We welcome a new month and new season this weekend, 1-3 March.
The first week of March means the return of the Enlighten Festival which is set to light up the National Triangle and City Square for ten days of great entertainment, food and art.
Learn how to keep the creatures around us safe in the Pets and Wildlife Safety (PAWS) Day on Saturday. Then on Sunday, soak up the diversity of our community at the Queanbeyan Multicultural Festival.
EVENTS
Enlighten Festival: The beloved entertainment spectacular returns to illuminate our institutions with history and art. Locals will also be treated to fabulous entertainment, films and a smorgasbord of food options. National Triangle and City Square, 1-11 March; enlightencanberra.com
ACT Wildlife Gala(h) Ball: Celebrating 10 years of helping precious wildlife in our region, ACT Wildlife hosts its first-ever gala ball to raise funds to continue its meaningful work. National Museum of Australia, Friday 1 March 6.30pm; actwildlife.net
PAWS Day: The Pets and Wildlife Safety (PAWS) Day 2024 aims to educate our community on the health and safety of animals with a number of talks, reptile exhibition games and food and drink. Old Bus Depot, Saturday 2 March 10am-3pm.
Harvest Day Out: Celebrate the beauty of autumn with workshops, demonstrations, talks, tours, markets and food trucks. Lanyon Homestead, 2 March 10am-4pm; historicplaces.com.au/events/harvest-day-out-2024
Sri Lanka Festival: Celebrate the beautiful country and culture of Sri Lanka with traditional and contemporary dance and music, delicious food and drink, entertainment and raffle. Sri Lanka High Commission, Yarralumla, 2 March 10am-5pm.
Winederlust: An afternoon of bliss, tasting wine in heritage surrounds with the Winederlust podcast. Gorman Arts Centre, 2 March 3pm; ainslieandgorman.com.au
Dancing Queen Dining Experience: Experience the disco hits of ABBA live while enjoying a Mediterranean feast in this immersive event. Beef and Barley, Kingston, Saturday 2 March from 5.30 pm; explorehidden.com
Queanbeyan Multicultural Festival: Experience the diverse cultures of the community with food, festivities and performances. Queanbeyan Park, Sunday 3 March 10am-4pm; qprc.nsw.gov.au
LIVE PERFORMANCES
Bring It On the Musical: Based on the classic film of the same name, which sees rival high school cheerleading teams battle it out for the national championships. Erindale College Theatre, 29 February-16 March; philo.org.au
Afrique en Cirque: Daring acrobats and skilled musicians perform to the infectious rhythm of the djembes of Guinea in this celebration of traditional African culture. Canberra Theatre Centre, 1-2 March; canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Jack Botts: Brings his Australian Summer Tour 2024 to town with special guests Jordy Maxwell & Neptune. UC Hub, University of Canberra, 1 March 7pm; moshtix.com.au
Harry Max: Celebrated for his unique fusion of eastern musical traditions and the blues, the performer comes to The Street Theatre, City West, 1 March 7:30pm; thestreet.org.au
The Desert Stars: Touted as the world’s most remote Indigenous rock band, the four-piece travel nearly 3,000km from Spinifex Country in Western Australia to perform as part of the Enlighten Program. National Gallery of Australia, 2 March 6pm; nga.gov.au
Blamey Street Big Band: After a sell-out concert last year the local act reprises Blamey Street Swings with The Beatles featuring all your favourite hits. The Q- Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, Saturday 2 March 7pm; theq.net.au
Eurogliders: The successful and well-awarded duo continue their love for music in this fun and intimate show. Tallagandra Hill Winery, Saturday 2 March 7pm; tallagandrahill.com.au
Bandaluzia Flamenco: Bring a uniquely Flamenco perspective to the Argentine Tango music of Astor Piazzolla. The Street Theatre, City West, 2 March 7:30pm; thestreet.org.au
Last of the Red Hot Lovers: New York at the end of the 1960s, middle-aged Barney Cashman doesn’t want to miss out on the swinging craze and sets up three encounters in this classic comedy. Canberra REP Theatre, until 9 March; canberrarep.org.au
EXHIBITIONS
Beaver Galleries: Welcomes two exhibitions – Crispin Akerman’s paintings and Ulrica Trulsson’s Midwinter Echoes ceramics. 29 February- 26 March; beavergalleries.com.au
CCAS Manuka: Presents Glitch City – The Glimmers, an exhibition of abstract paintings by artist Scott Franks. 1-10 March; ccas.com.au
Madonna40: A Celebration: Experience this incredible homage to the Queen of Pop, as one Canberra fan shares their collection of Madonna memorabilia. Canberra Museum and Gallery, until 3 March; cmag.com.au
Elemental: The beauty of the Northern Flinders Ranges and Hawkesbury are on canvas in this joint exhibition by Melissa Read-Devine and Julie Simmons. Humble House Gallery, until 3 March; humblehouse.com.au
Loose Ends: Nine studio artists present a collection of the works they had been meaning to get around to, completed for the exhibition deadline. ANCA, Dickson, until 10 March; anca.net.au
Megalo Print Studio: Celebrates our history of political and social activism with Presents Cause and Effect: Politics and Protest from the Megalo Archives, until 16 March; megalo.org
Craft + Design Canberra: Presents three exhibitions- Seeing and Knowing: New Perspective in Furniture, Wilding Whitlam and 2024 Emerging Contemporaries. Until 16 March; craftanddesigncanberra.org
With Nature: A group exhibition curated by Alexander Boynes brings together artists who have been influenced by landscape in their works. CCAS Lakeside, until 16 April; ccas.com.au
Emily Kam Kngwarray: Celebrates 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, until 28 April; nga.gov.au
Jordan Wolfson: Body Sculpture: A commissioned piece that evokes emotional and physical responses from the viewer through the movements of an animatronic sculpture, contains mature themes. National Gallery of Australia, until 28 April; nga.gov.au
Deep Inside My Heart: Bringing together sculptures, drawings and other works from the national collection by female artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. National Gallery of Australia, until 19 May; nga.gov.au
Focus: Australian Government Photographers: Undertake a journey spanning six decades of Australian life with works from some of the government photographers working between 1939 and 1996. National Archives of Australia, until 10 June ; naa.gov.au
Discovering Ancient Egypt: On loan from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities is a deep dive into the culture of the ancient society with over 220 objects, spanning more than 3,000 years. National Museum of Australia, until 8 September; nma.gov.au
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