3 May 2018

Twelve things to do around Canberra this weekend (4–6 May)

| Zoe Pleasants
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It is currently Tree Week and Dance Week so hug or climb a tree, or enjoy dance performances under the stars, at a market or in a theatre. The Spiegeltent is still camping out the front of the Canberra Theatre while Tom Gleeson is performing his latest show, Sure Thing, inside the Theatre 7:30 pm, Saturday. The Canberra International Music Festival continues and Parliament House is celebrating 3o years since it opened. The Handmade Markets are on and so is Craft Alive. And as it is the first Sunday in May, it is time for the annual Collector Village Pumpkin Festival. So much choice!

All weekend

Dance on the Edge

Where: Belconnen Arts Centre
When: Saturday 5 & 8 pm and Sunday 2 pm
To celebrate Dance Week, the Belconnen Arts Festival commissioned a program of exciting new dance works which will be performed at three performances over the weekend. The program comprises:

  • V by Alana Stenning
  • Powering the Dance by Australian Dance Party
  • In a Bone Way by Debora di Centa and Louise Curham
  • A Stroke of Luck by Gretel Burgess
  • This Page Intentionally Left Blank by Jamie Winbank and colleagues

There will be Q&A sessions with the dancers after the Saturday 8 pm and Sunday 2 pm performances. Tickets are $25 for adults and $18 for concession, book here.

Blue World Order

Where: Dendy Cinema
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 4:15 & 6:30 pm
The Canberra-produced film Blue World Order is getting a theatrical run at Dendy Cinema for the next week. The film has previously been shown at the 2016 Canberra International Film Festival and during its official premiere tour late last year. It is a post-apocalyptic film shot entirely in Canberra which tells the story of Jack Slater who is trying to find his estranged daughter in a world recovering from the outbreak of a fatal virus and governed by an authoritarian regime called The Order. Book tickets here.

Australian Capital Tree Community Climbing Championships

Where: Eucalypt Lawns, Australian Botanic Gardens
When: Saturday 8 am – 4:30 pm & Sunday 9 am – 3 pm
As part of Canberra Tree Week, the Australian Capital Tree Community Climbing Championships are on. Watch impressive tree climbing feats as competitors compete in five events: work climb, secured foot-lock, speed climb, throw-line and aerial rescue.

Handmade Market

Where: Exhibition Park
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm
Ahead of Mother’s Day next week, the Handmade Markets are on again this weekend with stalls selling wares from 260 local and interstate designers and producers. There will be art, books, fashion, kids’ stuff, Canberra themed produce, furniture, homewares, food, stuff for the garden and more for sale.

Craft Alive

Where: Thoroughbred Park Convention Centre
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 9:30 am – 4 pm
Craft Alive is coming to Canberra this weekend. There will be craft workshops and demonstrations, exhibitors with a wide range of supplies and finished goods for sale, information about local guilds and groups and a cafe. Tickets at the door are $15 for adults, $12 for concession and $5 for kids 6–15. Pre-purchased tickets are cheaper—book here—and kids under 6 are free.

Friday

Sunset in the Turrell Skyspace

Where: National Gallery of Australia
When: 5 & 5:15 pm
Rediscover the beautiful sound of the much-maligned recorder when it is played by German recorder sensation Susanna Borsch in the James Turrell Skyspace outside at the National Gallery. These free performances are part of the Canberra International Music Festival and no bookings are required.

Saturday

Hug a Tree Day

Where: National Arboretum of Australia
When: From 11:30 am
Also part of Canberra Tree Week, the Arboretum wants to set the record for the number of people simultaneously hugging trees! Gather on the Events Terrace of the Arboretum at 11:30 am and a guide will take you to the Camden White Gum forest where you can choose the most cuddly tree to hug.

Reflections on 30 years of Australian Parliament House

Where: Parliament House
When: 10:30 am – 3:30 pm
Parliament House is celebrating its 30th birthday this Saturday! Join Barrie Cassidy and a panel of special guests from 10:30 am – 12 pm as they discuss the architectural, social and historical, political and cultural legacy of Parliament House. And then from 2–3 pm, enjoy a Canberra Symphony Orchestra concert as they perform a program of Australian music including works by Percy Grainger, Alfred Hill, Elena Kats-Chernin, Dr Paul Paviour—who composed the score for the official opening of Parliament House in 1988—and a new work by Canberra composer Sally Greenaway.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes

Where: National Museum of Australia
When: 7:30 – 11:30 pm
The National Museum of Australia is putting on an evening of opera and fine dining. Hosted by satirist Jonathan Biggins, the evening features New Zealand baritone, Teddy Tahu Rhodes sharing stories from his life and performing a selection of arias accompanied by a 13-piece orchestra. Enjoy a three-course meal while you listen. Tickets start from $200, book here.

Pegasus Open Day

Where: Pegasus Farm, Holt
When: 10 am – 3 pm
Pegasus is a community organisation that brings horses and people together providing therapeutic horse-facilitated programs and activities for people with disabilities. Learn more about what Pegasus does, and help them raise funds at it’s Open Day this Saturday. There will be horse demonstrations, horse parades, music, entertainment, food, stalls, tractor rides and the Pegasus Peggy Poo Punt where there is $2500 up for grabs dependent on where a horse poos! More details here.

Paper Cuts

Where: Smith’s Alternative
When: 7 pm
Budding Theatre presents Paper Cuts Youth, a showcase of comedic and satirical monologues written by Kirsty Budding and performed by local young actors. These monologues seek to answer some of life’s most [not so] profound questions such as if Jane Austen ran a relationship advice column what would it say, what should you say to your boss when she tells you your skirt is too short, and how can a school principal get students to stop playing on their phones? Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for concession, book here.

Sunday

Collector Village Pumpkin Festival

Where: Bourke Street, Collector Village
When: From 10 am
Head up the Federal Highway to the 15th annual Collector Village Pumpkin Festival this Sunday. There will be over 100 stalls showcasing local produce and arts and craft and lots of activities including pony rides, a Hay Bale maze, wheelbarrow races, the Great Pumpkin Treasure Hunt and sheepdog demonstrations, but the focus of the day are the pumpkin competitions. There will be the giant pumpkin, heaviest grey and lightest weight pumpkin competitions, the most delicious pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake and pumpkin quiche competitions, pumpkin art competitions and the best scarecrow (with a pumpkin head) competition. Find the festival’s program of events here, details about the competitions here, and a map to Collector here. Entry is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and kids under 15 are free.

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Canberra Brewers International Home Brew Day.
Saturday 5 May, 11am til 4pm.
at Capital Brewing Co., Building 3, 1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick.
Free and kid-friendly.

“Several of our members simultaneously brew beer on their own equipment. Watch demonstrations and learn about how you can get into the hobby, brew on different equipment or improve your own brewing. Chat with brewers and beer enthusiasts, learn a little about the breadth of different brewing systems available on the market today and come be part of an event organised by the best homebrew club in the country.”

“In case you are interested, the recipes have now been personally chosen for the big day by none other than Charlie Papazian, the godfather of homebrewing as it is the 40th anniversary of the founding of the American Home Brewing Association. The official brew day recipes are a Honey Lager and an Irish Stout.”

“Many of our members are multi-skilled, and so as well as having our brewers making beer, we have also got a range of other demonstrations happening: 12:00pm Home Coffee Roasting; 1:00pm Sauerkraut making; 2:00pm Charcuterie demonstration”

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