Andrew Barr is very excited by booming tourism numbers:
The number of people visiting the ACT for a holiday increased by 50 per cent in the March quarter of this year, coinciding with a big program of events in Canberra’s Centenary.
And in the year ending March 2013, domestic overnight visitors contributed $1.18 billion to the [...]

Chief Minister Gallagher has announced the presentation of medallions to the 21 Canberra babies born on the Centenary day:
Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, has today congratulated 21 Canberra babies and their parents and presented them special centenary medallion to recognise that they were born on Canberra’s 100th birthday.
“In our centenary year we are recognising many Canberrans [...]

[ 1 June, 2013 11:00 am to 2 June, 2013 3:00 pm. ]

Kites will fill the skies on Saturday 1 June at Belconnen Arts Centre’s Wind Air Water Centenary kites festival at Lake Ginninderra.

All ages will be entertained with kite making master-classes, face painting and watching the flying of dozens of community kites made by groups, businesses and organisations over the past six months.

Bring along your own [...]

[ 1 June, 2013; 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. ]

Bluebells, Correa Bells, Parliament House, Black Mountain Tower and even floral bouquets – all made entirely out of sugar – will be on display on Saturday 1 June at a Centenary celebration of all things cake.

The ACT Cake Decorators Association will host the Canberra Centennial Open Day at Weston Creek Community Centre. It will include [...]

Centenary of Canberra are calling for Not-For-Profit organisations to step up and collect the limited edition Centenary number plates, and to use them for fundraising and charity.
Centenary of Canberra Executive Director Jeremy Lasek said that the offer, to organisations that provide services in the ACT and have deductible gift recipient status, is intended to give [...]

Chief Minister Gallagher is letting us know she’s chipped in $1.5 million to get the ANU to name a chair after the Centenary:
ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher today announced funding in the 2013-14 Budget for the appointment of a Centenary Chair in Cancer Research based at the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR). [...]

[ 24 May, 2013 to 26 May, 2013. 24 May, 2013 to 26 May, 2013. ]

24 May
Symmetries – The Australian Ballet @ Canberra Theatre Centre (until 25 May)
Prime Time @ The Q – Queanbeyan Arts Centre, Queanbeyan (until 1 June)
Luke Chiswell Launches New Collection @ Hippo Bar, Garema Place, 5pm
Digest Curated By Scott Chaseling @ Canberra Glass Words (until 20 June)
Public Education Centenary Dinner @ National Press Club, 7pm-11:30pm
Veteran Women [...]

[ 1 June, 2013; 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. ] All right thinking people agree kites are cool.

ArtsACT is giving notice of a kite flying day by Lake Ginninderra:

Kites will fill the skies on Saturday 1 June at Belconnen Arts Centre’s WIND AIR WATER – CENTENARY KITES at LAKE GINNINDERRA. Join Belconnen Arts Centre to celebrate the kites, colours and the cultures from around the [...]

I know art is subjective, but when I think of creativity I think of something like this – in France’s mechanical animal theme park.
The main piece – the elephant, cost $3.5mil to create funded through EU arts funding, however the public can actually ride this at the cost of 7euro a pop. 
It attracted 285 [...]

The Centenary website has the news that Skywhale is once again taking to the skies over this weekend just in case you haven’t had enough of it yet.
Centenary of Canberra’s latest commission, Patricia Piccinini’s The Skywhale will take to Canberra’s skies again this Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May.
The hot-air balloon sculpture will fly over [...]

Today I was given the task of trying out the Centini, Schmooze founder Phillip Jones’ new Centenary cocktail. Actually I should say I was given the task of trying out Centinis, as they come in both a North and Southside variety.
According to Jones, the chief difference is that one is better than the other (queue [...]

The Centenary of Canberra has inspired a classic martini cocktail – and to localise it even more, it has a Northside and Southside twist.
The Centenary martini – the Centini – is the creation of Schmooze founder Phillip Jones, and has the enthusiastic backing of noted Martini lover Robyn Archer, the Centenary of Canberra’s Creative Director. [...]

The Centenary Team have let it be known that Skywhale might be slipping the surly bonds of earth tomorrow morning.
Or it might not depending on the weather which isn’t looking good.
Check the Centenary website from 5am for confirmation.
[Photo by Deref]

We’ve had some photos in from this morning’s flight of the Skywhale over Canberra.
Hannah sent in the above with this:
The Skywhale launch this morning was really great. People were whooping and clapping as it took off, and Robyn Archer got us to “hip hip horray” it.
And Deref sent in a bunch:

Here’s the full slideshow:

Got some [...]

With perfect weather conditions predicted, Centenary of Canberra commission The Skywhale will make her first Canberra flight tomorrow morning, lifting off from outside the National Gallery of Australia.
The Skywhale is a 34m long, 23m high hot-air balloon sculpture designed by renowned artist and former Canberran Patricia Piccinini. It is at least twice as big as [...]

It might be easy to forget today that the SkyWhale isn’t the only piece of art paid for by the centenary, but it is not!
There are other things!
This is one of them, and it’s pretty cool too!
Knowing that someone has painted a portrait of the Soup Kitchen Lady makes me very happy.
“Faces of Canberra” is [...]

The Liberals Jeremy Hanson is working up his outrage at the true cost of Skywhale.
In a Public Accounts Committee hearing today, it was revealed the true costs to the ACT for the Skywhale for the Centenary of Canberra will be $300,000. ACT Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson asked today why again it is only after questioning [...]

[ 13 May, 2013; ]

Think of Canberra and visions of hot air balloons drifting over the lake on a crisp autumn morning come to mind.

It’s therefore no surprise that in our Centenary year a hot air balloon sculpture has been commissioned to celebrate Canberra’s love of, and reputation for, hot air ballooning. What might be a surprise [...]

The ACT Government claims that 90% of you believe the centenary program is increasing your levels of community pride!
Using science!
Well surveys.
They have released a huge amount of graphs and charts that measure everything from transport use to how many kites are being flown.
“Despite the very positive anecdotal evidence about the Centenary year so far, the [...]

I just noticed this on the Canberra Times.
Well, I love fish, I love balloons and I love boobs but… i’m not so sure about combining all 3.

The Centenary weekend rundown:
Friday 3 May:
- Fashfest @ Canberra Airport, 7pm
- Curator Talk – Christopher Vernon @ National Library of Australia, 12:30pm-1:30pm
- 100+100 Shining the Light Exhibition 2: Canberra Architecture in the Making, Walt & Mazz: a Centenary Pop-Up, various locations
- Coming Home Soon by Alana Valentine @ Lieder Theatre, Goulburn (until 11 May)
Saturday 4 May:
- Fashfest @ Canberra Airport, [...]

The Canberra Raiders have unveiled their Centenary of Canberra jersey.
The Canberra Raiders will be joining in on Canberra’s Centenary Celebrations, when they wear a special Centenary Jersey against the Broncos on June 10 (Monday) at Canberra Stadium.
The jersey was officially launched today at the top of the iconic Canberra landmark Telstra Tower, with Raiders [...]

Centenary of Canberra and MusicACT are kicking off a new battle of the bands competition in September.
It’s called ‘Smells like Centenary Spirit’.
Centenary of Canberra Executive Director, Jeremy Lasek, says the Smells Like Centenary Spirit competition encourages bands and musicians across all genres to get involved.
“From The Gadflys to the church, Canberra has produced some of [...]

Centenary of Canberra are hoping to hear from ex-Canberrans about why they love Canberra. These stories will be used in a Centenary Project called the Canberra Diaspora.
TV commercials for the Canberra Diaspora go to air on SBS this weekend, featuring former Canberrans from around Australia – and one from the US – reminiscing about the [...]

Tara from In the Taratory has sent in these pictures of the weekend’s Morris 100 extravaganza.
Got images of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email them in to images@the-riotact.com .
Here’s the slideshow:

[ 18 April, 2013 to 21 April, 2013. ]

Thursday:

– Jane Austen Festival Australia @ St John’s Church Hall (until 21 April)

– History @ M16 Artspace, 12pm-5pm (Wed-Sun) (until 5 May)

Friday:

– Rugby League Test – Australia V New Zealand @ Canberra Stadium, 7:45pm

Sat:

– Morris 100 @ Langton Crescent car park in front of the Treasury building, 10am-3pm

– The National Dinosaur Museum’s 20th Birthday [...]

Centenary charity has become a confused beast.
But the Chief Minister is trying to rally people behind the seriously good idea of “Dollars for Dili”:
The Dollars for Dili project directly helps thousands of young people in Dili – Canberra’s friendship city – by providing improved sanitation and health facilities. The facilities encourage more young girls [...]

[ 19 April, 2013 to 22 April, 2013. ]

There’s more than one centenary to celebrate this year, with the Morris 100 Canberra Celebration and Tour set to mark 100 years since the first Morris car left the factory In Oxford, England.

This weekend, anyone with an interest in cars built by William Morris, later Lord Nuffield, can celebrate not only the Centenary of Canberra [...]

Chief Minister Gallagher has put the news online that the “vista” from the top of Mt Ainslie is to be named Marion Mahony Griffin View:
“Many believe it was Marion Griffin’s superb suite of renderings which swayed the judges to select the Griffin entry as the winning design for the new Australian national capital,” the Chief [...]

Southgate Amateur Radio News has a hamtastic report on a centenary call sign:
2013 is Canberra’s centenary year. To commemorate the event the Canberra Region Amateur Radio Club is sponsoring the special event callsign VI100ACT, which will be active until the end of December.
Canberra is unique in Australia: and not because it is where we send [...]

[ 13 April, 2013; ]

That’s Darren Hanlon, he’s pretty good. He’s also playing at No Need To Be Told amongst a bunch of other people who are quite good.

The Centenary of Canberra and local funny singing man Rafe Morris are putting together an afternoon/evening of celebratory things to celebrate Youth Week. Youth Week is this week, and this event [...]