20 ways to spend this wintry weekend in Canberra
Posted on
A glittery burlesque spectacle, a free taster of fitness class Bounce—yep, a workout on a mini-trampoline—and plenty of markets.
Here’s how to spend this wintry weekend in Canberra.
DC Fit Open Day
Imagine this, you have been given a 30-minute taster of 14 styles of dance and fitness, and you suddenly discover a hidden talent for jazz hands. Oh, wait, we don’t have to imagine (well, maybe the jazz hands bit) because DC Fit Open Day is offering exactly that.
Explore tap dancing, contemporary, Jazz, Commercial, Afro Beats, Ballet, Heels (razzle-dazzle, lights, camera, and action—suddenly, you are on stage, and the crowd begins to cheer). Sorry, we drifted off there slightly. If this fantasy has tempted you, head to the DC Fit website.
Saturday 4 June, 1 pm-3 pm | Dance Central Studios, 13-15 Altree Court, Phillip | dance-central.com.au
21 Forster St
A patch of land. A stretch of sky. Bricks, beams; an open door. What makes a house a home? How can a space hold the stories of so many and do those echoes remain once they are gone?
21 Forster St is a new multidisciplinary theatre work from award-winning company Steps & Holes. Part of The Q’s new Q The Locals program, a new initiative that gives opportunities to artists and theatre makers from the surrounding regions, 21 Forster St focuses on creator Kate Walder’s own relationship with the house, which was owned by her father until his recent passing.
Joining Kate on the creative team is John Shortis OAM, Bungendore local and one-half of the iconic Simpson and Shortis, as well as a host of other Canberra region creatives to bring this hyper-local production to life. This locally inspired story explores our universal relationships to the places we call home.
Saturday 4 June | The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | theq.net.au
Guess How Much I Love You
“I love you right up to the moon—and back.”
It’s the story that’s captured the hearts of children and adults for over 25 years, inspiring one of the sweetest ways of saying ‘I love you’. But now the Nutbrown Hares are leaping off the page and coming to the Canberra Theatre Centre to try and measure the unmeasurable in a dazzling new stage adaptation.
Based on the iconic books by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram, Guess How Much I Love You follows the adventure of Little and Big Nutbrown Hare as they try to find the perfect way to express their love for each other while exploring their beautiful natural surroundings.
Brought to life by CDP Kids, the team behind the Australian tours of The Gruffalo, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Spot, parents will be excited to learn that Guess How Much I Love You is not only a fantastic show but it’s also the perfect introduction to theatre for children aged three and up.
Saturday 4 June| Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/guess-how-much-i-love-you
Finucane & Smith’s Dance Hall
Grab your dancing shoes, this just might be the shindig of the year. From the creators of the World’s Most Provocative Variety shows, and Australia’s longest touring avant-garde burlesque spectacle Caravan Burlesque, comes Finucane & Smith’s Dance Hall!
An unmissable night out, Dance Hall mixes up local talent with international stars in an extravaganza of song and dance, transforming the theatre into an intoxicating dance dive. Dress up, mingle, shares refreshments and bust a move—Dance Hall showcases the bounty of communities in a whole new light.
Saturday 4 June | Tuggeranong Arts Centre | tuggeranongarts.com
Winter Swap Event
Recently gone Marie Kondo on your house? Have you got one too many items that no longer spark said joy? Or perhaps you are like me, with too much stuff and an unshakable desire to take on more. Regardless of what category you fall into, the Winter Swap sounds like it’s the event for you. So, bring down your clean and preloved clothing, toys, books, and backyard produce to swap with others. Or update your wardrobe, refresh your children’s toy collection, read some new books and swap edibles within your local community. Not to mention a sausage sizzle, tea and coffee and all the yummy things in between.
Saturday 4 June, 10 am – 2 pm | Tuggeranong Uniting Church, 17 Comrie St, Erindale | facebook.com
Canberra Vietnamese school fundraiser
Come join the Canberra Vietnamese school fundraiser to enjoy some traditional Vietnamese food and drink stalls, live performances and maybe catch magician in action! Taking place at the Majura Community Centre, the entry fee is $10 for adults (free for children under 12) and all funds raised will go into supporting the school.
Saturday 4 June, 4:30pm – 8 pm | 2 Rosevear Place, Dickson| For more information, please contact 0478 636 668 or canberravietschool@gmail.com
Brumbies V Hurricanes: Knock Out Final
The Super Rugby Pacific knockout finals are here and after a brutal season, the Brumbies have won the right to host this weekend! Be there to cheer your Brumbies home to victory and one step closer to Super Rugby glory!
Saturday 4 June | GIO Stadium | brumbies.rugby
Lisa Mitchell ‘A Place To Fall Apart’ album tour
Celebrating the release of her long-awaited new album A Place To Fall Apart, us Canberrans are lucky enough to get first chance to hear her latest release. With a powerful band at the top of their game, a lifetime of experience under her belt and six years between albums, it seems the shift from ingenue to powerful truth-teller and weaver of magic is finally complete. Allow her songs to remind you of the things in this life that remain most precious, and most worthy of celebration.
Saturday 4 June | Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Dairy Road Market
The June market brings together wine tastings by Cellar Door, a selection of art and crafts by CraftACT, local produce, handmade objects, second-hand clothing, live music and Play Dairy Road facilitated by Green Hat Workshop.
Many of the businesses at Dairy Road will also be open to the public as part of the market.
Entry is free or $12 with a Cellar Door wine glass which includes wine tasting.
11 am–3 pm Sunday 5 June | Dairy Road, Fyshwick | facebook.com
German Film Festival 2022
“Herzlich willkommen” movie goers, film aficionados and anyone in Canberra who loves Kino with a German flavour! The German Film Festival is back for 2022 to showcase the best of contemporary German cinema (direct from major festivals in Europe) plus a selection from its German-speaking neighbours, Austria and Switzerland. From comedy to drama, there’s something for everyone.
Get your ticket, take your seats and enjoy the show…
Until Sunday 19 June | Place Electric Cinema | germanfilmfestival.com.au
Hilary Geddes Parkside + Claire Cross Into Light
Award-winning new generation jazz leaders and powerhouse women Claire Cross and Hilary Geddes will be gracing Canberrans at the street theatre stage with their strikingly distinctive music projects ‘Into Light’ and ‘Parkside.’ A dynamic union of beautifully synchronised sounds that will leave your ears with an experience like no other.
Saturday 4 June | The Street Theatre | thestreet.org.au
ArtSound FM: The ArtSound Earfest & Open Day
ArtSound FM, Canberra’s arts and music community radio station, will hold its annual on-air “Radiothon” fundraiser from May 27 to June 5, 2022, culminating in an Open Day on Sunday 5 June. This year’s theme is “ArtSound Earfest” and after two years of bushfires, hailstorm, and Covid-19 lockdowns, ArtSound is appealing to listeners to help replenish its budget so it can continue its work of supporting the ACT’s arts community.
Featuring special programming, the Open Day will have prize drawings for donors and new or renewing members, as well as a “membership special”: 17 months for the price of 12. There will also be musical performances, sausage sizzle, and much else ahead of a drawing for some grand prizes.
Sunday 5 June, 10 am – 2 pm | Crn Manuka Circle & New South Wales Crescent (adjacent to Manuka Oval) | artsound.fm
Dennis Altman – God Save The Queen
Avowed republican Dennis Altman investigates the unexpected durability and potential benefits of constitutional monarchies, in God Save the Queen: The Strange Persistence of Monarchies.
God Save the Queen is the first book to look at constitutional monarchies globally, and is particularly relevant given the pro-democracy movement in Thailand and recent scandals around the British and Spanish royal families. Is monarchy merely a feudal relic that should be abolished, or does the division between ceremonial and actual power act as a brake on authoritarian politicians? And what is the role of monarchy in the independent countries of the Commonwealth that have retained the Queen as head of state?
Join Dennis in his second visit to Muse, in conversation with popular historian and Muse favourite, Frank Bongiorno.
Sunday 5 June, 3 pm – 4pm | Ground Floor, East Hotel, 69 Canberra Ave, Griffith | musecanberra.com.au
Warped and Twisted
Showcasing the diverse work of Canberra Spinners and Weavers’ members, Warped and Twisted celebrates the art and craft of spinning and weaving in the ACT and surrounds. Unique pieces will be for sale and they will also have local handmade items for sale in the exhibition shop.
Until 12 June | 70 Maclaurin Cres, Chifley | canberraspinnersandweavers.org.au
The Alice – An Immersive Cocktail Experience
Fall down the rabbit hole and come along on a 90-minute topsy-turvy journey into the magical realm of Wonderland. Brought to you by the interactive team behind The Wizard’s Den, Beyond Cinema, and A.K Wregg, this immersive cocktail adventure is the tea party to end all tea parties.
Join them for a theatrical, alternate reality experience that will take you down the rabbit hole and through the looking glass! Across 90 minutes you will create two bespoke Wonderland cocktails, solve riddles and challenges just like Alice, devour “Eat Me” cakes and cookies, paint the roses red and much, much more!
Limited tickets are available now!
*Disclaimer – No flamingos will be hurt during the course of this adventure*
Until 31 Dec | Zoo Bar, London Circuit | Tickets $49.50pp via explorehidden.com
Reception this way: motels – a sentimental journey with Tim Ross
Travel around Australia revisiting your memories of the classic Aussie motel, from family holidays and long road trips to continental breakfasts and mid-century mod-cons.
In a land where the car has provided us with the ultimate freedom to hit the road and explore, it is no surprise that Australians wholeheartedly embraced the American concept of the motel. When motels began springing up in the 1950s, they represented a new, stylish and sophisticated way to travel.
Join National Archives and Tim Ross on a driving holiday through the quintessential Australian experience of staying in a motel. And find out why these images are part of the National Archives’ collection.
This exhibition is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians.
Until 4 Sep 2022 | National Archives of Australia | naa.gov.au
And then of course there are the weekly markets…
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. Plus there’s lots of deliciousness to find!
9.30 am – 2.30 pm Sunday | Wentworth Avenue, Kingston | obdm.com.au
Haig Park Village Markets
Taking place every Sunday rain, hail or shine, the Haig Park Village Markets has fresh produce, beautiful flowers, artisan breads, meats, treats and more. You can even enjoy a picnic in the park before grabbing your essentials for the week!
9 am–2 pm Sunday | Haig Park, Braddon | haigparkvillagemarkets.com.au
Capital Region Farmers Markets
With more than 100 stallholders each week, the Capital Region Farmers Market at EPIC Park has endless options when it comes to freshly picked, grown and handcrafted produce.
Fill the garden using their great selection of natives and landscape plants, fruit trees, seedlings and shrubs or fill your stomach with freshly baked bread, cakes, macarons and croissants.
7 am–11.30 am Saturday | Exhibition Park in Canberra | capitalregionfarmersmarket.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 facebook.com/haigparkvillagemarkets
