With clouds and possible storms predicted, Rudolf will be out leading Santa to ensure the festive season continues in full swing this weekend, 9-11 December.

Christmas cheer can be found right across the Canberra region – from Googong hosting Christmas carols and a market, to The Woden Valley Choir’s Carols by Candlelight, and Canberra Christmas Park’s epic trees at Hall.

Finish up your present buying at a number of markets – the Handmade Markets return to EPIC for a special Christmas shopping extravaganza, or check out the Canberra Potters Christmas Fair for more handcrafted gifts made with love.

EVENTS

Canberra Christmas Park: Raising funds for St Anthony’s Bread to help families in need, enjoy an evening of Christmas cheer with a jumping castle, Santa sighting and food available, Hall Pony Club, until 24 December; christmaspark.com.au

Christmas in the City: Free merry-go-round rides until 24 December, music and roving entertainment until 18 December; christmas.inthecity.com.au/events

Canberra Glassworks: Shop handcrafted Australian glass, Wed-Sun 10am-4pm (21-23 December 9am-5pm). In the Gallery, exhibitions by Hannah Gason and Consuelo Cavaniglia continue to late December; canberraglassworks.com

Daydream Machine: An expo showcasing the small businesses of our neuro-divergent youth with markets, live music, and more, at Daydream Machine, Fyshwick, 10 December 10am-2pm; facebook.com/daydreammachine1

Kids High Tea: A morning of learning what healthy relationships, asking tricky questions, and looking after ourselves looks like followed by morning tea, Ainslie Arts Centre, 10 December 10.30am; eventbrite.com.au

Dried Floral Christmas Workshop: KFlower will guide guests to design your own dried floral arrangements, while enjoying refreshments provided by L’Americano, at Canberra Centre, Saturday 10 December, 1–2pm and 3–4pm. Cost $50; bookings via Eventbrite

Googong Christmas: Returning after a three-year hiatus, the Googong Christmas Carols and markets make their return to Bunyip Park, Googong, 10 December 5pm; googong.net

Carols by Candlelight: The Woden Valley Youth Choir in association with Canberra City Band kick off the festive season with our favourite merry tunes, Stage 88, 10 December 7pm.

Queanbeyan Christmas Party: Crawford Street turns into a festive street party for the evening with Dragon headlining the live entertainment, food, drink and family activities, Saturday 10 December 6-9pm; qprc.nsw.gov.au

Spring Garden Experiences: Gourmet food and drinks in an inspiring spring garden, Braddon, 10 & 11 December; gardenswithfleur.com.au/events

Hottest 100 Craft Beer party: Capital Brewing Co is hosting a kick-off party for the GABS Festival Hottest 100 Craft Beer Poll. There will be live music from Mangrove, Endrey, Miroji, Smart Casual & Koebi Famui, and comedy from Tom Gibson & Hamish Hudson! There’ll also be fantastic food from BROD, Fricken Chicken and Gelato Messina!⁠ It’s a great day for Canberrans to swing past, cast a vote, and enjoy a day and night of festivities. At Capital Brewing Taproom, Dairy Road⁠, Sunday 11 December 11.30am-7pm.

LIVE PERFORMANCES

Trespass: A hybrid arts event presented by Promenade Theatre exploring the act of crossing boundaries, Hotel Mottainai, City West, 7-9 December; stagecenta.com

ACT Hub: Presents Oscar Wilde’sThe Importance of Being Ernest, 8-17 December 7.30pm, 14 Spinifex Street, Kingston; acthub.com.au

Winging It! The Musical: Lightbulb Improv will thrill you with songs made up on the spot to create a full musical, Canberra Theatre, 8-10 December; www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au

National Opera: Perform Handel’s Alcina at Llewellyn Hall, ANU, 10 December 7.30pm; nationalopera.org.au

Candlelight: [SOLD OUT] Best of Hans Zimmer classical music performance by candlelight at National Gallery of Australia, 9 December; feverup.com

Roland Bull: The triple RAW Comedy state finalist returns home to Canberra with his new show, Mess with the Bull!, 10 December, Sideway Bar, East Row; tickets via linktr.ee/robucomedy

Canberra Qwire: (proudly LGBTIQ+) Merry and Gay, a concert full of beautiful, fun and queer vocal music that will bolster your spirits and propel you into the festive season with a full heart, Sunday 11 December 3pm, The Q, Queanbeyan; canberraqwire.org.au

Alan Carr: The English comedian brings his brand-new stand-up show, Regional Trinket, to Canberra Theatre, 11 December 7.30pm; canberratheatrecentre.com.au

EXHIBITIONS

Creatively Ageing: Residents from the Calvary Haydon aged care home showcase work in their first public exhibition, Belconnen Arts Centre, until 5 February; belcoarts.com.au

Weird Years:  An exhibition birthed in the final years of a teenager struggling with mental illness hopes to highlight the importance of support for young people and their carers, Smith’s Alternative, until end of January 2023.

Cloud Country: Canberra’s Caroline Reid showcases paintings of the rich water resources from the ACT to the Victorian border, Raglan Art Gallery, Cooma, until 21 January; raglangallerycooma.com

NatureArt Lab: Present its annual end of year student art and photography exhibition, NatureArt Lab, Griffith, 8-11 December; natureartlab.com.au

Disrupt, Persist, Invent: Discover the stories of the many ways Australians have achieved social change in this new exhibition at the National Archives of Australia, 8 December-12 June; naa.gov.au

Guilty Pleasures: The 2022 members’ showcase at Canberra Contemporary Art Space, 9-11 December; ccas.com.au

Nancy Sever Gallery: Presents Terrain by multimedia artist Janenne Eaton, exploring geopolitical influences and our impact on the environment, 11 December-29 January; nancysevergallery.com.au

MARKETS

Handmade Markets: A special festive edition of the iconic Markets, in time to tick off your gift list, EPIC, 9-11 December; handmadecanberra.com.au

Night Markets: The community-run event runs every Friday 4-8pm at Anketell Street, Tuggeranong.

Capital Region Farmers Market: Fresh seasonal produce and gourmet goods at EPIC, Saturdays 7-11.30am; capitalregionfarmersmarket.com.au

The Little Burley Market: Lakeside Christmas markets at Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes, Saturdays 10, 17 and 24 December 9.30am-1.30pm; thelittleburleymarket.com.au

Christmas Fair: The Canberra Potters festive market gives you the opportunity to share gifts made with love this giving season, Canberra Potters, Watson, 10-18 December; canberrapotters.com.au

Haig Park Christmas Markets: Haig Park Village Markets get into the festive spirit on Sundays 11 and 18 December 8.30am-2pm; haigparkvillagemarkets.com.au

Old Bus Depot Markets: The much-loved markets continue at the Old Bus Depot in Kingston, Sundays 9.30am-2.30pm; obdm.com.au

Get the latest news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.