Canberra Outlet Centre is hosting some family-friendly events during the school holidays. Photo: Canberra Outlet Centre.
Distract yourself from the Canberra winter with events to warm your heart!
Cheer on the Canberra Brave as they take to the ice, sign the kids up for some safari-themed activities, or say hello to the Cookie Monster in Fyshwick. And if you can brave the cold, there’s a winter celebration in the city centre (complete with fire to warm us up).
Multiple days
Warm your bones at this celebration of winter in Canberra’s city centre. Photo: Supplied.
Winter in the City: Fire and Ice
When: to 21 July, events at various times
Where: Events at multiple locations in Civic and Braddon; see program
Cost: Cost depends on the event; see program for details.
We know Canberra winters are bone-chillingly cold – but this festival is showing there’s still plenty to enjoy. Winter in the City is returning for another year with the theme of ‘Fire and Ice’, boasting free fire performances until 21 July in Garema Place, as well as an ice skating rink and winter wonderland in Glebe Park. But if you’d prefer something inside in the warmth, there is also a range of deals for delicious cocktails, discounts on spa and wellness treatments and other packages to bring some more cheer to the dark depths of winter. Who says there’s nothing to enjoy about wintertime?
Unleash your inner athlete at the Champions Arena. Photo: Canberra Centre.
Champions Arena at Canberra Centre
When: to 19 July
Where: Ground Level (near RM Williams) of the Canberra Centre, 148 Bunda Street, Civic
Cost: Free entry.
Get set to challenge your friends in a range of sporting activities perfect for the young and young at heart! Face off in Wii Sports, Guess Who Sports Edition and Twister Champion. Little ones will adore customising and creating their very own green and gold medal to take home.
Some famous faces are coming to Canberra in a new stage show for kids! Canberra Outlet Centre.
Elmo and Cookie Monster stage show
When: to 14 July
Where: next to Little Amigo within Canberra Outlet Centre, 337 Canberra Avenue, Fyshwick
Cost: Free entry.
Elmo and Cookie Monster are coming to Canberra, so grab the young and young-at-heart. The pair are swapping Sesame Street for the chilly Canberra winter with their live stage show from 11 am and 1 pm. There will also be a meet-and-greet at 12 pm, giving everyone a chance to say g’day (just bring some chocolate chip cookies for the Cookie Monster).
Yalata elder Mima Smart tells her story in Maralinga Tjarutja, which will be one of the films in this special event. Photo: a still from Maralinga Tjarutja (directed by Larissa Behrendt, 2020).
Progress 1984: Atomic Weapons
When: 12 July and 13 July, screenings at various times
Where: Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive, McCoy Circuit, Acton
Cost: Individual tickets cost between $12 and $16 per film (there is discounted access for all three films between $20 and $25) and are available via the Film and Sound Archive’s website.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Royal Commission into atomic weapons testing in Australia, Arc Cinema will host three special screenings looking at the development and use of atomic weapons across the world. The program starts with the 1983 anime film Barefoot Gen, where schoolboy Gen is lucky to survive the initial bombing and make it home to save his pregnant mother, but they must survive in aftermath. On Saturday afternoon, Maralinga Tjarutja, about the impacts on the Maralinga people of British nuclear weapons tests in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s, will be screened. A Q&A with the film’s director, Euaheleyai and Gamullaroi woman Professor Larissa Behrendt, will follow. The program will finish with Stanley Kubrick’s satire Dr Strangelove on Saturday night, which pokes fun at Cold War politics when a US General orders a nuclear attack against the Soviet Union.
Get the kids out from under your feet and send them here for safari-themed activities. Image: Canberra Outlet Centre.
Kids’ Adventure Zone
When: 15 July to 21 July
Where: next to Kathmandu in the Canberra Outlet Centre, 337 Canberra Avenue, Fyshwick
Cost: Free entry.
This series of workshops and activities will give the kids a chance at safari life without needing to do any travel. On the schedule are chances to make animal marks, DIY custom binoculars, adventure treat jars and more. Attendees can also make tasty S’mores packs for when they go camping (or for something yummy to eat) or sit for some weekend safari face painting. Every day has something different, so send the kids along!
The Fish That Wanted to Fly is about having the courage to pursue something even if it seems impossible. Photo: courtesy of the artist.
The Fish that Wanted to Fly
When: 18 July and 19 July, 10:30 am to 11:15 am (the show) and 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (workshop)
Where: Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 127 Reed Street, Greenway
Cost: Tickets cost between $20 and $90 and are available via the Arts Centre’s website.
How did you feel when you fought for your dreams, even when people told you it was impossible? In Fish that Wanted to Fly, a little fish whose lagoon is drying up wants to learn to fly so she can see the other fish who have already left. Set among the mangrove swamps of east coast Australia, she meets a hermit crab, a kingfisher and a cormorant on her journey. The show will be followed by a puppet workshop, where participants can make their own puppet of a sea creature and learn puppetry skills to bring them to life. This production is presented by Little Wing Puppets.
Sunday
The Brave are taking on the Rhinos – you better believe it’s going to get loud! Image: David Tate.
Caribou Canberra Brave v Central Coast Rhinos
When: 14 July from 4:45 pm
Where: Phillip Ice Skating Centre, 1 Irving Street, Phillip
Cost: Tickets start at $15 and are available online.
The Central Coast Rhinos are on the bottom of the ladder, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a walkover for the Caribou Canberra Brave. You never know what’s going to happen when they hit the ice.
If you haven’t made the trip to the Brave Cave, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s more than a sport – one game and you’ll be a fan!
Monday
Join the Ginninderry Conservation Trust for a morning full of animal-themed activities. Photo: Ginninderry Conservation Trust.
Crafty Creatures workshop
When: 15 July, 10 am to 11:30 am
Where: The Link, 1 McClymont Way, Strathnairn
Cost: Tickets cost $10 per family and are available via Humanitix.
Keep the kids busy for a few hours in this creative workshop! Participants will read a story, sing some songs and do some fun craft activities depicting native animals. The workshop is suitable for kids aged four to eight years, and a parent or carer must also attend. Participants are asked to wear long trousers, enclosed shoes and a hat, and also bring a water bottle and some snacks.
Wednesday
Take a peek behind the curtain to learn about the development – and significance – of a new musical about a world record. Photo: National Library of Australia.
Strait from the Strait panel discussion
When: 17 July, 6 pm to 7:30 pm
Where: National Library of Australia, Parkes Place, Canberra; view live online via the Library’s Facebook and YouTube pages
Cost: Free entry; registration via StickyTickets is necessary for in-person attendees.
Straight from the Strait is an upcoming musical about 8 May 1968 when a track-laying crew of mostly Torres Strait Islander workers broke the world record for laying the greatest length of railway in a single day. While the musical is set to premiere in August 2024, this week Aunty Ruth Ghee, Uncle Luke Captain and Rhianna Patrick will sit for a panel discussion about the development of their musical performance, why opera was chosen to tell the story of the world record, and the traditional dance and song Torres Strait languages.
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