We’ve found 30+ events for your weekend (hello Christmas in July!)
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Want to hit the town this weekend but don’t know where to start?
We’ve done the hard work for you and found 30+ events—including some Christmas in July goodness!
Special Events and Festivals
Under The Mistletoe Christmas in July
Fully loaded hot chocolates, mulled wine, street-style Christmas food, and a gin bar—this is one Christmas in July event that’s sure to jingle your bells. Canberra’s favourite festive shop is bringing its Christmas in July fundraising event back for another year of fun. And with vendors donating a percentage of their sales to Lifeline Canberra, there’s no need to feel guilty about going back for a second…or third)…hot chocolate.
Saturday 22 until Sunday 23 July, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm | Shop 4, Federation Square, 26 O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls | More information here.
Yuldea
From the incomparable storytellers of Bangarra Dance Theatre comes a major new work: Yuldea. Telling the story of the Aṉangu people of the Great Victorian Desert, Yuldea explores the moment traditional life collided with the industrial ambition of a growing nation. A ceremonial affirmation of history and heritage, this should be at the top of your ‘to-do’ list for July.
Until Saturday 22 July | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Canberra City | Book here.
Canberra Cat Fest 2023
Canberra Street Cat Alliance is hosting Canberra Cat Fest 2023 at the Old Bus Depot Markets in Kingston, and purr-mise a cat-tastic time! There will be market stalls selling locally handmade items, as well as local breeders, rescues, and welfare organisations ready to answer any cat-related questions that you have. The event will also host a range of presentations from cat specialists, including cat behaviourist Dr Eloise Bright. So, make sure you’re the cat that gets the cream and make a day of it!
Saturday 22 July | Old Bus Depot Markets, Kingston | catfest.org.au
Mx Burlesque ACT
This is the biggest, most prestigious burlesque competition in Australia and it will answer a very important question: Who will be crowned Mx Burlesque ACT 2023? For one night only, competitors will throw their sparkles into the ring and battle it out for the crown, title, a cash prize of $1000, and swag of spectacular prizes! Judged on three categorise (Red Carpet Parade, Striptease and Unique), you’ll see plenty of drama, sensuality, wit and talent!
Saturday 22 July | Belconnen Arts Centre 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | Book here.
Fireside Festival
The Canberra District Wine Industry Association (CDWIA) welcomes everyone to its 2023 Fireside Festival, encouraging local, regional, and interstate wine lovers to get cosy by the fire with a glass of Canberra wine.
The 2023 Fireside Festival is a celebration of Canberra’s winter season, aimed at delighting wine lovers from 15 July to 23 July. The festival offers a diverse array of captivating fireside experiences.
With a variety of events designed to ignite the senses, attendees can look forward to bar and restaurant takeovers, exclusive wine releases, the ceremonial burning of the barrel at Lake George Winery, enticing new menu options at cellar doors, exclusive museum and back vintage tastings, and a ‘meet the makers’ tasting event in partnership with East Hotel on Friday, 21 July. See the website for more information.
Until Monday 23 July | Various locations | canberrawines.com.au/events
Warm Trees
See the forests come alive with colour this July with Warm Trees as the National Arboretum Canberra is decorated with colourful scarves and themed decorations. Made possible by the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, it’s a heart warming annual installation.
Until Monday 31 July | National Arboretum Canberra, Forest Drive, Molonglo Valley | nationalarboretum.act.gov.au
Food and Wine
Christmas in July High Tea
Another festive dining event for those who love Christmas in July, Parliament House is hosting high tea with a twist—it’s (you guessed it) Christmas-themed. Experience the seasonal flavours of their pepita pumpkin soup, native muntries fruit mince tarts, and spiced date scones (all of which pair perfectly with tea or coffee) and elevate your celebration by adding a glass of bubbly. Overlooking Canberra from Queen’s Terrace Café, it’s the perfect way to warm up your tastebuds on the weekend.
Until Sunday 23 July | 1 Parliament Drive, Canberra City | More information here.
Bottomless Brunch at Monster Kitchen and Bar
You’ll need your stretchy pants this Sunday—this is a mezze-style brunch you won’t want to miss because Monster Kitchen and Bar is hosting its first-ever Sunday session and this baby is bottomless. We’re talking free-flowing wine, beer, and mimosas, a feasting style entrée and main, AND a delectable dessert station with a chocolate fountain, cheese, pastries, and more! There will also be a live DJ to keep the party going. Honestly, they had us at free-flowing mimosas.
Sunday 23 July, from 3 pm | Ground/25 Edinburgh Avenue, Canberra City | More information here.
Winter Dining Dome Experience at Water’s Edge
It’s time to dine on Lake Burley Griffin. Book in to dine in style and comfort in your private, exclusive and warm Dining Dome where you can enjoy the winter sun, enjoy a beautiful Canberra sunset or watch the stars. Romantic dinner for two, anyone?
Until Saturday 22 July | Dining Domes at Waters Edge Canberra, 40 Parkes Place East, Parkes | Book here.
Introductory Wine Appreciation
Want to expand your wine knowledge? In this Pique Nique class you’ll discover the essential elements of wine, how wine is made as well as food and wine pairing (and you get to do all this by tasting through a hand-picked selection of quality Canberra wines). Light nibbles will be provided, so grab your friends and raise a glass to wine.
Saturday 22 July | Canberra and Region Visitors Centre, Parkes | Book here.
Sport
GIANTS v Gold Coast Suns
There’s nothing better than enjoying a game of footy on a Sunday afternoon with your family and mates, so don’t miss the epic clash when the GIANTS take on the Gold Coast SUNS at Manuka Oval.
Sunday 23 July | Manuka Oval, Manuka Circle, Griffith | Book here.
Music
Acacia Quartet: Chance, Beethoven and Schubert
The award-winning Acacia Quartet return to Tuggeranong Arts Centre in July with a program featuring Chance, Beethoven and Schubert. Before the show, enjoy a glass of bubbles at the lake side bar!
Saturday 22 July | Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North, Greenway | Book here.
The Australian String Quartet presents Florescence
This is a celebration of the string quartet across continents and contexts. We won’t give too much away but if you enjoy distinct and juxtaposing musical material, this is for you.
Sunday 23 July | Gandel Hall, National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes | Book here.
Exhibitions
Nan Goldin
This series is Goldin’s most famous work, and one of the cornerstones of contemporary photography. Decades long in the making, it is arguably the most affecting extended study of a particular set of people and their social and cultural context in photographic history. Following the lives of those in Goldin’s own immediate community (members of the post-punk, creative, queer scene that gathered around her after she moved from Boston to the Bowery district of lower Manhattan in the late 1970s) it’s also a social-historical record.
Until Sunday 28 January 2024 | National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes | nga.gov.au
Show Offs
Show Offs challenges the conventional notion that displaying one’s abilities is boastful, instead emphasizing the importance of sharing authentic ideas and the creative process behind them. Check out M16 Artspace studio artists exhibition to gain insight the artists journeys, and experience the power of art as a visual language.
Until Sunday 30 July | 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | m16artspace.com.au
Still Life
What comes to mind when you think of ‘still life’? Fruits, wine, cut flowers, household objects of practical and decorative use? This exhibition at the Canberra Art Workshop would like to extend the conception of what ‘still life’, defining it as ‘anything you want it to be’—it’s an exercise of interpretation.
Until Sunday 30 July | 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | m16artspace.com.au
Out Of The Window
Founded in 1996, Hands On Studio has provided a safe environment for artists with a disability to create and develop friendships. In this exhibition, the collective of artists who practice from Hands On Studio have created a series of dioramas which reflect upon each of their lives using a wide range of materials.
Until Sunday 30 July | 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith | m16artspace.com.au
JamFactory ICON Jessica Loughlin: of light
A studio glass artist for over twenty-five years, Jessica Loughlin has dedicated her practice to the pursuit of capturing the transient qualities of light and the quiet sense of contemplation it provokes in the viewer. Make sure to visit to see how she takes her artistic cues from the vast, flat landscapes and salt lakes of South Australia.
Until Friday 4 August | ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, Building 105, Ellery Crescent, Acton | soad.cass.anu.edu.au
Canberra Potters Studio Holders: Present Exhibition
Bringing together seven diverse artists who work or have recently worked at Canberra Potters (Robyn Booth, John Heaney, Jackie Lallemand, Tanya McArthur, Maricelle Olivier, Sue Peachey and Julie Pennington), through their unique perspectives and the medium of clay this is a unique exhibition that celebrates the intricate beauty of the natural world, personal narratives, and creative exploration.
Until Sunday 6 August | 1 Aspinall Street, Watson | canberrapotters.com.au
Reflections of Country by Kayannie Denigan
Inspired by Kayannie’s dual connections to Central Australia and Cape York, this vibrant and colouful collection explores the rainforest, beaches and rivers of Far North Queensland and the stunning deserts of her Luritja heritage. Through new mediums (including sand collected at Coloured Sands, driftwood, and drone photography) she reflects on Country, family, distance and connection.
Until Sunday 20 August | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | belcoarts.com.au
Resonate Exhibition by Julie Bradley
What originally started out as an exploration by Julie Bradley, into the effects of music on image making, became a deeper reflection on how music like visual art, is also a language. The images in this exhibition explore seeing music as a visual expression and are a depiction of the resonance between colours and shapes, sounds and images and between artists. And that’s just the beginning. Head along to see it for yourself.
Until Sunday 20 August | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | belcoarts.com.au
Inherited by Rebekah Lane
Inherited is Rebekah Lane’s first exhibition. Closely tied to her personal journey of identity, and what she describes as filling in big ‘holes’ inside, the works in Inherited represent the peace she has found knowing exactly who she is, and the incredible beauty of the ACT where she found that solace.
Until Sunday 20 August | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | belcoarts.com.au
UNCOMMON
With a mixture of older and new work, this exhibition presents Eliza-Jane Gilchrist’s ongoing practice of making abstract sculptures based on plant/seed forms using cardboard. Expect to see works that are unusual, accessible and thought-provoking created through the combined techniques of paper-cutting, folding, paper-engineering, papier Mache, and pattern-making with non-traditional materials.
Until Saturday 26 August | 180 London Circuit, North Building, Level 1, Canberra City | craftact.org.au
Exuberance Exhibition
At this free exhibition, sixteen contemporary Australian craft practitioners, designers and artists examine the concept of exuberance through colour, materiality and politics through hand stitch.
Until Saturday 26 August | Craft + Design Canberra, 180 London Circuit, Level 1, North Building, Canberra City | craftanddesigncanberra.org.au
National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023
The National Photographic Portrait Prize is back for 2023. Selected from a national field of entries, the exhibition reflects the distinctive vision of Australia’s aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.
Until Monday 2 October | National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes | portrait.gov.au
How Cities Work
From sewers to skyscrapers, this interactive family exhibition reveals the secret workings of our busy urban centres. Bringing to life the best-selling book of the same name, visitors big and small will be able to traverse a spectacular cityscape full of tactile and sensory activities, including a lively hands-on construction site, a futuristic design station and a towering two-metre-high cityscape.
Until Sunday 8 October | Canberra Museum and Gallery, Corner London Circuit and Civic Square, Canberra City | Book here.
CMAG’s Press Photography Collection
On display for the first time, this remarkable collection of over 3,500 press photographs captures the essence of Canberra, its people, and the events that shaped both the city and the nation. Expect to see everything from serious and historic to thought-provoking, artistic, funny, and touching as you explore the stories behind the images that have graced the front pages of renowned newspapers like The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Until Sunday 15 October | Canberra Museum and Gallery, Corner London Circuit and Civic Square, Canberra City | cmag.com.au
Workshops, webinars and more
Diprotodon Insights
Join children’s author Bronwyn Saunders at the Paperbark Garden to hear all about the largest marsupial to ever have lived! In this workshop for children, they’ll learn all about the Diprotodon’s quirks, behaviour and diet; and the environment megafauna lived in (but we promise it’s fun for the whole family).
Saturday 22 July | Australian National Botanic Gardens, Paperbark Garden, Clunies Ross Street, Acton | parksaustralia.gov.au
Plants Through Time
Come and see some examples of the earliest types of plants and trace the development of plants on this free guided walk as part of Megafauna: a walk through time. You’ll learn about the kinds of plants that were around at the same time as the dinosaurs and how much they had changed by the time the megafauna arrived.
Sunday 23 July | Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross Street, Acton | parksaustralia.gov.au
Ceramic Painting Workshop
In this two-hour beginner class, you will have fun painting traditional ceramic bowls. No skills are required and you won’t need to bring anything—and you’ll have a cute bowl to take home with you at the end!
Sunday 23 July | Yarramundi Cultural Centre, 245 Lady Denman Drive, Canberra City | Book here.
Winter Tales presents Liz Cosson
Join Liz Cosson (who was the highest-ranking woman in the Australian Defence Force and later served as Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs) for a Winter Tales talk thanks to the Australian Women’s Archives Program (AWAP). A delicious home-made afternoon tea will be served after the presentation.
Sunday 23 July | National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Parkes | Book here.
Acting The Playtext
ACTING FOR THE FUN OF IT presents Acting The Playtext, a six week course on developing skills and techniques to bring a playtext to the stage. Suitable for actors, teachers and students of theatre the course comprises exercises in text analysis and interpretation and performance skills.
Comprised of six two hour sessions until Wednesday July 26, the course consists of approaches to the performance of contemporary monologues and scenes. and explores the theories and practices of leading directors such as Stanislavski, Grotowski and Peter Brook.
Until Wednesday 26 July | 51 Fremantle Drive, Stirling | For more information contact Peter Wilkins at wilkinspeter45@gmail.com or 0408034373.
Markets
Haig Park Markets
Moments away from Lonsdale street’s boutiques and cafes, the Haig Park Village Markets will delight your senses with delicious cuisines, tasty treats, beautiful blooms, fresh produce, delectable charcuterie and artisan products. It’s a lovely place to enjoy a picnic whilst feasting your senses on the culinary delights on offer or to browse the fabulous local handmade design stalls.
Every Sunday, 8:30 am – 2 pm | Haig Park, Girrahween Street, Braddon | haigparkvillagemarkets.com.au
Old Bus Depot Markets
With more than 100 stalls (including your old favourites), you’ll have the chance to shop for a brilliant variety of Australian-made, handcrafted and premium products. Sneak a walk around the foreshore while you’re down there.
9.30 am – 2.30 pm Sunday | 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 and pet treats.
8 am–11.30 am Sunday | 2 Launceston Street, Phillip | facebook.com
Feature image via aph.gov.au
