More than 50 things to do in Canberra this April
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You thought there was a lot going on in Canberra in March? Well, meet April.
This jam-packed list will give you more than 50 reasons to avoid hibernation during these cooler Canberra days.
FESTIVALS + SPECIAL EVENTS
Festival of the Winds
Watch Australia’s biggest kite flying festival, Festival of the Winds, take to the skies. No DIY kites and threads.
3 April
Exhibition Park in Canberra
eventbrite.com.au
The Canberra Times Marathon Festival
Be part of the Canberra Times Marathon Festival on Sunday 10 April 2022. Choose to take on the Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 km, 5.4 km or the Kids 2 km fun run. All five distances are single laps and explore the beautiful Canberra lakeside and surrounds.
8 – 10 April
King George Terrace, Parkes
solemotive.com
Greek Cultural Festival
Back by popular demand, the festivities at the Agora continues — bringing the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of Greece to the Museum. Much more than a market, the agora was the centre of athletic, social, spiritual and political life in Ancient Greece. Taste delicious food, browse market stalls, or sit back and take in music and dance, including a performance from the Australian Hellenic Choir.
9 April
National Museum of Australia
nma.gov.au
Heritage Festival
This year’s theme is Curiosity. The Heritage Festival will invite audiences to be curious about the tangible and intangible heritage that make our region unique. Discover our mid-century architecture, our engineering heritage, or join Ngunnawal custodians as they connect to Country.
9 April – 1 May
Various locations
environment.act.gov.au
Brick Expo
Brick Expo is an entertaining and interesting exhibition of rare and unique LEGO® creations by interstate and local collectors and modellers. Hundreds of static, moving and robotic models in themes including: Star Wars™, Trains, Planes, Space Ships, Racing Cars, Monuments and Sculptures.
Since 2011, Brick Expo has been helping pediatric patients in Canberra by supporting treatment for children through the Canberra Hospital Foundation.
9 – 10 April
Hellenic Club, Woden
brickexpo.com.au
National Folk Festival
The Easter long weekend will see a veritable feast of musical experiences and folk culture on offer at with more than 200 contemporary and traditional folk music acts across 12 venues, plus food and market stalls, workshops, roving entertainment and an engaging program of craft, dance and art.
14 – 18 April
Exhibition Park in Canberra
folkfestival.org.au
Canberra Circus Festival
Presented by Warehouse Circus, this amazing festival brings some of the best acrobatic and circus artists to the ACT for a festival of incredible feats. Circus for kids, circus for families, circus for adults, clowns, magic, burlesque.
Saturday 23 April is market day – enjoy free entry to markets with craft and community stalls, food, free juggling and acrobatics workshops for all abilities and performances, aerial acts, off-beat creative demonstrations and more!
19 – 23 April
Lions Youth Haven
canberracircusfestival.com.au
Anzac Day
This Anzac Day, come together in person and in spirit, to commemorate and reflect upon the service and sacrifice made by Australians in all wars and on operations, and the legacy created by those who landed at Gallipoli and fought for our nation and our values, during the First World War.
The Anzac Day commemorations will commence in the Captain Reg Saunders Courtyard and Sculpture Garden with pre-dawn readings from 4.30 am. The Anzac Day Dawn Service will begin at 5.30 am and includes the laying of wreaths on behalf of Australia and New Zealand symbolising the unity of ANZAC.
25 April
Australian War Memorial, Treloar Crescent, Campbell
awm.gov.au
EXHIBITIONS
Judy Horacek – Joys: Spontaneous and Contrived
Judy Horacek is a Melbourne-based artist, cartoonist, illustrator and author who is renowned for her witty and humorous interpretations of social and political issues. This body of work is an homage to all of those moments that have sustained us throughout the past two pandemic years. Through her vibrant series of watercolour paintings, she creates works which abound with joy.
Until 9 April
Beaver Galleries
beavergalleries.com.au
Van Gogh Alive
This is no ordinary art exhibition. Van Gogh Alive sets aside traditions of tiptoeing through silent galleries and viewing paintings from afar in quiet contemplation as visitors find themselves interacting with art in a multi-sensory experience. From start to finish, visitors are surrounded by a vibrant symphony of light, colour, sound, and fragrance in a specially designed and constructed 25,000 square foot immersive gallery.
Until 10 April
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
vangoghalive.com.au
Snow Gums
Snow Gums offers us a contemporary view of an ancient landscape. With his signature meticulous strokes, Yanni Pounartzis has created a richly layered statement about the spectacular snows gums of Ngunnawal Country.
The Snow Gums collection is a treatise on the Eucalypts in glorious colour inspired by the pigments and patterns of the natural world. The works are a pointed reminder of the magnificent beauty in the trees around us, which in the blur and busyness of urban life, are often overlooked and undervalued.
Now showing
Grainger Gallery
graingergallery.com.au
Kaleidoscope: An exhibition celebrating LGBTQI+ pride
The LGBTQI+ community is so much more than six colours. Diversity and inclusion are the glue that binds the community; the common thread that makes connections and provokes dialogue. Everyone has their own ideas about what it means to be part of this diverse rainbow community. Belco Arts is celebrating the LGBTQI+ community, and all that makes up its diversity of perspectives, lived experiences and shared ambitions by inviting LGBTQI+ artists in Canberra and throughout Australia – at any level of artistic experience – to create and share what being queer and being part of the LGBTQI+ means to them.
1 April – 15 May
Belco Arts
belcoarts.com.au
Upending Expectations
As the title Upending Expectations: Contemporary Glass implies, the focus of this exhibition is on artists whose experimental, innovative and at times cross-disciplinary practice, utilises glass and its properties of light, transparency and reflection, through a diverse range of approaches.
14 April – 15 June
Canberra Glassworks
canberraglassworks.com
Project 1: Sara Lucas
Over the past 30 years Lucas has re-imaged everyday objects into an exploration of gender and sexuality. Her work is this dark shadow dance of humour and vulnerability. You will laugh, be inspired and re-think the rotting fruit in your compost simultaneously.
The exhibition features two recent sculpture series, including new works from the Bunny series she has been making since 1997. A new series of bronze sculptures depicts similar figures that incorporate both masculine and feminine elements, challenging gender stereotypes and humorously playing with conventions of representation.
Until 18 April
National Gallery of Australia
knowmyname.nga.gov.au
Jeffrey Smart
The year 2021 marks one hundred years since the birth of acclaimed Australian artist Jeffrey Smart. This major exhibition celebrates and commemorates this significant centenary.
One of Australia’s most celebrated artists, Smart sought inspiration from the world around him – looking to the environment of urban and industrial modernity – which he transformed through his imaginative sense of theatre and intimate understanding of geometry and composition. These potent and intriguing images have become emblematic of 20th and 21st century urban experience.
Until 15 May
National Gallery of Australia
nga.gov.au
Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London
From Shakespeare to Winehouse, Darwin to Dickens, the Beatles, Brontë sisters and Beckham, the National Portrait Gallery London holds the world’s most extensive collection of portraits. While they undergo the largest renovation of their building in 125 years, more than 80 treasures from their collection are on show in Canberra for this exclusive exhibition.
Until 17 July
National Portrait Gallery
portrait.gov.au
Fourth National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony
Ceremony remains central to the creative practice of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. From the intimate and personal to the collective and collaborative, ceremonies manifest through visual art, film, music and dance. This immersive exhibition and program of events will challenge and unsettle; animate and heal.
Through the work of 35 artists from around Australia, Ceremony reveals how the practice of ceremony is at the nexus of Country, culture and community.
Until 31 July
National Gallery of Australia
nga.gov.au
On Stage: Spotlight On our Performing Arts
This exhibition brings Australia’s performing arts history into the limelight, also providing a backstage pass to the action behind the scenes, showcasing perspectives on stage direction, costume design, scripts, contracts and musical scores used by performers.
Presented together for the first time and drawing exclusively from the collections of the National Library, the exhibition features items that have never before been on display. Other highlights include the earliest surviving Australian printed document, selections from the JC Williamson theatre archives, and other contemporary live music and theatre posters.
Until 7 August
National Library of Australia
nla.gov.au
MARKETS
Geek Markets
Geek Markets is a free event and is the place to come and support local and interstate geeky artists, creators and traders. They have got all kinds of geeky, crafty, creative and artistic wares on offer.
Shop board games, clothing, trading cards, toys, books, video games, collectibles, comics and more.
2 April
Exhibition Park in Canberra
canberrageekmarkets.com.au
Dairy Road Market
The Dairy Road Market brings together wine tastings by Cellar Door, a selection of art and crafts by CraftACT, local produce, handmade objects, second-hand clothing, jazz by Melting Pot, the first iteration of Play Dairy Road, facilitated by Green Hat Workshop and a performance by the Australian Dance Party.
Inspired by Play KX in The UK and the locally run Playful Endeavour, Play Dairy Road provides free-play sessions for children. Children will have access to a range of unfixed play resources to encourage a broad range of play types. Play Dairy Road will be facilitated by Green Hat Workshop.
3 April
Dairy Road, Fyshwick
facebook.com
Handmade Markets
Welcome back (in actual real life) Canberra’s Handmade Markets! Expect to find Australian Made homewares, gifts, fashion, accessories and food, with a gourmet food hall full of street food vans, creating a feast for the senses and an unbeatable atmosphere of creativity and excitement.
Exhibition Park in Canberra
30 April – 1 May
handmadecanberra.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: from colourful macarons from Fyshwick’s Dream Cuisine, to teas and infusions from Queanbeyan’s Glenbog Fine Teas, handmade merino clothing from Opal Merino, stunning upcycles jewellery creations from Vetro e Metallo and more.
9.30 am – 2.30 pm every 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!
Sunday 9 am-2 pm
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.
Saturday 7 am-11.30 am
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.
Sunday 8 am -11.30 am
2 Launceston Street, Phillip
facebook.com/SouthsideFarmersMarketCanberra
MUSIC
All the gigs at Smith’s Alternative
From poetry to jazz, open mic to origami, Smith’s Alternative has an incredible range of live performances every week. Check out the calendar, grab your friends, and support Canberra’s arts scene.
All month
Smith’s Alternative
smithsalternative.com
Mister Ott
Mister Ott is a Sydney jazz sextet merging mesmerising eastern sounds, tight jazz funk, hypnotic grooves with melismatic horn lines and high calibre ecstatic solos. Mister Ott takes you on a journey, to another place and time where you lose your self in the music.
1 April
The Street Theatre
thestreet.org.au
Echoes of Pink Floyd
Australia’s largest scale Pink Floyd concept act Echoes of Pink Floyd will take audiences on a musical and visual journey from Pink Floyd’s earliest days as darlings of 1960’s London’s psychedelic underground, all the way to their 1990’s powerhouse performances as the undisputed masters of stadium rock.
1 April
Southern Cross Club
echoesofpinkfloyd.com.au
Hockey Dad
Across five years, two studio albums and an EP, Windang’s Hockey Dad achieved more than two coastal kids could ever collectively dream of. Their last effort, 2018’s Blend Inn, ended up being one of the year’s biggest successes for independent Australian music.
Not only did it crack the top 10 of the ARIA album charts, but it also notched up four spots in triple j’s Hottest 100, two sold-out national tours and accrued nearly 24 million streams on Spotify alone. Not bad for a pair of kids from a town where its previous biggest musical export was a jingle for a computer store.
Friday 1 March
UC Hub
moshtix.com.au
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
Homegrown punk stars Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers are playing UC HUB to coincide with the release of their brand new single ‘Miss Your Birthday’. This will be a cracker of a gig!
2 April
UC HUB
moshtix.com.au
Bandaluzia Flamenco
Led by ARIA nominated Flamenco guitarist Damian Wright, Bandaluzia will present a spectacular new show that showcases contemporary flamenco dance and music whilst displaying the essential characteristics of the flamenco tradition.
2 April
The Street Theatre
thestreet.org.au
Björn Again- Mamma Mia! We Are Back Again!
Björn Again are back playing all of ABBA’s biggest hits in an action-packed, highly-entertaining concert that is ABBA-SOLUTE fun for the whole family.
3 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
All Sorts: CJ Shaw Album Launch
Join CJ Shaw, ARIA-nominated music teacher and musician, as he launches All Sorts dubbed the ‘ultimate family album’. All Sorts draws on CJ Shaw’s most popular songs performed in classrooms, folk clubs and festivals- containing poignant storytelling, songs of fatherhood, hip-hop, satire and traditional folk.
Saturday 4 April
Belconnen Arts Centre
belcoarts.com.au
Mozart Concerto Gala
Join the Canberra Sinfonia and delight in two of Mozart’s most exquisite pieces. Lucy Macourt shines in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, while Alison Mountain and Rowan Phemister serenade you with Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp.
Three exceptional soloists celebrate the pinnacle of classical music. Mozart’s contribution to the repertoire is unparalleled, equally as famous for his iconic melodic craftsmanship as he is for his trademark musical elegance. You can enjoy two radiant concerti in this brilliant showcase by some of Canberra’s foremost soloists.
Saturday 2 April
Wesley Uniting Church
canberrasinfonia.com
Magic and the Masters
Fall under the spell of the Canberra Youth Orchestra and James McCusker Orchestra as they bring the music greats to Canberra. From Verdi to Handel, Beethoven to Mozart, to homegrown composers Grenfell and Hopkins – this program will take you out of the ordinary and into the sublime.
2 April
Albert Hall
eventbrite.com.au
San Cisco at UC Refectory
San Cisco are a three-piece indie pop group from Fremantle, Western Australia. Set to an upbeat indie-pop groove on the cusp of innocence and heartbreak, this is where San Cisco lives. ‘Awkward’. ‘Too Much Time Together’. ‘About You’. Lovesick calls gone to voicemail and endless pondering of what went wrong.
3 April
UC Refectory
moshtix.com.au
Omah Lay: Boy Alone Tour
Get ready Canberra… Omah Lay is headed to the capital! The Nigerian afro-fusion sensation enters 2022 after a monumental few years on the music scene. Omah lay was the first artist to be featured on Apple music’s new Africa rising project and his music has garnered support from complex, medium, DJ booth and more, in addition to being named bet’s artist of the month.
3 April
Woden Southern Cross Club
moshtix.com.au
Gotta Have Faith
An orchestral tribute to Pop Icon George Michael featuring a 28-piece Symphony orchestra conducted by George Ellis and special guest vocalists. Hear all your Wham! and George Michael favourites.
Friday 8 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Groovin The Moo Canberra
Groovin the Moo is the original regional touring music festival. Each event showcases a combination of communities, artists, local food and beverages. Touring acts from all genres reflect the importance of diversity and inclusivity.
24 April
Exhibition Park In Canberra
gtm.net.au
STAGE + FILM
December
December delivers a narrative of a nation hard hit by the climate crisis. Jake Silvestro’s fusion of astounding acrobatics and large-scale drawing are the vessel for this reflection on sustainability and the broader community’s response to the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires.
Working on a grand scale, Jake uses his acrobatic movement to inform the creation of a series of large-scale drawings and paintings that bring this narrative into clear focus during the show. Balancing between abstraction and literal, this physical theatre work is an example of the cutting edge of Australian contemporary circus.
1 – 2 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Dags
Dags is an excruciatingly funny and compassionate journey through the world of adolescent anguish. Originally commissioned by Canberra Youth Theatre in 1985, it has become one of the most definitive and popular Australian plays for young people ever. Of course, life as a teenager has changed so much since the 80s… hasn’t it?
Whether you’re living it for the first time, or have been reliving it ever since, Dags is the ultimate show about the awkward glory of never fitting in, ‘cause who the hell would even want to?
1-9 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Marty Sheargold
Marty Sheargold tours his stand-up show around Australia for a night of must-see comedy and he is heading home to Canberra. Don’t miss the opportunity to laugh live with the star of Have You Been Paying Attention? as he delivers a load of jokes and stories he can’t do on national TV.
2 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
The Wiggles
The Fruit Salad TV Big Show will feature all your favourite Wiggles songs such as ‘Do the Propeller!’, ‘Hot Potato’ and ‘Rock-a- Bye Your Bear’, as well as new and catchy tunes such as ‘Dippy Do Dinosaur Dance!’ So come along for double the fun and be a part of Wiggles history… it’s time to sing and dance to your favourite Wiggles tunes both old and new!
4 – 5 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Flickerfest 2022: Best of Australian Shorts
Flickerfest, Australia’s largest Short Film Festival is showcasing the Best of Australian Shorts programme. The short films screening are all entertaining, inspiring, award-winning and fresh from their premieres at Flickerfest Bondi, giving Canberra Flickerfest audiences a window into the hottest contemporary shorts from at home and across the world today.
7 April
Palace Electric Cinema
flickerfest.com.au
Hamlet
Peter Evans’ critically acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet returns in 2022. It’s a story of revenge, passion and deception, where human desire for retribution quickly becomes a burden. Set against a classically timeless backdrop, family turns on family, friendships disintegrate and the ghost of his father pushes Hamlet’s entire world to its brink.
7 –16 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
SPIN – Election 2022
Just in time for the federal election, Charles Firth (from The Chaser), James Schloeffel (from The Shovel) and Mark Humphries (from ABC’s 7:30) are joining forces to provide a masterclass in the ancient art of lying. From political messaging to corporate deception, they’ll show you how to bullsh*t your way through the trickiest situations life can throw at you.
13 April
Canberra Theatre Centre
canberratheatrecentre.com.au
SIX
Remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a high-octane 75 minute global pop musical phenomenon! After taking Broadway, the West End and the Sydney Opera House by storm, these Tudor Queens turned Pop Princesses are ready to rule over Canberra.
23 April – 15 May
Canberra Theatre Centre
Agapi & Other Kinds Of love
Poet Luka Lesson draws on his Greek heritage and Plato’s The Symposium to search for the meaning of love in this dynamic performance. Part poetic monologue, part rap and part history lesson, Agapi explores the power of love in both the ancient and the modern world.
27 – 29 April
National Museum of Australia
nma.gov.au
FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Craft For A Cause: Dickson Taphouse’s Flood Relief Festival
Dickson Taphouse is hosting a Flood Relief Festival to raise much needed funds to go directly to those impacted by the devastating floods in NSW & Queensland though givit.org.au.
During the festival on Saturday 2 April, guests can choose from an exciting range of over 20 local craft beers on tap, games, auctions, delicious food, while grooving to live music including local legends The Fuelers and the feel good percussive vibes of Zambezi Sounds.
On the day, Dickson Taphouse will also be celebrating the release of a limited edition fresh hop harvest beer with all proceeds from the sales going directly to givit.
Entry is free, however, guests are encouraged to give what they can on the day to givit.org
Saturday 2 April
Dickson Taphouse
dicksontaphouse.com.au
SPORT
ACT Clay Court International
The ACT Claycourt International returns to the Canberra Tennis Centre where a host of the world’s top tennis players compete in the ITF World Tennis Tour. Two tournaments will run back-to-back with both males and females competing for USD85,000 each week.
Until 3 April
Canberra Tennis Centre
tennis.com.au
Netier National Capital Rally
With two days of competition through the forests around Canberra, using both Kowen and Tidbinbilla Forests, the Netier National Capital Rally is conducted each year in Canberra as a round of the Australian Rally Championship. The event attracts competitors from all around the country, including a strong contingent of NSW and ACT-based competitors.
2-3 April
Multiple locations
netiernationalcapitalrally.com.au
GWS Giants vs St Kilda
GWS Giants take on St Kilda at Manuka Oval in Round 6 of the competition. Get along to cheer on your team!
22 April 2022
Manuka Oval
gwsgiants.com.au
