As we come into the final month of winter, CW has put together a list of happenings to keep you toasty, thrilled and fulfilled throughout August.
From 13-21 National Science week is set to amaze and entertain locals across the region, a list of ACT events can be found at scienceweek.net.au
Scandinavian Film Festival: Palace Electric hosts some of the country’s best films at Palace Electric Cinema, until 6 August; scandinavianfilmfestival.com
Smith’s Varietal: #186 sees performers from the furthest reaches of Canberra’s performing arts community put on a show at Smith’s Alternative, Tuesday 2 August 6.30pm; smithsalternative.com
The Ted Vining Trio: The hardest swinging drummer and band leader in Australian Jazz brings his band and swinging tunes to Smith’s Alternative, Wednesday 3 August 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Australian Bee Gees Show: Bringing the iconic tunes of the band to life in this world-renowned tribute show, The Q, Queanbeyan, Thursday 4 August; theq.net.au
Latin American Film Festival: The 17th annual event returns with 15 films representing the countries with diplomatic representation here in Canberra. Kambri Theatre, ANU, 4-31 August; anufg.org.au
Sweaty Biscuits: Canberra’s newest dance pop duo take the stage in the latest instalment of An Inconvenient Groove at Smith’s Alternative, Thursday 4 August 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Tim Freedman: The Whitlams front man in conversation and an acoustic performance at the National Film and Sound Archive, Friday 5 August 6pm; nfsa.gov.au
The Whitlams: Black Stump Band is an alt country offshoot featuring original members joined by some of the country’s finest country musicians, Royal Hotel Queanbeyan, Friday 5 August 8pm; royalhotelqueanbeyan.oztix.com.au
Smith’s Alternative: Hosts two musical events on Friday 5 August – The Dan Hanrahan trio from 7pm then from 9.30pm Sydney’s On the Stoop take the stage; smithsalternative.com
Ev Expo: Learn all about sustainable cars when the Australian Electric Vehicle Association’s conference and expo comes to EPIC. 5-7 August. Conference fee applies for Friday, Saturday-Sunday expo is free with registration required; theevexpo.com
Botanical Illustration: Cheryl Hodges explores the beauty of the eucalypt in watercolour in this instalment of A No Place Like Home. Gunghalin Library, Saturday 6 August 9.30am; belcoarts.com.au
Dirrum Festival: This year’s theme Illuminate features an afternoon of influential speaker, food and music. Radford College, Saturday 6 August 4pm; dirrumfestival.org
The Beanies: The ABC Kids trio bring their live show Egg-straordinary Day to Canberra Theatre, Saturday 6 August 10am and 12pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Canberra Blues Society: Celebrates 25 years and International Blues Day with live music, Hot Rods, Markets and more at Harmonie German Club, Saturday 6 August 12pm; events.humanitix.com
Music in the Fields: Canberra Symphony’s Chamber Ensemble performs winter-themed classics while guests indulge in a seasonal menu at Pialligo Estate, Saturday 6 August 2pm and 6.30pm; cso.org.au
Ten Tenors: Back in Australia after a 40-city return tour to the USA, The Ten Tenors bring The Highway Man tour to Canberra Theatre, Saturday 6 August; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Rose Coloured Everything: Bring their indie-post-rock acoustic album tour to Smith’s Alternative, Saturday 6 August 6pm; smithsalternative.com
Richard Clapton: One of the country’s foremost singer songwriters brings his show to Tallangandra Hill Winery, Gundaroo, 6 August 7pm; eventbrite.com.au
ACO: Australian Chamber Orchestra presents The Crowd & I: A cinematic meditation on our crowded planet, Llewellyn Hall, 6 August 8pm; aco.com.au
Canberra Calligraphy Society: The way of the pen, produced by various artists and scribes, 6 August-7 September, The Oaks Brasserie, Yarralumla; canberracalligraphysociety.org.au
Hetty Kate + Creswick: Join forces in a double bill of contrasting jazz styles and storytelling in a unique concert at The Street Theatre, Saturday 6 August 8pm; thestreet.org.au
(in)tangible: Showcases the work of five artists as they explore themes of mental health and wellbeing through artmaking, Canberra Potters Gallery, Watson, until 7 August; canberrapotters.com.au
NLA: National Library of Australia hosts the exhibition On Stage: Spotlight on our performing arts, until 7 August; nla.gov.au
NMA: See traditional and contemporary culinary tools on display inAn Aboriginal Culinary Journey: Designed for Living, at National Museum of Australia, until 7 August; nma.gov.au
Aarwun Gallery: Three exhibitions – Sandra Hendy’s An Eclectic Collection, Xiangrong Yu’s Embrace, and Andrew Grassi Kelaher’s Viviacious Views, Peaceful Panoramas, until 7 August; aarwungallery.com.au
Comedy Open Mic: Every first Sunday of the month people are given the chance to make the crowd laugh at Smith’s Alternative from 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Deadly Dialogues: The third instalment welcomes Rachael Maza AM to the National Librar of Australia, Monday 8 August 6pm;nla.gov.au
Canberra Writer’s Festival: The 7th annual festival hosts over 70 events at historical sites across the ACT, 10-14 August; canberrawritersfestival.com.au
Humble House gallery: Near Water – a solo exhibition of drawings and paintings by Petros Papoulis until 4 September; humblehouse.com.au
Book Launch: Dr. Joy McCann shares stories of the intrepid Australian Antarctic explorers from her new book Ice Bound. National Library of Australia, Wednesday 10 August 6pm; nla.gov.au
Crafternoon: Every Wednesday, Smith’s Alternative hosts an afternoon for crafty types to get together from 12.30pm; smithsalternative.com
Vika & Linda: The duo embarks on their biggest tour yet, coming to Canberra Theatre, 11 August 7.30pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Capital Punishment: Canberra’s original pun slam returns with the theme TV show, come along, and have some fun with puns. Smith’s Alternative, Thursday 11 August 7pm; smithsalternative.com
The Stockade Project: Artist Anthony White discusses research on Sidney’s Nolan collection of the Eureka Stockade. National Library of Australia, Thursday 11 August 5:30pm; nla.gov.au
ANU Classics Museum: Free tours conducted by voluntary guides on the second Friday of each month at 12.30pm in the A D Hope Building, ANU; call 0438 883 373.
Smith’s Alternative: Holds a night of freak folk tunes on Friday 12 August – Lo Carmen performs from 7pm and then The Burley Griffin, CJ Shaw and The Blow Ins from 9.30pm; smithsalternative.com
Night Markets: The community-run event runs every Friday 4-8pm at Anktell Street, Tuggeranong.
Soft Light: Kasey Sealy presents her exhibition of watercolours at Aarwun Gallery, 12 August-4 September; aarwungallery.com.au
Russel Morris: Performs songs from his 50-year career in this intimate show at Tallagandra Hill Winery, Gundaroo, Saturday 13 August 7pm; eventbrite.com.au
Sex on the Beach: David Attenborough meets Barry White meets Slime in this science show for audiences aged 16+. Smith’s Alternative, Saturday 13 August 2pm; smithsalternative.com
Kav Temperley: The Eskimo Joe front man brings his solo tour to Canberra Theatre, Saturday 13 August; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
The Gadflys: Celebrate 40 years of being one of the Capital’s finest exports. Smith’s Alternative, Saturday 13 August 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Glassworks Science Week: Celebrate the International Year of Glass with free live glass blowing demonstrations 13-14 August 11am & 2pm; canberraglassworks.com
Botanical Illustration: Cheryl Hodges explores the beauty of the eucalypt in watercolour in this instalment of A No Place Like Home. Woden Library, Saturday 13 August 9.30am; belcoarts.com.au
Canberra Glassworks: Annette Blair’s Quietly Spoken and Kate Nixon’s On Reflection, Canberra Glassworks, Kingston, until 14 August; canberraglassworks.com
On Stage: Spotlight on Our Performing Arts continues at the National Library of Australia until 14 August; nla.gov.au
Kyeema Gallery: Flourishing, a selection of works by the Allsorts Collective at Capital Wines, Hall until 14 August; capitalwines.com.au
Sheku Kanneh Mason: Brings the family on their largest tour outside of the UK, at Canberra Theatre, Sunday 14 August 2pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Dark Matter in the Pub: This Science Week event explores one of the greatest mysteries of science, dark matter. Smith’s Alternative, Sunday 14 August 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Unleash the Resilience Of Multicultural Canberra: This day long expo full of workshops, cultural activities, demonstrations and more. Albert Hall, Saturday 14 August 11am; cmcf.org.au
Lunchulele: Every Monday ukulele players mysteriously appear at Smith’s Alternative, 12.30- 1.30pm; smithsalternative.com
Exploring Turner: Learn more about the great nineteenth century painter, Turner, presented by Canberra ADFAS. National Library of Australia, Monday 15 August 6pm; adfas.org.au
Sean Godsell: 2022 Australian Institute of Architect’s 2022 Gold medallist has climate change top of the agenda in this talk, National Gallery of Australia, Tuesday 16 August 5:30pm; architecture.com.au
NLA Science Week: partnering with the ANU school of cybernetics in two talks at the National Library of Australia- The Library and AI, 16 August 6pm and Speech Recognition Technology, 18 August 6pm; nla.gov.au
Classical Capers: Tobias Cole hosts an evening of classically trained musicians and enthusiasts in this open mic night at Smith’s Alternative, Wednesday 17 August 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Tempestuous Skies: The Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra perform some of Mozart’s most sublime music. Albert Hall, Wednesday 17 August 7.30pm; arco.org.au
Demented: Canberra Playwright Ruth Pieloor was inspired by her personal experience in the play that explores the subconscious maze of dementia, The Q, Queanbeyan 17-20 August; theq.net.au
Women of Science & Art: Hold three events over Science Week – A family friendly networking event and two workshops, 17, 19 & 21 August, for full details; innovatecommunicate.com
Z.E.N Trio: along with composer Matt Laing bring their national tour to Llewellyn Hall, ANU, Thursday 18 August 7pm; musicaviva.com.au
Ngagjung: A play set in a scarily imaginable future here on Ngunnawal country: what happens when the water dries up? Belconnen Arts Centre, 18-27 August; belcoarts.com.au
Smith’s Scribblers: Lunchtime life drawing every Thursday 12.30pm; smithsalternative.com
Lisa Cahill: Presents her new exhibition If not now, when? – a call to action in response to 2019/20 bushfires at COX Gallery, Kingston, until 19 August.
Antique and Collectible Fair: Come hunt for jewels and treasure at the Rotary Club of Murrumbidgee Canberra’s seasonal event. Albert Hall, 19-21 August; $10 entry.
Sparrows of Kabul: Afghanistan National Day Concert Fred Smith and band will perform marking the anniversary of the evacuation of Kabul. National Press Club, Friday 19 August 7:30pm; events.humanitix.com
Historical Hilarity: Drag Cabaret presents a night of history jumping from the page and onto the stage. Smith’s Alternative, Friday 19 August 9.30pm; smithsalternative.com
Backblocks: By Idris Murphy captures a great Australian painter at the height of his powers. Drill Hall Gallery, ANU, 19 August- 16 October; dhg.anu.edu.au
Fungi Co: Science Week screenings of How Fungi Made Our World and Q&A. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 19 August 7pm; Belconnen Arts Centre, 20 August 2pm; fungico.com.au
The Enchantment of Things: An exhibition by Naomi Zouwer exploring discarded objects through paint, collage and print, at Megalo Print Studio until 20 August; www.megalo.org
Prada Clutch: Brings her All-Drag Revue show paying tribute to the history of Aussie drag to Canberra Theatre, Saturday 20 August 8pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Glassworks Science Week: Celebrate the Year of Glass with a Neon bending demo 19 August 4pm and live glass blowing demonstrations 20-21 August 11am & 2pm; canberraglassworks.com
Eirborne: After sold-out shows across Europe, the live rock show celebrating Irish dance comes to Canberra Theatre, Saturday 20 August 7.30pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Leo Joseph: Blues jazz boogie piano sessions have found a new home at Smith’s Alternative on the third Saturday of every month 12.30-2pm; smithsalternative.com
Community Market: The monthly markets come to Calwell shopping centre on the third Saturday of the month 9am-3pm, and Queanbeyan Park every third Sunday of the month 9am-2pm.
Kippax Marketplace: Indoor market to run 3rd Saturday of every month 8am-12pm, at Kippax Uniting Church Community Centre; free entry.
Smith’s Alternative: Hosts two musical performances on Saturday 20 August – Ben Drysdale andNiall Howe hit the stage from 4pm then Milena Luna presents her new album at 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Two worlds: The Oriana Chorale tells the story of Australia a nation formed from the stories of its people over thousands of years, Saturday 20 August 7.30pm; belcoarts.com.au
Cameron Haas: Showcases acrylics on linen in Resonate at Nancy Sever Gallery, until 21 August; nancysevergallery.com.au
Belco Arts: Four exhibitions – Leah Brideson’s Life Source; Collaborative showcase Step Change; Michael Winters’ My Greece; Jennifer Kemarre Martinello’s Colonisation, Belconnen Arts Centre, until 21 August; belcoarts.com.au
Flazeda Open Day: Ever wondered if the classes at Flazeda Hub were for you? Now’s your chance with free classes all day on Sunday 21 August from 10am; flazedahub.com
Step Change: A large-scale painting, video and sound work that explores the urgency of transitioning to the age of climate crisis. Belconnen Arts Centre, until 21 August; belcoarts.com.au
Val Johnson: Explores our region using oil and mosaic in her newest exhibition Here’s Looking at You Canberra, at Strathnairn Art, Holt, until 21 August; strathnairn.com.au
Winter Concert: Brindabella Orchestra’s world premiere of The Old Man Who Loved to Sing by Michael Dooley along with other famous works, Weston Community hub, Saturday 21 August 2pm; trybooking.com
Australian Tenors: Enjoy the fun, romance and excitement of the finest tenor voices in Australia, Canberra Theatre, Sunday 21 August 2pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Bric-a-Brac Rummage: Hunt for second-hand treasure in front of South.Point mall, Tuggeranong Sunday 9am-3pm.
Death By Carrot: Bring their tunes to Smith’s Alternative, Tuesday 23 August 7pm; smithsalternative.com
Old Timey Wednesday: Each hump day afternoon Smith’s Alternative parties like its 1899 with the best live old timey music from 4pm; smithsalternative.com
Pete Murray: The multi-platinum selling singer songwriter brings his Before I Go Tour to Canberra Theatre, Thursday 25 August 8pm; petemurray.com
Girl From the North Country: The show that has taken the theatrical world by storm, featuring over 20 songs by Bob Dylan hits Canberra Theatre, 25 August-3 September; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
MoAD: Home to a host of exhibitions, such as: Democracy DNA; Statement: Jack Green’s Paintings; and Behind the Lines 2021,at Old Parliament House. Free entry; bookings encouraged.
Sing Australia: No auditions required – just a love of singing, friendship and fun. Weekly sessions at: Belconnen, Thursday 9.30am; Duntroon, Monday 7.30pm; Greenway, Monday 1pm. Costs apply; singaustralia.com.au
International Film Festival: Masterpieces from the 1930-50s have been digitally remastered for this three-day event. Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive, 26-28 August; nfsa.gov.au
Erth’s Prehistoric World: Brining ancient creatures of land and sea together in one show. Canberra Theatre, 26-27 August; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Oz Comic-Con: Hits the Capital for the first time ever in a weekend of celebrity guests and all kind of pop culture extravaganza. EPIC, 27-28 August; ozcomiccon.com
Diesel: Brings his Greatest Hits – Alone with The Blues tour to Canberra Theatre, Friday 26 August 8pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Craft ACT: Two exhibitions – Confluence, the annual artists in residence program featuring work by Valerie Kirk and Harriet Schwartzrock, and Beeing by Dr Julie Bartholomew on the continuing survival of bees, at Craft ACT gallery until 27 August; craftact.org.au
Funfair: Rides, show bags, entertainment and so much more is on offer on this fun-filled day at Impact Church Canberra, 27-28 August, capacity limited and bookings encouraged; ticketebo.com.au
Smith’s Alternative: Hosts a night of music on Saturday 27 August – Jodi Phillis takes the stage with her We Need to Be Free Tour at 6.30pm, then High Ace performs from 9.30pm; smithsalternative.com
Opera Gala: National Opera Canberra presents featured artist Eleanor Greenwood, joined by Emma Mauch and Hannah Carter. Llewellyn Hall, 27 August 7.30pm;nationalopera.org.au
Geoffrey Robertson QC: Brings his live current affair show, It’s No Longer Hypothetical, to Llewellyn Hall, ANU, 27 August 7:30pm; lateralevents.com
Old Bus Depot Markets: The much-loved markets are back at the Old Bus Depot in Kingston, Sundays 9.30am-2.30pm; obdm.com.au
Talking about Glass: Learn more about experiments, exhibitions and creations from Broni Sargeson at Canberra Glassworks, Wednesday 31 August 4.30PM; canberraglassworks.com
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