The festive season kicks off this weekend, 1-3 December and the Canberra region is already spreading the Christmas joy.
Pop on the jingle bells and make your way to one of the Christmas markets and fairs across the ACT to spread the festive cheer.
Celebrate one of Australia’s most distinguished First Nations artists as the Emily Kam Kngwaaray exhibition opens at the National Gallery of Australia.
And for a celebration of Danish culture, catch the amazing gymnastic talents of the National Danish Performance Team in a free show out front of Canberra Theatre on Saturday morning.
EVENTS
Seniors Christmas Market: Find unique Christmas gifts, experience demonstrations and live performances, grab a tasty Christmas goodie or enjoy a buffet meal. Canberra Seniors Centre, Turner, Friday 1 December 4pm; eventbrite.com.au
Trove Christmas Party: Celebrate the silly season with drinks, nibbles and discounts from a collective of local artists and designers. Trove Canberra, Dickson, 1 December 5-7pm; trovecanberra.com.au
Book Launch: Karina May shares her new romance fiction novel Never Ever Forever, set in Mudgee where marketing professional Rosie trades her career in for a spot on the local radio station. Bittersweet Café, Kingston, Friday 1 December 6pm; humanitix.com
National Danish Performance Team: Catch a glimpse of the amazing talent of the National Danish Performance Team when the Danish Embassy in collaboration with Canberra Theatre Centre and Woden Valley Gymnastics Club present a free performance by the team at the steps in front of Canberra Theatre Centre on Saturday 2 December 10.30am.
Christmas Gin Festival: Gin-gle all the way to Christmas cheer with this showcase of Australian craft distillers and their exceptional gin creations. Clink your glasses with festive merriment and take a drop home to share. University of Canberra, Bruce, 2-3 December; ginevents.com.au
Christmas Market: Kangara Waters crafters have been busy creating wonders in patchwork, porcelain, knit, jewellery and much more – perfect for the festive season and gift-giving. Kangara Waters Retirement Village, Belconnen, Saturday 2 December 8.30am-12.30pm.
Christmas Fair: Grab a Christmas gift, plants, preloved books, craft items, clothing, jewellery or tasty baked goods – with free tea, coffee and biscuits for all. Christ Church, Hawker, 2 December 9am-12.30pm.
Christmas Festival and Markets: Stalls for all your festive delights, pizza and gelato trucks, raffle prizes, face painting and a special visit from Santa. Tarago Hall, Tarago NSW, 2 December 4-8pm.
Christmas at OBDM: The beloved Kingston markets turn festive with handcrafted gifts, Christmas trees, and photos with Santa. Sundays 3, 10, 17 December; obdm.com.au
Terribly British Day: An event to showcase the finest in British-made vehicles – from the classics to the more recent. Queanbeyan Park, Sunday 3 December 9am-3pm.
LIVE PERFORMANCES
A Stellar Line-up: A celebration of inclusion as Canberra’s most engaging and inclusive dance companies present dancers of all ages, backgrounds, identities and abilities on stage in alignment with International Day of People with Disability. Canberra College, Phillip, 1-2 December; stickytickets.com.au
Classical Ballet Centre: The Canberra dancing company presents its production of The Greatest Show on Earth. Canberra Theatre Centre, 1-2 December; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Elixir: The Aussie three-piece celebrates their fourth album A Small Shy Truth at The Street Theatre, City West, 1 December 8pm; thestreet.org.au
Canberra Rep: Present their final work for the season, a rollercoaster comedy of history and tragedy in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]. Canberra Rep Theatre, until 2 December; canberrarep.org.au
Grooving in the Grove: The Canberra Symphony Orchestra presents the latest instalment of the Meet the Brass series, an interactive program for the whole family to encourage a love of music from the littlest listeners up. Canberra Montessori School, Holder, 2 December 1.30pm; cso.org.au
A Journey to Christmas: The Canberra Men’s Choir hosts an afternoon of joyous Christmas music to get you in the festive spirit. St John’s Anglican Church, Reid, Saturday 2 December 2.30pm; trybooking.com
In Paradisum: The Canberra Community Chorale performs Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and Last Verses by the Chorale’s musical director Dan Walker. Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, 2 December 5pm; trybooking.com
Dan Sultan: The beloved Aussie singer-songwriter brings his beautiful tunes to town with special guest Jack Biilmann. UC Hub, University of Canberra, 2 December 7pm; moshtix.com.au
Battle of the Big Bands Christmas Ball: Travel back to the Christmas of yesterday with this swinging big band jazz-off. Dress up in your vintage best and bring your favourite festive dish to share. Albert Hall, Yarralumla, Saturday 2 December 7.30pm; humanitix.com.au
Metaverse of Magic: The world’s first interactive magic spectacular takes audiences on a journey through theatre and magic with some of the world’s most renowned illusionists. Canberra Theatre Centre, until 3 December; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
King Lear: A deteriorating King misjudges the loyalty of their children, leading to devasting consequences in this retelling of the Shakespearean classic. The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, until 3 December; theq.net.au
A Cracking Christmas: The Maruki Community Orchestra presents a festive program including the Nutcracker Suite Op. 71a and Sérénade Mélancolique Op. 26 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Albert Hall, 3 December 3pm; marukicommunityorchestra.org.au
Karise Eden: Covering blues, soul, pop, country and everything in between, this powerhouse musician performs originals and a collection of covers at Tallagandra Hill Winery, Gundaroo NSW, Sunday 3 December 6.30pm; tallagandrahill.com.au
EXHIBITIONS
Emily Kam Kngwarray: Celebrate the timeless art of the pre-eminent Anmatyerr artist who devoted her final years to painting and creating work capturing the experience of her extraordinary life. National Gallery of Australia, 2 December-28 April; nga.gov.au
Creative Distractions: Artists Di Dibley, Roz Dibley, Anne Kennedy and Marion Schumacher present an exhibition in different mediums as a response to the natural world. Rusten House Art Centre, until 16 December; qprc.nsw.gov.au
Pacific Navigators: John Gould shares works informed by a fascination with how objects and artefacts reveal culture and history of place and people. Strathnairn Arts, until 17 December; strathnairn.com.au
Belconnen Arts Centre: Hosts four new exhibitions: Visual Expression from The Bunker Studio Artists; Scenes from the Mall from Spiros Coutoubas; Hesitation from Eliza Adam; DISCRIMINATE from John Brookes, 1 December-11 February; belcoarts.com.au/exhibitions
Small Works: A showcase of over 100 small-scale artworks in a variety of mediums from a collective of artists. Beaver Galleries, Deakin, 1-22 December; beavergalleries.com.au
Dark Matter 2023: A showcase of the works created throughout the 2023 Dark Matter Residency. PhotoAccess, until 2 December; photoaccess.org.au
Graduating Exhibition: The ANU School of Art & Design 2023 graduates showcase their works. ANU School of Art & Design, 2-10 December; soad.cass.anu.edu.au
Processed: Emeirely Nuciforna-Ryan presents an observation of daily practice, captured over seven months and displayed in the style of a Gregorian calendar. CCAS Manuka, until 3 December; ccas.com.au
Canberra Potters: Presents the Canberra Potters 2023 Members’ Exhibition. Watson, until 3 December; canberrapotters.com.au
Wood Spirits Unearthed: Myron Mykytiuch showcases a collection of carved wood works crafted in the spirit of nature, in recycled and repurposed materials. Yarralumla Gallery, until 10 December; ygob.com.au
Illuminate 2023: The 10th annual exhibition of the Friends of the ANBG Photographic Group showcases photos taken of Australia’s unique flora and fauna within the Gardens. Australian National Botanic Gardens, until 10 December; parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens
Threatened Species Open Photographic Exhibition: Photographers from around Australia share their works to shine a light on our at-risk native plants and animals and celebrate the conservation practices that are supporting their plight. Wild Bark at Mulligans Flat, until 13 December; belcoarts.com.au
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