wiradjuri designer Denni Francisco (Ngali), driving beats by Byron Scullin and enthralling projections by Katie Sfetkidis, Garabari is unlike any corroboree that has come before it.
Thursday 19 and Friday 20 February | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, City | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Never Closer
Off the Ledge Theatre presents the ACT debut of Never Closer, set in Northern Ireland in 1987 during The Troubles. The play follows Deirdre and her old school friends gathering for Christmas Eve, ten years since they were last together. Tensions rise when one friend arrives with her English fiancé. The production premiered at Belvoir St Theatre in 2024 and runs for a two-week season at Canberra Theatre Centre. Founded in 2025, Off the Ledge Theatre focuses on bold contemporary works centring queer and Australian voices. Director Lachlan Houen leads an ensemble of emerging actors.
Thursday, 19 February–Saturday, 28 February, 2026 | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, City | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce
Canberra REP Theatre presents Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy exploring relationships and family dynamics across one evening. The production follows four couples and their interactions across three bedrooms, examining conflicts within and outside relationships. The play uses physical comedy and observational humour to depict domestic situations. This amateur production is presented by arrangement with ORIGIN Theatrical on behalf of Samuel French Inc, a Concord Theatricals Company. The show runs for multiple performances across three weeks in February and March. Performance times and ticket information are available on the Canberra REP website.
Thursday, 19 February–Saturday, 7 March, 2026 | Canberra REP Theatre, 3 Repertory Lane, Canberra | canberrarep.org.au
Shakespeare by the Lake – Season VII – The Taming of the Shrew
Shakespeare by the Lakes presents its seventh season with free outdoor performances and ticketed indoor shows. This year’s production reimagines The Taming of the Shrew with a contemporary interpretation while remaining true to the original text. Outdoor park performances operate in a festival atmosphere with food vendors and picnic seating. Indoor boutique shows feature limited audience numbers in intimate venues. The production includes local references and immersive staging designed for audience engagement. Performances take place across multiple venues from mid-February through early March. Show dates, times and venue details are available on the festival website.
Until Sunday, 1 March | Various locations | lakespeare.com
Screen
European Avant-Garde at the NFSA
The National Film and Sound Archive presents a series of European avant-garde films from the 1960s postwar period. The program explores experimental cinema that rejected conventional narrative structures in favour of fragmentation and absurdity. The films reflect political and countercultural youth movements of the era through alternative cinematic forms. The series screens across three Wednesday evenings in February. Individual session times and film titles are available through the NFSA ticketing website. The screenings take place at the archive’s cinema in Acton.
Thursday 19 February | National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Circuit, Acton | tickets.nfsa.gov.au
Canberra Cabaret Festival 2026
Canberra Cabaret Festival returns to ACT Hub’s Causeway Hall for three nights celebrating songs, stories and intimate performance. The 2026 season showcases three outstanding Canberra performers presenting distinct, deeply personal cabaret works exploring love, identity, connection and beautifully messy life choices.
Deborah O’Toole presents Matters of the Heart, a warm, funny and moving exploration of love in romantic, familial and self-found forms. Janie Lawson’s DNA: The Cabaret tells the powerful story of discovering new family later in life through song and personal reflection. Dave Collins brings Dave 101: An Introduction to Poor Life Choices, a witty, self-aware cabaret about missteps, resilience and learning to laugh at moments we wish we could redo.
Wednesday, 19 to Friday, 21 February | ACT Hub, Kingston | acthub.com.au
Cult Classics with Venus Mantrap at the NFSA
The National Film and Sound Archive presents a Friday night film series hosted by drag artist Venus Mantrap. Each screening includes a live performance and introduction to the selected film, which explores cult cinema from various decades and genres. The February screening features Susan Seidelman’s She-Devil. The 2026 program runs across eleven Friday nights from February through December, showcasing films from directors including the Coen brothers and Kathryn Bigelow. The series presents cinema that challenges conventions and explores alternative narratives. Tickets are available through the NFSA website for individual screenings.
Friday, 20 February, 8 pm–10 pm | National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Circuit, Acton | tickets.nfsa.gov.au
Music and Dance
Silver Songbirds choir
Silver Songbirds choir welcomes anyone who loves to sing and have a good time. No auditions, no pressure, absolutely no judgement. Just great music and even better company at Erindale Vikings Club in Wanniassa.
The choir tackles everything from choral gems and global folk to jazz, contemporary arrangements and well-known operatic classics, backed by a professional musical director and pianist. Performing at COTA UP STAGEING festival in late March, plus venues throughout Canberra’s south, the Songbirds prove that singing together lifts spirits in song and life.
Mid-day Wednesday rehearsals mean easy driving and parking, whilst the caring community creates connections beyond the music. Bring your mature voice and join the fun. New members welcome anytime.
Wednesdays, 11 am | Erindale Vikings Club, Wanniassa | Contact Christine 0412 056 394
Grieg Piano Music
Wesley Lunchtime Concert series presents pianist Sam Row performing compositions by Edvard Grieg. The program includes Piano Sonata in E minor, Grieg’s first major piano work composed at age 22, featuring Norwegian folk songs and dances across four movements. Row also performs piano arrangements from Peer Gynt Suite 1, which Grieg originally composed as incidental music for Ibsen’s play. The 40-minute concert takes place at Wesley Music Centre with refreshments provided. Tickets are $15 including program, with additional donations welcome. Pre-booking is available through TryBooking or by phone.
Wednesday, 18 February, 12.40 pm–1.20 pm | Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest | trybooking.com/DIJJK
Garabari
A contemporary performance developed on Wiradjuri Country combines dance, light, sound and projection to share the story of the making of the Murrumbidgee River. The production was created with Wiradjuri Elders and artists, featuring the Giilang gifted by the late Uncle James Ingram. Performers guide audiences through an immersive experience incorporating traditional story, song and dance with contemporary electronic music by Byron Scullin. Costumes are designed by Wiradjuri designer Denni Francisco (Ngali), with projections by Katie Sfetkidis. The multi-sensory event presents cultural gathering in a modern theatrical format at Canberra Theatre Centre.
Thursday, 19 February, 7 pm–8.20 pm | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, City | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Rocketman vs Pianoman
Lance Strauss and Jimmy Mann recreate the music of Elton John and Billy Joel in an intimate two-man concert. The performers blend their voices in harmony while playing piano, performing hits from both legendary artists. The show includes heartfelt ballads and energetic anthems across a 140-minute performance with a 20-minute interval. The production features haze effects and takes place at The Q in Queanbeyan. Tickets range from $55 to $59 with concessions and group rates available. The performance captures the essence of Elton John and Billy Joel’s iconic music in a personal setting.
Thursday, 19 February, 8 pm | The Q, Queanbeyan | theq.net.au
An Evening With Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings return to Australia following sold-out performances at Sydney Opera House and Hamer Hall in Melbourne earlier this year. The duo performs material from their Woodland album alongside songs from their extensive catalogue. The tour includes performances across the east coast of Australia with additional dates in Adelaide and regional Victoria. Welch and Rawlings have built their reputation through acoustic performances blending American folk, country and roots music traditions. The Canberra performance takes place at Canberra Theatre Centre with tickets available through the venue’s website.
Friday, 20 February, 8 pm–10.20 pm | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, City | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Fanny Lumsden Australian Tour
Multi-award-winning country artist Fanny Lumsden performs at UC Hub following her 23-date European tour and support slot on Paul Kelly’s Australian arena shows. Lumsden and her band The Prawn Stars perform material from across her career, including songs developed during her Country Halls Tour. The artist has performed across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, building a following through her energetic live performances. The Canberra show takes place at the University of Canberra campus. Presale tickets were available from Friday 12 September, with general tickets available through the university’s website.
Saturday, 21 February, 7 pm–11 pm | University of Canberra, 1 Kirinari Street, UC Refectory, Bruce | canberra.edu.au
Ovation
Four Australian performers unite for a concert celebrating musical theatre and opera. Marina Prior, David Hobson, Silvie Paladino and Michael Cormick present repertoire from their careers across opera houses, musical theatre productions and concert performances. The program features selections from popular musicals and classical opera, showcasing the performers’ combined experience in Australian and international productions. The concert takes place at Canberra Theatre Centre. Tickets are available through the theatre’s website. The performance runs for approximately two hours and twenty minutes.
Saturday, 21 February, 7.30 pm–9.50 pm | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, City | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Tobias Cole: The Countertenor
Singer Tobias Cole and pianist Linus Lee present a program tracing the development of the countertenor voice from the 1940s to 2025. The performance explores how composer Benjamin Britten introduced the countertenor to modern opera and examines its subsequent use across operatic repertoire. Cole performs works demonstrating the evolution of writing for this voice type, spanning wartime England through to contemporary compositions including Eurovision 2025 material. The recital includes discussion of the countertenor’s role in opera and its future trajectory. The performance takes place at Tuggeranong Arts Centre.
Saturday, 21 February, 1.30 pm–2.30 pm | Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North, Greenway | tuggeranongarts.com
Music by the River 2026
Canberra Symphony Orchestra presents the 10th edition of Music by the River, dedicated to Queen’s greatest hits. Conducted by George Ellis, the performance features Kirrah Amosa and special guest performers alongside CSO. The event takes place in Queen Elizabeth II Park on the banks of the Queanbeyan River. Gates open at 4 pm with Phoenix 5 performing, and CSO taking the stage at 7 pm. Local food and beverages are available for purchase, or attendees can bring picnic supplies. The outdoor concert is presented by Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and Icon Water.
Saturday, 21 February, 4 pm | Queen Elizabeth II Park, Queanbeyan | theq.net.au
Ben Folds & A Piano Tour
Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter Ben Folds performs an acoustic show featuring songs from his solo career and his work with Ben Folds Five. The performance includes tracks spanning more than three decades, with Folds sharing stories about his experiences as a platinum-selling artist and New York Times bestselling author. The intimate format focuses on piano and vocals, highlighting the musical arrangements and songwriting. Folds has built his career blending alternative rock, piano pop and theatrical performance styles. The Canberra performance takes place at Canberra Theatre Centre.
Sunday, 22 February, 8 pm–10 pm | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, City| canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Sport and Wellness
Women’s T20I Series vs India | 2nd T20I
Australia’s women’s cricket team plays India in the second T20I match of the series at Manuka Oval. The international cricket fixture is part of the bilateral series between the two nations. Manuka Oval in Griffith hosts the match with spectators able to watch the full T20 format game. The match takes place on a Wednesday in mid-February. Tickets are available through Ticketek’s Premier platform. The venue offers standard cricket ground facilities and seating. Match start time and gates opening details are available through the ticketing platform.
Thursday, 19 February | Manuka Oval, Manuka Circle, Griffith | premier.ticketek.com.au
Freestyle Kings Live World Tour in Canberra
The Freestyle Kings World Tour features FMX and BMX performers including Robbie Maddison, Clinton Moore, Pat Bowden, Robbie Adelberg, Ellie Chew and Harley Allen. The two-hour show presents freestyle motocross and BMX tricks including double backflips, front flips and aerial manoeuvres. The performance incorporates pyrotechnics and music alongside the riding demonstrations. A VIP Meet & Greet and Track Walk option offers 45 minutes with the performers before the show, limited to 150 participants. The event takes place at GIO Stadium in Bruce. Tickets are available through TEG Sport’s website.
Saturday, 21 February, 5 pm–8 pm | GIO Stadium, Battye Street, Bruce | tegsport.com.au
80s Rewind Cruise: The Ultimate Cruise for the Over 40s
The Canberra Party Boat hosts a three-hour cruise on Lake Burley Griffin featuring 1980s music and entertainment. The evening includes a DJ playing iconic 80s hits with song requests available, a grazing table, and a complimentary Pina Colada slushy on arrival. Passengers can dress in 1980s-themed attire for the event. The cruise departs from Jetty 4 at Kingston and travels across Lake Burley Griffin. While designed for the over-40s demographic, all ages 18 and over are welcome. Early bird tickets are available through the Canberra Party Boat website. The cruise operates as a social event with bar service.
Saturday, 21 February, 7 pm–10 pm | Canberra Party Boat, 8 Trevillian Quay, Jetty 4, Kingston | canberrapartyboat.com.au
Mexican Wrestling: Love Battle
Lucha Fantastica presents The Love Battle, a traditional St Valentine’s Show featuring masked luchadores in theatrical Mexican wrestling. The family show at 3.30 pm welcomes children three years and under free, featuring over 10 masked luchadores in a performance combining acrobatics, action and comedy. The show concludes with a Piñata Fiesta for children. The event presents a battle between forces of love and evil through choreographed wrestling performances. An adult show follows at 8 pm. The theatrical wrestling spectacle takes place at Harmonie German Club in Narrabundah. Tickets are available online for both family and adult performances.
Saturday, 21 February, 3.30 pm (family show) and 8 pm (adult show) | Harmonie German Club, 49 Jerrabomberra Avenue, Narrabundah | bit.ly/mwlovebattle26
Canberra Memory Walk & Jog
Dementia Australia presents the 2026 Memory Walk & Jog at Stage 88, bringing the community together to support people impacted by dementia. Participants can walk, jog or run distances of 2km, 5km or 10km. The community event raises funds for support services, education and resources for people living with dementia, their families and carers. The morning also highlights how physical activity and social connection support brain health. While age and genetics cannot be changed, evidence shows staying active and engaged can help reduce or delay dementia risk. Registration is available online for participants and volunteers. Those unable to attend can organise MyWay events at chosen dates and locations.
Sunday, 22 February, from 7.30 am | Stage 88, Parkes | memorywalk.com.au/event/canberra/home
Talks and Programs
The Men’s Table Canberra Entree
The Men’s Table creates a unique, safe environment for men to share openly about their lives, challenges, highs and lows. Over dinner once a month, this proven format builds belonging, community and peer support. Entree nights are information sessions where men can learn if The Men’s Table is right for them.
The evening runs from 7 pm to 9 pm with arrival at 6.30 pm. Ticket includes food for dinner, providing opportunity to connect with other men in relaxed, supportive atmosphere. The format has successfully created meaningful connections across Australia, offering men a place to be heard without judgement whilst building lasting friendships and support networks.
Tuesday, 17 February, 6.30 pm | Little Luxton Cafe, Gordon | themenstable.org/entree-act
The Horror of Care
Local authors explore the complexities of caring for others through dark fiction and nonfiction at Gang Gang café. Kaaron Warren reads from her upcoming novella Going to Summertime, while Aaron Dries performs his short story A Guy Like Mel. Ben O’Mara shares a true story examining terror and beauty in loss from disease, and J. Ashley-Smith reveals a world “just out of true”. The readings examine how care for family, friends and loved ones creates both wounds and compassion. Jenny Sawer provides musical accompaniment exploring communication with departed loved ones. MC Fionn MacPherson hosts the evening. Entry is $10, or $25 including Lost Souls Issue 02.
Wednesday, 18 February, 6 pm | Gang Gang café, Shop 4, 2 Frencham Place, Downer | events.humanitix.com/the-horror-of-care-readings-and-music
Coffee with the Curator and Conservator: Treasures Insights
The Friends of the Library hosts a discussion with National Library exhibition curator Dr Karen Schamberger and conservator Caroline Milne about the 2025 Treasures Gallery refresh. The session explores the selection process for exhibition materials from both curatorial and conservation perspectives. Schamberger and Milne will discuss object selection considerations and display requirements, with particular focus on the Freda Thompson aviation collection. The talk examines how conservation factors influence what can be displayed and for how long. Morning tea follows the presentation. Bookings are essential through the National Library website.
Wednesday, 18 February, 10.30 am–12 pm | National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Parkes | library.gov.au
England’s ‘island nationhood?’ with Professor Lorna Hutson
Professor Lorna Hutson examines how early modern legal and poetic texts constructed concepts of Anglo-British sea empire before Great Britain existed as a political entity. The lecture considers works by John Milton and Edmund Spenser alongside writings by English cartographers and lawyers, in the context of 17th-century European debates about whether seas should be common to all nations or subject to national dominion. Hutson explores Milton’s poetics of English freedom in relation to Anglo-imperial claims over British coastal waters. Entry to this evening talk is free but bookings are essential through the National Library website.
Thursday, 19 February, 6 pm–7 pm | National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Parkes | library.gov.au
Men’s Mental Health First Aid Training
The Men’s Table presents accredited training equipping men with skills to support peers, colleagues and friends by fostering genuine conversation and self-care. Participants gain practical expertise in listening and navigating mental health challenges through face-to-face instruction provided at no cost to help men step up and make a difference in their communities. The course includes approximately six hours of prework prior to the workshop, with accreditation valid for three years.
Participants can earn CPD points–consider requesting a training day from work. The full-day session runs 8.30 am to 4.30 pm at Communities@Work, Denman Prospect. Registration includes $20 food contribution plus $110 Mental Health First Aid fee. The training provides essential tools for creating supportive environments where mental health conversations can happen naturally and effectively.
Saturday, 21 February, 8.30 am–4.30 pm | Communities@Work, Denman Prospect | events.humanitix.com
Trivia on the Lake
Palliative Care ACT hosts a trivia cruise on Lake Burley Griffin in partnership with Love Boats Canberra. The hosted trivia event includes finger food and prizes while raising funds for palliative care services in the ACT. Palliative Care ACT supports people living with life-limiting illness and their families. The cruise boards from The Dock Kingston and offers a social afternoon on the lake. The event provides an opportunity to support compassionate care in the community while enjoying a relaxed trivia experience. Bookings and event details are available through the Palliative Care ACT supporter hub.
Sunday, 22 February | The Dock, Kingston | pallcareact.supporterhub.net.au/events/triviacrui
The Best of Bill Bryson – Canberra
Author Bill Bryson presents material from his updated edition of A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0, covering advances in science from the Big Bang through to modern civilisation. The theatrical performance explores topics including planetology, astronomy, particle physics, quantum mechanics and evolution, alongside profiles of scientists and researchers. Bryson discusses his travel writing and his book on the human body. The live show combines scientific explanation with humorous storytelling. The performance takes place at Llewellyn Hall at the Australian National University. Tickets are available through Lateral Events.
Sunday, 22 February, 7.30 pm–10 pm | Llewellyn Hall- ANU, 100 William Herbert Place, City | lateralevents.com
Exhibitions
The Measure of Things
This is Dee Hopkins’ first solo exhibition comprising abstracts, portraits and still life. The portraits present the narratives of women who played a pivotal role in supporting or inspiring renowned men throughout history. Their notable contributions were frequently overshadowed or left unacknowledged due to the prominence of their partners’ achievements.
Saturday 14 February to Sunday 1 March, 10 am to 3 pm weekends | The Hive Gallery, 274 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan | qbnhive.buzz/community
The Hurt Business
The Hurt Business is Omar Musa’s new exhibition of lithographs and woodcuts at Megalo Print Studio. “The Hurt Business” is a phrase used to describe boxing, but could equally refer to international politics – also an arena of sanctioned violence, triumphalism and competing forces. Whether it be the invasion of Venezuela, the genocide in Gaza, ICE agents in the streets of the US, or kill squads during the Philippines’ War On Drugs, Musa asks the question, “Who gets to sanction violence? And more importantly – who says stop?”
In The Hurt Business, we see colliding woodcut images that represent political triumphalism and ritualised violence: boxers, ghostly referees, crocodiles, balaclavas, jerry cans, dice. Lithographs, adorned with gold leaf, are based on interviews with fishermen and families of victims of Philippines’ former president Rodrigo Duterte’s War on Drugs. A blindfolded Mother Mary stands in a cemetery dedicated to the victims, surrounded by gold stars representing them. Death masks, rendered in intense blue on blue, based on pre-colonial South-East Asian funerary masks, nod to the rituals around death, and possibly – killing. The Hurt Business is work that ricochets between dark humour and poetry, using sous rature to contest questions of power and moral governance.
Saturday 21 February to Saturday 4 April, Opening event: Friday 20 February 5:30–7:30 pm | Megalo Print Studio, 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | megalo.org/the-hurt-business
Lost: Kiata Mason & Hamish Bassett
Gallery of Small Things launches its 2026 exhibitions program with a duo show pairing NSW painter Kiata Mason with Melbourne ceramicist Hamish Bassett. Bassett, known for Tiny Pots with nearly 200,000 Instagram followers, creates miniature ceramic tea sets inspired by mismatched collections from suburban homes and 1980s Australian childhoods. The separated cups and teapots remind viewers of items lost through op shops, garage sales or breakages. Mason’s still life paintings explore the theme Lost, reflecting on the whimsy, hope and energy of youth growing up in 1990s Canberra. Life-sized books including To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch-22 and The Outsiders form foundations of domestic scenes–kitchen tables around which conversations, ideas and cups of tea are shared, evoking cultural institutions that shaped experiences.
Until Sunday, 16 February | Gallery of Small Things, Watson | galleryofsmallthings.com
Taglietti: Life in Design
Discover the world of The Global Architect, Enrico Taglietti (1926–2019), a visionary whose design principles shaped modern Australian architecture and left an indelible imprint on Canberra, the city he and his wife Franca chose to call home. Celebrating the centenary of Taglietti’s birth, Taglietti: Life in Design explores the life, philosophy, and legacy of one of Australia’s most original architects.
Until Sunday 22 February | Canberra Museum + Gallery, 176 London Circuit, City | cmag.com.au
Concrete Captions: Texting Rights
Kirsty Collins presents an exhibition exploring how texting and social media empower Deaf and disability cultures at Canberra Contemporary Art Space. The exhibition examines how digital communication shifts attitudes about disability and fosters disabled-led artistic innovation. The Craptioning Experience offers a live captioning interactive component connecting audiences with Deaf and hard-of-hearing experiences through lip-reading and humour. Collins questions narratives that frame disabled people as burdens, addressing ableism and victim-blaming through art. The work demonstrates how Deaf gain and disability intersectional insight provide transformative creative power to reimagine bodies and values. The exhibition runs in the Platform gallery space for three weeks.
Until Saturday, 22 February | Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Gorman Arts Centre, 55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon | canberracontemporary.com.au/current-platform
Enjoy this trip: the art of music posters
Journey back to the Summer of Love and be transported to a time when the music was funky, the art was kaleidoscopic and psychedelia was in full swing. Drawn from the National Gallery’s expansive collection of Australian and international music posters spanning the 1960s to 1980s, Enjoy this trip: The art of music posters captures the spirit of the times as an era of experimentation.
Until Sunday 22 February | National Gallery, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
Watson Inner Space Project by Steve Roper
ANCA Gallery presents an exhibition of drawings and paintings on paper, canvas and clay exploring abstract spaces and moods by Steve Roper. The works were largely made in his Dickson studio and developed from sketching at home in Watson. Roper’s practice investigates interior psychological landscapes alongside physical spaces, creating ambiguous environments that invite contemplation. The abstract approach allows viewers to project their own interpretations onto the work. Across multiple mediums, Roper demonstrates technical versatility whilst maintaining cohesive artistic vision. The exhibition title suggests exploration of both inner psychological terrain and the intimate domestic spaces inspiring the work. Sans Titre and other pieces reveal the artist’s process of transforming everyday observations into abstract visual language.
Until Saturday, 1 March | ANCA Gallery | anca.net.au
Women Photographers 1853–2018
Women Photographers 1853–2018 highlights the transformative impact of women artists on the history of photography.
Since its inception, the National Gallery’s photography collection has reflected the vital place of women in the medium’s history. Some of its earliest acquisitions were major works by women.
As a result, the National Gallery is uniquely placed to consider how photography has changed the worlds in which women live, and how women have changed photography. As the great modernist photographer Lucia Moholy wrote, ‘Photography has not only changed the way we see the world but also how we see ourselves.’ For women artists, making photographs has always been an act of resistance. Photography has given women access to spaces of knowledge, artistic practices and technology from which they were previously excluded.
This exhibition features work spanning more than 160 years of women working with photography.
Until Sunday 1 March | National Gallery, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
A Total Work of Art: Sidney Nolan and the Stage
Celebrate 50 years of Nolan’s cultural legacy with the Canberra Museum and Gallery’s year-long program of exhibitions, concerts, talks, and a symposium. A Total Work of Art: Sidney Nolan and the Stage showcases Sidney Nolan’s dynamic stage designs for opera, ballet, and theatre. You’ll discover costumes, set designs, and the iconic “Lyrebird” costume from The Display, 1964.
Until Sunday 8 March | Canberra Museum + Gallery, City | More information here.
Super Kaylene Whiskey
Super Kaylene Whiskey celebrates one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, proud Yankunytjatjara woman Kaylene Whiskey. This major survey brings together works from across Whiskey’s career, showcasing her dynamic practice that is grounded in stories of First Nations joy and strength. Drawn from public and private collections, the exhibition features over 80 paintings, video work and installation from her early career to now, as well as a newly commissioned portrait.
With irreverent humour, Whiskey playfully combines everyday life, Aṉangu culture and beloved pop culture icons in her work. Dolly Parton, Cher and Wonder Woman share centre stage with Whiskey and other strong kungkas (women) as together they hunt and collect bush tucker. Through her rich visual stories, Whiskey joyfully connects cultures, Country and celebrity and invites us along for the ride.
Until Monday 9 March | National Portrait Gallery, Parkes | portrait.gov.au
1975: Living in the Seventies
Step back 50 years and immerse yourself in the unforgettable year that was 1975! The National Library of Australia’s fascinating new exhibition explores what it was truly like to live in the seventies, from the dramatic political upheaval of Gough Whitlam’s dismissal to the cultural phenomena that defined the decade.
Discover iconic fashion like flared jeans and platform shoes, relive the magic of Countdown’s glam rockers Skyhooks and ABBA’s infectious pop, and explore groundbreaking Australian films like Picnic at Hanging Rock. This colourful celebration brings together objects exploring politics, conflicts, popular culture, food, fashion, and sport in iconic seventies design, revealing a complex story beyond Baby Boomer nostalgia.
Until Monday 9 March | National Library of Australia, Parkes Place, Canberra | library.gov.au
50 Years on the Beat: The Legacy of Constable Kenny Koala
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Constable Kenny Koala, the AFP Museum presents a major temporary exhibition honouring the iconic community policing mascot held at the National Capital Exhibition, Regatta Point.
Known for educating children about safety since 1975, Kenny Koala is beloved by generations of Canberrans. This exhibition captures his origins, evolution, and ongoing impact on public trust and community engagement. Visitors will experience five decades of memorabilia, puppets, costumes, media, and interactive learning tools that showcase the enduring values of kindness, education, and public service.
Until Wednesday 18 March | National Capital Exhibition, Regatta Point | nca.gov.au
Seasons, Tides, and Lunar Cycles by Andrew Totman
Andrew Totman presents a fresh artistic direction in the Pivot Gallery, developed from memories of the natural world. The series demonstrates awareness of environmental influence, weather patterns and the unfathomable depth of galaxy. Works explore the interconnected rhythms governing natural phenomena, from seasonal changes to tidal movements and lunar phases. Totman’s practice reflects deep observation of cosmic and earthly cycles, translating these vast concepts into visual form. The exhibition invites contemplation of humanity’s place within larger natural systems.
Until Sunday, 22 March | Belconnen Arts Centre | belcoarts.com.au
Meanwhile in Canberra
A collection of seven prints celebrates Canberra landmarks through lino, risograph and mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock) printmaking techniques. The exhibition features interpretations of Telstra Tower, Lake Burley Griffin and the Powerful Owl in visual styles inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e traditions. The prints respond to Canberra’s natural and built environment, drawing parallels with thematic print series such as Hokusai’s 100 Views of Mt Fuji. Each composition uses distinct printmaking methods to create connected works exploring the city’s character. The exhibition runs from early February through late March at Belconnen Arts Centre.
Until Sunday, 22 March | East Wall, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | belcoarts.com.au
Over Seas II
Belconnen Arts Centre presents an open exhibition exploring migrant and refugee perspectives within the Canberra community. Displayed in the Generator Gallery, the exhibition ranges from political to personal narratives, offering diverse viewpoints on the migrant experience. Works examine themes of displacement, belonging, identity and cultural transition through various artistic mediums. The exhibition provides a platform for voices often underrepresented in mainstream arts spaces, celebrating the rich cultural diversity that shapes contemporary Canberra. From memory and loss to hope and resilience, the artworks reflect the complex realities of building new lives in Australia.
Until Sunday, 22 March | Belconnen Arts Centre | belcoarts.com.au
Lines of Landscape by Kym Brookes
Far South Coast fibre artist Kym Brookes presents a tactile exploration of place, memory and transformation in the West Gallery. Drawing deeply from textures, tones and rhythms of the landscape surrounding her, Brookes creates works that blur boundaries between textile art and landscape interpretation. The exhibition demonstrates sophisticated understanding of fibre as medium for expressing connection to country. Through weaving, stitching and material manipulation, the artist translates environmental experiences into tangible form. Works evoke weathered surfaces, organic patterns and the passage of time across land. The exhibition invites viewers to reconsider landscape representation beyond traditional painting and photography.
Until Sunday, 22 March | Belconnen Arts Centre | belcoarts.com.au
On Reimagined Wings
Beth Harcourt presents sculptural birds created from recycled and found objects at Belconnen Arts Centre. The exhibition explores character and personality through assemblages of disparate materials that would otherwise end up in landfill. Each bird sculpture combines sustainability themes with whimsical interpretations of native species. The works invite viewers to engage with wonder and introspection through Harcourt’s creative reuse of materials. The Window Gallery exhibition runs from early February through late March. The display demonstrates how art can transform waste materials into expressive sculptural forms.
Until Sunday, 22 March | Window Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | belcoarts.com.au
Sculpted By Lifestyle
Craft + Design Canberra presents ceramic works by Lee Nelms reimagining the seven sins through an Australian cultural perspective. The exhibition features “before” and “after” pieces exploring how behaviour is shaped by experience, consequence and time. Hand-built and altered wheel-thrown ceramic forms incorporate expressive marks and creature-like features representing flaws, humour and vulnerability. Nelms works across various clay types fired in electric, oil and wood kilns. Her practice focuses on the human face and sculptural expression, translating emotional experiences into physical forms. The exhibition runs from mid-February through late March.
Until Saturday, 28 March, 2026 | Craft + Design Canberra, 180 London Circuit, Level 1, North Building, City| craftanddesigncanberra.org
A Loving City: Queerberra Revisited
A Loving City: Queerberra Revisited explores love, identity and resilience within Canberra’s LGBTQIA+ community. In 2017, photographer Jane Duong and producer Victoria Firth-Smith created Queerberra to document queer Canberrans during the national postal vote on marriage equality. Over 100 portraits captured moments of pride, exhaustion, defiance and hope when love itself was publicly debated. Eight years later, this exhibition returns to those portraits to reflect on personal growth, community strength and the enduring power of love. The exhibition invites visitors to consider progress made and work remaining in the city that voted yes more strongly than any other in Australia.
Until Saturday, 5 April | Canberra Museum + Gallery, 176 London Circuit, Canberra | cmag.com.au
Traces
Tuggeranong Arts Centre presents work by five artists with connections to Ngunnawal and Ngambri land. Alexander Sarsfield, Bridget Baskerville, Clementine McIntosh, Gemma Brown and Sarah Murray work across ceramics, textiles, printmaking, drawing, weaving and community-based practices. The exhibition explores material processes and connections to place and people. Brown utilises experimental processes with industrial waste and commercial ceramic materials. Baskerville submerges metal plates in bodies of water to create corrosion marks. McIntosh uses site-responsive techniques including buried textiles and plant dyes. Sarsfield shares Māori culture through communal raranga weaving practices. Murray creates large-scale gestural paintings challenging colonial landscape ideals through embodied experiences of place.
Until Friday, 11 April | Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North, Greenway | tuggeranongarts.com
Bean Soup
Canberra glass artist Bailey Donovan presents an immersive exhibition centred on recurring glass bean forms. The installation includes blown sculptures, wall-mounted works and colour compositions exploring relationships between domestic craft, queer identity and glass’s expressive nature. Donovan’s signature bean shapes embrace irregular silhouettes and uneven contours, offering alternatives to traditional glassblowing aesthetics focused on symmetry and technical refinement. The work references domestic textiles including gingham and crochet through cane work, colour overlays and patterning techniques. Bean clusters vary from small collectible-sized pieces to larger abstract blown forms arranged in compositions referencing kitchen jars and fabric scraps. The exhibition celebrates material exploration through humour and comfort.
Until Friday, 11 April | Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North, Greenway | tuggeranongarts.com
The Long Look
Five printmakers who met at the Canberra School of Art Printmaking Workshop in the late 1990s reunite for an exhibition celebrating innovative practices. Cecile Galizzo, G.W. Bot, Lizzie Hall, Craig Cameron and John Pratt share material-based approaches where etching plates and woodblocks become artworks, metal becomes drawing, and repetition transforms into methodology. The exhibition references deep consideration needed during uncertain times, bringing together old friends to celebrate making art. Works in wood, metal and paper distil years of observing and inhabiting natural landscapes and internal landscapes of myth and memory. The exhibition functions as a conversation between artists reflecting their longstanding friendships.
Until Friday, 11 April | Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North, Greenway | tuggeranongarts.com
DEEP END BY AMY CLAIRE MILLS
Deep End is an immersive sensory installation inviting exploration through touch, sight, and sound. The project explores the concept of accessible and adaptive ‘third spaces’. Third spaces, beyond home and work, are informal social environments that foster community and connection (Oldenburg, 1989).
However, for many Disabled people, third spaces often default to medical environments like doctors’ waiting rooms and outpatient clinics. Public pools have long served as adaptive third spaces existing somewhere between the social and the medical. Deep End invites you to wade into a future in which care, access, and disability culture are embedded in the design from the very beginning.
Until Sunday 12 April | Canberra Contemporary, 44 Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes | canberracontemporary.com.au/current
WATER BY HANDS ON STUDIO
The artworks in Water have been developed by artists from Hands On Studio, Canberra, whose practices foreground process, material engagement, and embodied ways of making.
Through diverse approaches and mediums, the artists examine water as a mutable substance that exists across multiple states — liquid, solid, and vapour — and across varied registers of meaning. Rain, sea, ice, and tap water are considered not only for their physical properties, but for the social, political, and environmental contexts in which they are encountered.
Until Sunday 12 April | Canberra Contemporary, 44 Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes | canberracontemporary.com.au/current
In Bloom
In Bloom explores the beauty and symbolism of flowers. Featuring more than 50 portraits from the National Portrait Gallery collection, new acquisitions and selected loans, you will discover how flowers have long been used in art to express emotion and convey messages of personal, cultural and religious significance.
The show is a weird and wonderful floral extravaganza that includes much-loved and lesser-known works from the collection. See socialites, chefs, musicians, actors, doctors and politicians who are all unified by their accompanying floral markers.
Until Sunday 19 April 2026 | National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes | portrait.gov.au
Bilong Papua New Guinea: 50 years of Independence
Bilong Papua New Guinea marks the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence and the birth of a new nation on September 16, 1975. The National Gallery holds the largest collection of Papua New Guinea urban art outside the country. Each of the works selected for Bilong Papua New Guinea presents a story, reflecting on cultural heritage, historical moments, the influence of ancestors, Christianity, kastom, societal changes and new technologies.
Until Sunday 19 April | National Gallery, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
5th National Indigenous Art Triennial
The National Indigenous Art Triennial brings together commissioned work by established and emerging First Nations artists from across Australia. Artistic Director Tony Albert (Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples), one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, leads this iteration. After the Rain presents new immersive projects resonating with ideas of rebirth and cycles of cleansing, celebrating inter-generational legacies and cultural warriors of past, present and future. Made possible through the continued generosity of Wesfarmers Arts and key philanthropic supporters, the Triennial creates an important platform for art and ideas. Following its Kamberri/Canerra presentation, After the Rain will tour nationally.
Until Saturday, 26 April | National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
Hallyu! The Korean Wave
An exhibition exploring Korea’s cultural journey to global influence through 250 objects from the V&A in London. The exhibition spans film, fashion, drama, beauty and music–from BTS to aespa, Squid Game to Parasite, glass skin to bibimbap. Visitors can discover the powerhouse behind Korea’s dramatic cultural transformation and the vibrant world of K-culture as it continues to sweep across the globe. The exhibition examines how creativity, collaboration and cultural ambition shaped Korea’s contemporary identity.
Until Sunday, 10 May | National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton Peninsula, Acton | nma.gov.au
In real life: inventors, innovators and opportunists
Celebrate Australian innovation at National Archives’ latest exhibition in Canberra, In real life: inventors, innovators and opportunists. Explore the history of Australian invention, from First Nations creativity to 150 years of patents, designs and trademark registrations.
See life-changing inventions, iconic designs and household brand names with original design drawings and trademarks from the national archival collection alongside their real-life counterparts.
Australians from all walks of life have pursued their ideas in the laboratory, at the drafting table and in the humble backyard shed. Learn about the innovators behind advances such as the baby capsule, spray-on skin and the stump-cam. Discover the origins of everyday products and national icons such as the Victa lawnmower, Hills Hoist and ‘goon bag’.
From pedestrian crossing buttons to dual flush toilets, see how the Australian Government played a vital role in supporting inventions and designs that you regularly see, hear, use – and flush. Spark your own imagination and be inspired by stories of bold dreams, determination and Australian ingenuity.
Until 17 May | National Archives of Australia, Kings Avenue, Parkes | naa.gov.au
Good Neighbour
Belconnen Arts Centre presents an offsite group exhibition at SLA Display Village and Innovation Precinct, Whitlam, curated by Brooke McEachern. A printmaker, glass blower, ceramist, mark maker and knifemaker come together celebrating local makers and quiet creative lives unfolding around us. Estelle Briedis, Hugo Curtis, Jacky Lo, Isobel Rayson and Dan Venables live and work in our neighbourhoods as familiar dog-walkers, corner café regulars or simply good neighbours. Through functional objects and considered craftsmanship, the exhibition presents works feeling personal and lived-with, as though gathered over time from friends and neighbours. The collaboration highlights the creative talent existing within everyday community spaces, making visible the artistic practice happening in homes and studios throughout Canberra’s suburbs.
Until Sunday, 13 July | SLA Display Village, Whitlam | belcoarts.com.au
Trent Parke: The Christmas tree bucket
Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas. The series showcases Parke’s distinctive and acclaimed visual style and his skilful use of light and colour, to transcendent effect.The Christmas tree bucket is a candid, unsettling and often absurd portrait of family life—centred on the chaos, rituals and contradictions of the suburban Australian Christmas. It is a fond, insider’s view—sharp but affectionate—and one that the participants, after initial bemusement, actively embraced.
Parke draws from the legacy of postwar American photography while retaining a distinctly personal visual language, using light and colour to transform the everyday. The resulting photographs are both intimate and theatrical, sometimes hilarious, sometimes poetic and haunting. The exhibition also features a small selection of work from Parke’s black-and-white series Minutes to midnight 2003‒04 and a number of his handmade concertina photobooks, which he sees as a central part of his practice.
Until Sunday 6 September | National Gallery, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
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
Behind the Lines 2025: ‘Are We Rolling?’
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
Reflection: 50 Years of the Australian Honours System
Discover the remarkable story of Australia’s honours system through a fascinating exhibition at the Royal Australian Mint. “Reflection” celebrates five decades of recognising extraordinary Australians, featuring original medal sketches by Stuart Devlin, finished medals, and commemorative coins from the National Coin Collection.
Explore the journey from design concept to final recognition, including the 2003 Volunteers Fine Silver Proof Set, Afghanistan Medal displays, and stunning wattle-themed collectables. This free exhibition honors over 500,000 Australians who have contributed to our nation’s spirit.
Now open | Royal Australian Mint, Deakin | Free entry | ramint.gov.au
Know My Name: Kee, Jackson and Delaunay
Know My Name: Kee, Jackson and Delaunay showcases two of Australia’s leading fashion designers: Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee, in conversation with international, multidisciplinary artist Sonia Delaunay (1885–1979).
The iconic and vibrant early designs of Kee and Jackson from the 1970s and early 1980s were directly inspired by the dynamic legacy of Delaunay, who was a member of the School of Paris and co-founder of Orphism, an art movement noted for its use of intense colours and abstract, geometric forms. As well as working in traditional mediums such as painting and printmaking, Delaunay’s practice also included textile, fashion, and theatre design.
For Jackson and Kee, who were beginning their shared journey in creating clothes as works of art, the discovery of Delaunay was revolutionary. This powerful display feature a rarely-seen collection of Kee and Jackson’s garments from their archives and are shown with the National Gallery’s collection of Delaunay’s prints, drawings, textiles and costumes.
Showing now | National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
