12 February 2018

Seven things to do around Canberra this weekend (9–11 Feb)

| Zoe Pleasants
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Tennis

Look forward to a sporty weekend in the Territory this week!

If you enjoy watching golf or tennis, Canberra is the place to be this weekend. The Royal Canberra Golf Club is hosting the ActewAGL Canberra Classic and the Canberra Tennis Centre is hosting a first-round Fed Cup tie between Australia and Ukraine. We are spoiled for choice! If watching sport isn’t your thing, you could warm up your taste buds ahead of next week’s National Multicultural Festival at the Canberra Food & Wine Expo, or pick up a bargain and support a good cause at the Lifeline Bookfair or Marymead’s monster garage sale.

All weekend

ActewAGL Canberra Classic

Where: Royal Canberra Golf Club
When: Fri, Sat & Sun 7:30 am–6 pm
After a five-year hiatus, the ActewAGL Canberra Classic—a women’s professional golf tournament—returns to Royal Canberra this weekend. Some of Australia’s best women’s golfers will be playing including Katherine Kirk and Sarah-Jane Smith, along with international stars including former world number 1, Jiya Shin; current European number 1, Georgia Hall; niece of Tiger Woods, Cheyenne Woods; and Dame Laura Davies who has won 84 tournaments over her career. The tournament will be played over three days, tickets are $15 for a day pass, $40 for all three days and kids under 16 are free, book here.

Fed Cup

Where: Canberra Tennis Centre
When: Sat & Sun 10 am ­– 5 pm
Australia is taking on Ukraine in the first round of the Fed Cup this weekend at the Canberra Tennis Centre. Ash Barty, Australia’s top-ranked woman tennis player and world number 16 will lead the Australian team which also includes world number 25, Daria Gavrilova; doubles specialist Casey Dellacqua; and Destanee Aiava. These women have a good chance against a Ukraine team which will be missing two of its best players—world number 3, Elina Svitolina, and Lesia Tsurnenko. Instead, the Ukraine team will be led by 15-year-old Marta Kostykuk who impressed last month at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest player to reach the third round since former world number 1, Martina Hingis did it in 1996. The tie will be played on purpose-built grass tennis court. Tickets are $45.85 for adults, $36.65 for concession, $15.30 for kids and $106.90 for a family. Weekend passes are $80 for adults, $63 for concession, $25 for kids and $186 for a family. Book here.

Canberra Food & Wine Expo

Where: National Convention Centre
When: Fri 11 am–8 pm, Sat 10 am–6 pm & Sun 10 am–5 pm
In its seventh year, the Canberra Food & Wine Expo is on this weekend. During this 3-day event, watch celebrity chefs Tasia and Gracia, and Carly and Tresne from My Kitchen Rules, and local one-time MasterChef contestant Rishi Desai demonstrate how to cook some of their favourite recipes; sit down to a 6-course degustation meal with Tasia and Gracia, take free classes to learn about wine, cheese, beer and liqueur, and wander around sampling the wares of the exhibitors. Tickets are $25 for a day pass, $50 for all three days, and $5 to get in after 5 pm on Friday. Additional tickets are needed for some of the workshops and events. Book here.

Lifeline Bookfair

Where: Exhibition Park
When: Fri 9 am–6 pm, Sat 9 am–5 pm & Sun 10 am–4 pm
Lifeline is having another of its Bookfairs this weekend with books, magazines, games, jigsaws, comics, maps, sheet music, records, CDs and DVDs for sale. Bookfairs are Lifeline Canberra’s biggest fundraising events, raising most of the money needed to run Canberra’s crisis support phone service. Doors open 9 am Friday, entry is by gold coin donation and parking is free. Saturday is Family Day with activities for the kids. More details here.

Friday

Starstruck Summer Nights

Where: National Portrait Gallery
When: 5–8 pm
The Portrait Gallery is hosting the last of its Starstruck Summer Nights events this Friday. The theme for this week’s event is Putting on the Glitz. Enjoy a cocktail and lounge in style as the Australian Dance Party provides the entertainment and The Stilettos provides the tunes. Pose in the Shertbe Birdie vintage pinup photo booth or take an after-dark tour of the Starstruck exhibition. It is a free event but you will need an exhibition ticket to take the tour, book here.

Saturday

Marymead’s Monster Garage Sale

Where: Rheinberger Centre, corner of Loch & Weston Streets, Yarralumla
When: 9 am – 1 pm
Marymead, a not-for-profit organisation that supports local families, young people and kids going through hard times, is having a monster garage sale this Saturday morning. There will be books, toys, clothing and bric-a-brac for sale with all proceeds going to fund the work of Marymead.

Sunday

Glass Dean Mendelssohn

Where: Gandel Hall, National Gallery of Australia
When: 2 pm
The Australian String Quartet is touring around the country performing three works:

  • String Quartet no 3 Mishima by Phillip Glass;
  • String Quartet no. 1 Eclipse by Brett Dean; and
  • String Quartet in D major op 44 no. 1 by Felix Mendelssohn.

This Sunday the Quartet is performing these works at the National Gallery. The work by Phillip Glass is inspired by the life of the poet Yukio Mishima, while Brett Dean’s first string quartet is a response to the refugee crisis unfolding in the world, and Mendelssohn’s work is presented as a piece of musical sunshine in contrast to the intensity of the first two works. Tickets are $75 for adult, $65 for concession and $30 if you are under 30. Book here.

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