Wondering what’s on this weekend? Here are 35+ things to do in Canberra
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It’s finally the weekend, and as December continues to heat up there’s plenty to do.
Want some examples? The Handmade Market, the opening of Pompeii, and endless Christmas-themed activities.
Special Events and Festivals
Festive Finds
Festive Finds in the City is bringing some Christmas cheer to the heart of Canberra, helping locals kick off the holiday season with a lineup of amazing experiences taking place right up until Christmas Eve. Perfect for everyone – with a range of events happening during the day and night –it’s the perfect excuse to grab your Santa hat and make it a December to remember.
And from free merry-go-round rides (you read that right) to a massive Christmas party and some cracking offers from local businesses, you’ll be singing ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’ before you know it.
Until Tuesday 24 December | City Walk and Braddon, Canberra City | More information here.
Pompeii
It’s long been an event that’s fascinated the world for centuries – the catastrophic volcanic eruption that destroyed the city of Pompeii.
Pompeii is a blockbuster exhibition combining moving soundscapes and large-scale digital projections with over 90 fascinating objects to immerse visitors in the famous city’s last moments. Grab your tickets now for this first-of-its-kind exhibition to experience ancient Pompeii like never before.
Until May 2025 | National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton Peninsula, Acton | Book here.
Tick, Tick…Boom!
Before there was Andrew Garfield on the screen, there were other greats on the stage playing Jonathan Larson – and this is your chance for the true experience of Tick, Tick…Boom!
Three of Canberra’s best performers are taking the stage under the direction of Nikki Fitzgerald to bring Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical to life, exploring the challenges of artistic ambition and personal fulfilment. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be singing along long into the night.
Until Saturday 21 December | 14 Spinifex Street, Kingston | Book here.
The Handmade Market
Canberra’s award-winning indoor market is back to end the year with a bang. Showcasing 260+ Australian designers and producers, you’ll discover everything from fashion to ceramics, handcrafted furniture, children’s items, original artworks, jewellery, and more.
Don’t skip the gourmet food and wine pavilion! You’ll probably find the perfect Christmas present here…
Until Sunday 15 December | Exhibition Park in Canberra, Budawang and Coorong Pavilions, Lyneham | More information here.
QL2’s Emerging Choreographers Project 2024
QL2 Dance’s Emerging Choreographers Project is a mentored project for young choreographers to create a short dance work in collaboration with their peers.
Each choreographer is supported by professional artists to rehearse and present these works in a working theatre space.
Get along for a performance of these dynamic new works.
Saturday 14 December, 6 pm and Sunday 15 December, 3 pm and 6 pm | QL2 Theatre, Block D Gorman Arts Centre, Braddon |events.humanitix.com
Dickson Community Christmas Concert
Get ready to jingle all the way at the Dickson Community Christmas Concert! Join for a day filled with festive cheer, as the talented singers and musicians from The Encore School of Music take the stage.
The lineup features a delightful mix of choirs and bands that will warm your heart and get you in the holiday spirit! Plus there will be free Santa and Mrs. Claus photos.
Saturday 14 December, 10 am – 2 pm | Dickson Shops, 3 Badham Street, Dickson | More information here.
Christmas for Kambah’s 50th
After several successful events throughout August and September to celebrate the suburb of Kambah turning 50 in 2024, some of the small volunteer committee decided that they could have a last hurrah to end off the year. The result? Christmas in Kambah.
There will be community performances, stalls, displays, face-painting, a visit from Santa at midday, live music and a general air of festivity.
Saturday 14 December, 9 am until 2 pm | Kambah Village, Kambah | For further enquiries, call 0414710790
The Nutcracker
From the breathtaking snowflakes to the iconic Sugar Plum Fairy, The Nutcracker is a Christmas classic for a reason.
Be enchanted by the incredible talent of international ballet stars as they take you on a journey through a winter wonderland. Only showing for two days, get your tickets before they sell out!
Friday 13 and Saturday 14 December, 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm | Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, City | Book here.
Carols in Town Park
Since the early 2000’s the Tuggeranong Salvation Army has organised a community Christmas event in Tuggeranong, and this year is no different!
Head along to celebrate Christmas and the community with some low-key children’s activities, a sausage sizzle and carols. The carols will be led by the Salvation Army Brass Band accompanied by local vocalist Amber Nicolls, so make sure your singing voice is ready!
Sunday 15 December, 5 pm – 8 pm | Tuggeranong Town Park, Tuggeranong Town Park, Anketell Street, Greenway, Greenway | More information here.
Markets
Canberra Christmas Market
This market promises to be a one-stop shop for all your Christmas needs.
Taking place over two days, the Canberra Christmas Market will be helping you uncover gifts, specialty items, and more that you can’t find in regular retail outlets. And plenty is happening to get you into the Christmas spirit. Head along to listen to carols, meet Santa and even decorate your own gingerbread houses!
Did we mention it’s free to attend?
Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 December, 10 am – 3 pm | Exhibition Park, Corner Flemington Road and Northbourne Avenue, Mitchell | More information here.
Month of Merry at The Little Burley Market
Take your Christmas shopping lakeside with three Christmas-themed markets!
The Little Burley Markets are embracing the silly season with their ‘Month of Merry’ – three days filled with festive entertainment, activities, and more. Bringing together over 70 stallholders, you’ll find culinary creations, handcrafted jewellery, artwork, candles, and even puppy couture. Who needs to hit the shops when you can do your Christmas shopping then amongst the beautiful backdrop of Lake Burley Griffin?
Saturday 14 December, 9 am – 2 pm | Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes | More information here.
Christmas at Haig Park Village Markets
The ultimate Christmas experience awaits this December, and you can find it in Haig Park.
Taking place across four fun-filled Sundays, the Haig Park Village Markets will be helping you sleigh the gift game with their festive extravaganza. Expect gift shopping, culinary delights (hello Christmas puddings), free photos with Santa, gingerbread making, carols, and more!
Sunday 15 December, 8 am – 2 pm | Haig Park, 14 Girrahween Street, Braddon | More information here.
Christmas at Old Bus Depot Markets
Hold onto your Santa hat, because every Sunday throughout December, the Old Bus Depot Markets will be selling holiday-themed high-quality handcrafts.
From fresh Christmas trees to decorations, and family photos with Santa (including a session for your four-legged friends), you’ll be sure to discover a festive find. After all, ‘tis the season to do some last-minute shopping…
Sunday 15 December, 8 am – 2 pm | 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | More information here.
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
Food and Wine
Santa’s Breakfast at Marketplace Gungahlin
One of the best parts of Christmas is the food, so with Santa in town, why wouldn’t you want to join him for a festive breakfast celebration?
This December, Santa is hosting a special breakfast for families. Promising a morning of holiday cheer, treats, and unforgettable memories, each child will receive an individual breakfast box that includes a croissant, fruit, cheese, chocolate, and a fruit popper! There will also be the opportunity to join in with some craft activities with the big man himself – talk about festive fun.
Saturday 14 December, 10 am | 30 & 33 Hibberson Street, Gungahlin | Book here.
Santa’s Breakfast at Westfield Woden
Exclusive to Westfield members, this is a magical dining experience with the man in red!
Book in your little one’s spot so they can dive into a scrumptious brekkie, followed by entertainment for the whole family. Seats are limited, so you better hurry!
Saturday 14 December, 8.30 am and 10 am | Keltie Street, Phillip | More information here.
The Canberra Distillery Pop-Up Bar
Who doesn’t love gin? Local Gin distillery, The Canberra Distillery, are showcasing their wonderful range of gin’s at Westfield Woden with an exclusive Christmas pop-up at Westfield Woden.
Westfield members can visit The Canberra Distillery Pop Up Bar Friday to Sunday to redeem a free drink! You potentially could get some Christmas gifts sorted as well!
Until Sunday 22 December | Westfield Woden, Keltie Street, Phillip | More information here.
High Tea at Louis
Looking for a sophisticated and refined experience high tea experience? Nestled within the elegant confines of Hotel Realm, you can’t go past high tea at Louis.
Offering a meticulously curated array of delicate finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones, and an exquisite selection of pastries and desserts that showcase the finest craftsmanship (along with an impressive tea menu) it will be an occasion to remember.
Every Saturday, 2 pm – 4 pm | Louis, 18 National Circuit, Barton | Book here.
QTea High Tea x Space Kitchen
There’s no cucumber sandwich in sight at this high tea experience. And you better get excited because QT has partnered with Space Kitchen in what be the most delicious collaboration ever.
Taking their high tea offering to the next level, the QTea High Tea x Space Kitchen experience is all about indulgence – from the sweet to the savoury. Lock eyes with Canberra’s first cake trolley featuring Space Kitchen cakes, choose from 28 teas (along with the prettiest of cocktails featuring special brews) and dig into tiers of treats that include Wagyu bresaola bites and picture-perfect serves of duck liver parfait for a decadent dining experience.
Every Saturday, sittings at 12 pm and 12.30 pm | 1 London Circuit, City | Book here.
Stage and Screen
SAUCE
Mella is a compulsive liar. Maura is a kleptomaniac. Both are hot messes whose lives are falling apart. This is one show you’ll want to see.
Described as “a tasteless and altogether tasty comedy about crisis, coping, and the joys that can only be found in tin-foil tubs” this show by award winning Irish writer Ciara Elizabeth Smyth will make you laugh, cry and walk away wanting more.
Sunday 15 December, 7.30 pm – 8.30 pm | Smith’s Alternative, 76 Alinga Street, City | Book here
Eurydice
In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine.
Originally produced by Madison Repertory Theatre, in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2003, you’ll see contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects. It’s a fresh look at a timeless love story.
Until Saturday 14 December, 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm | Mill Theatre at Dairy Road, Building 3.3, 1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick | Book here.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
This exciting production promises laughter and romance, moonlit woods, love potions, and more than a few misunderstandings.
Transporting theatregoers to an enchanted forest this summer, Echo Theatre is bringing Shakespeare’s famous comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to the great outdoors. Starring some of the region’s finest and funniest actors, Shakespeare’s classic play will be presented in The Q’s new outdoor performance space: Aunty Louise Brown Park.
With no performance exactly the same, it will be an evening of outrageous fun for the whole family. Pack a picnic and make a night of it!
Until Sunday 15 December | Aunty Louise Brown Park, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | Book here.
Sunset Cinema
Your favourite outdoor cinema is back for the summer with their signature mix of new releases, all-time classics and family favourites.
Catch new summer blockbusters like Gladiator 2, the latest superhero action Venom: The Last Dance and don’t miss the brand new dark comedy sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in the stunning Australian National Botanic Gardens. Grab yourself a bean bag, some snacks and enjoy!
Until Sunday 22 February 2025, 6.30 pm – 11.30 pm | The Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross Street, Acton | Book here.
Music
Gene Perla: The Jazz Haus
Revisit powerful music from the iconic 1972 Live at the Lighthouse gig with one of the group’s founding members, bassist Gene Perla.
One for music lovers, this will be a beautiful celebration of a seminal recording in jazz!
Saturday 14 December, 7 pm – 10 pm | Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Reed Street North, Greenway | Book here.
Thomas Heywood: A Christmas Fantasia
Tis’ the season for music. Experience the brilliance of Australia’s most acclaimed concert organist, Thomas Heywood, in an exclusive recital for A Luminous Christmas.
Performing festive gems of the organ repertoire, this is a rare and unmissable opportunity to hear a master of this mighty instrument.
Sunday 15 December, 2 pm – 3 pm | Wesley Uniting Church, 20-22 National Circuit, Forrest | Book here.
I Sing the Birth
Commissioned by Luminescence Children’s Choir together with choirs in Perth, Estonia, and Belgium, this is a world premiere!
Accompanied by Melbourne sensation Theo Carbo (electric guitar), this major new work aims to bring joy to all the children singing it for the first time this year, and all the children who will Sing The Birth in years to come. Don’t miss out!
Sunday 15 December, 6.30 pm – 8 pm | Wesley Uniting Church, 20-22 National Circuit, Forrest | Book here.
Canberra Blues Society Sunday Pro Jam
This will be an entertaining afternoon of Blues music featuring local talented musicians from the Canberra region and interstate.
There will an open bar, restaurant food available to order, and more!
Sunday 15 December | The Zeppelin Room, 49 Jerrabomberra Avenue, Narrabundah | Book here.
Christmas Classics
Get ready for an evening of uplifting Christmas music from around the world.
From Medieval carols to classic Yuletide songs and traditional Nativity hymns, this concert will get you into the festive spirit. Featuring the sublime sounds of Luminescence Chamber Singers with internationally acclaimed organ virtuoso Thomas Heywood, and the angelic strains of Luminescence Children’s Choir, it will be one heavenly hour.
Sunday 15 December, 7 pm – 8 pm | Wesley Uniting Church, 20-22 National Circuit, Forrest | Book here.
Exhibitions
Megalo Wayzgoose
Megalo Print Studio’s Megalo Wayzgoose exhibition will bring together over 100 artworks by more than 50 contemporary printmakers from across ACT, NSW, SA, Victoria and Tasmania.
If you’ve never heard of a wayzgoose before, it’s an annual printmakers’ tradition dating back to the mid-1700s when a printing house would have an event to celebrate the printers’ work. This exhibition features artists from across Australia who are working with print in its multiplicitous forms:
Until Saturday 14 December | Megalo Print Studio, 21 Wentworth Ave, Kingston | megalo.org
Mythica Ignota: Solo Exhibition by Elliat Rich
Showcasing new work developed during Elliat Rich’s residency at Canberra Glassworks throughout 2024, Mythica Ignota uses mythology as a framework to nest scientific observation and more-than-human orientated values with artefact and narrative.
Curated by Aimee Frodsham, in this exhibition Alice Springs designer Elliat Rich taps into ancient and future ways of seeing the world.
Until Sunday 15 December, 10 am – 4 pm | Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | More information here.
Oikos by Peter McLean
Peter McLean is an artist with a deep affinity for nature and the environment. In this exhibition, he explores the ‘oikos‘.
In ancient Greece oikos referred to both a house and members of a family/household. The modern English prefix of eco derives from oikos, as in the terms ecology and economy. In drawings and prints, he emphasises the relational aspect of nature: the landscape as home, and all earth’s species as family.
Until February 2025 | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | More information here.
Andlee Poland
The Grounded Collective is three artists researching place, time and memory. Through drawing and sculpture, the act of making is amplified by each artist in a three-way conversation to produce site-specific works, both collaborative and individual, that overlaps ideas and practice.
Head along to see the works of drawing practitioner Robyn Evans, sculptor and educator Sabina Moore and ceramics artist Amanda Andlee Poland.
Until February 2025 | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | More information here.
Echoes of Absence by Rebecca Tapscott
Rebecca Tapscott’s cyanotype print wall installation, Echoes of Absence, is a poignant exploration of loss and interconnectedness, drawing from personal and environmental experiences.
Crafted from the remains of animals lost due to human impacts, these prints symbolise the absences in the tapestry of life and the installation vividly portrays the profound impact of our actions on interrelated habitats, forming a collective image of ecological fragility.
Until February 2025 | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | More information here.
Dear Forests…
This is an open postcard exhibition.
Artists have been invited from throughout Australia to share in bringing a lens of focus on the world’s forests, the need for their safe keeping and preservation inclusive of the wildlife within. Asking artists to embrace their imagination to raise awareness, and provoke dialogue, political activism, boldness, experimentation, thoughtfulness, playfulness, or deep contemplation, all works are eligible for consideration of the AUD500 People’s Choice Award.
Until February 2025 | Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen | More information here.
Ethel Carrick
Apart of a National Gallery initiative celebrating the work of all women artists to enhance understanding of their contribution to Australia’s cultural life, you can head along to the NGA to see the work of Ethel Carrick (1872–1952).
A pioneering artist who forged new ground in the early twentieth century with her bold and vibrant post-impressionist works, this will be the first retrospective of Carrick’s work for nearly half a century and an opportunity to assess her work in a new light.
Until April 2025 | National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes | Book here.
Anne Dangar
Coming to the NGA as part of a summer double bill with Ethel Carrick, don’t miss seeing retrospectives from Anne Dangar (1885–1951).
One of Australia’s most important, yet underacknowledged modern artists, the exhibition will explore Dangar’s life and practice, as well as her important position in French modern art as one of most dedicated and truly modern Australian artists of the twentieth century.
Until April 2025 | National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes | Book here.
Workshops, Tours and Talks
Plant Sensibilia at Gawari Mada with Rebecca Mayo
Come along for the final presentation and public dyeing event of the Living City: People, Plants, and Place 2024 program, presented by Dr. Rebecca Mayo.
You’ll experience the Plant Sensibilia Machine, a large-scale, hand-operated dyeing device that brings the creative process from the studio to the public realm.
Sunday 15 December, 10 am – 2 pm | Holt Micro-Forest, Boyle Place, Holt | Book here.
Sweet Christmas Workshops at Marketplace Gungahlin
Looking for something the little ones will enjoy? These sweet seasonal workshops will keep them busy (and full). All running from 11 am until 2 pm outside Big W, book the kids into a free session to make Christmas Candy Wreaths, Christmas treat jars, and more!
Until Friday 20 December, 11 am – 2 pm | 30 & 33 Hibberson Street, Gungahlin| Book here.
