16+ ways to fill your weekend in Canberra

Posted on 1 April, 2022

Happy Friday, Canberra!

From sprawling markets to online markets, flood relief festivals to wine festivals and everything in between, here’s what’s happening in Canberra this weekend.

Dairy Road Market

The Dairy Road Market (pictured above) 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.

Sunday 3 April, 12-5 pm | Dairy Road, Fyshwick | Facebook

Canberra Airport Open Day

With jaw-dropping aerial displays, historic war birds and detector dog demonstrations, Top Gun tragics and aviation enthusiasts alike will be in their element at Canberra Airport Open Day 2022.

This year’s jam-packed event, held on Sunday 3 April, includes aircraft display, children’s activities, food stalls, entertainment and more! Entry is free, however, tickets are essential.

See the full list of attractions here.

9 am – 3 pm | Canberra Airport | canberraairport.com.au

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.

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.

Saturday 2 April, 12pm till late | Dickson Taphouse, 30 Woolley St, Dickson | Facebook

Geek Markets

The 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.

Saturday 2 April | Exhibition Park in Canberra | canberrageekmarkets.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!

Saturday 2 April | UC Hub | Moshtix

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.

Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 April | Multiple locations| netiernationalcapitalrally.com.au

4th 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 Sunday 31 July | National Gallery of Australia | nga.gov.au

DAGS by Debra Oswald

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?

Until Saturday 9 April | Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com.au

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.

Until Saturday 2 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. Book now, don’t disappoint him, yourself or his property broker by missing out!

Saturday 2 April | Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Björn Again: Mamma Mia! We Are Back Again!

Björn Again is back playing all of ABBA’s biggest hits in an action-packed, highly-entertaining concert that is ABBA-SOLUTE fun for the whole family.

Sunday 3 April | Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/bjorn-again

Deep Dive into Riesling and Shiraz

In celebration of the Canberra Harvest Festival, join Freddie Raimbaud and Emma Shaw as they take you through a deep dive into the Canberra wine region’s hero varieties, riesling and shiraz.

Saturday 2 April | Dan Murphy Dickson | piqueniquewine.com.au

Festival of the Winds: Kite Flying Festival

Australia’s biggest kite flying festival, Festival of the Winds, is on again at EPIC.

Sunday 3 April | Exhibition Park in Canberra | Facebook

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.

Sunday 3 April | UC Refectory | Moshtix

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.

Sunday 3 April | Woden Southern Cross Club | Moshtix

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 Sunday 3 April | Canberra Tennis Centre | tennis.com.au/act