Hello Canberra,
📆 Today: It’s Wednesday, 29 October. In today's issue there's Bonsai Reshaped at the Arboretum + A Day of the Dead festival at Smiths.
☁️ Weather: 16° and cloudy. A slight (25%) chance of an afternoon shower. There was no frost yesterday! Your seedlings are safe—I think that should be it for the year.
Coming Up: ✂️ Bonsai Reshaped
Next week, the National Arboretum hosts its annual celebration of the art of bonsai—Bonsai Reshaped. This year’s event features three internationally recognised female artists—Heike van Gunst, Marcela Ferreira and Sandra Grlica—who will share their expertise, influences and enthusiasm through workshops and live demonstrations.
A Bonsai Market runs from 7–9 November, with stock trees, styled bonsai, handcrafted pots, wire, tools and more. There are workshops for both beginner and intermediate practitioners, and the festival will open with a relaxed Friday night social celebrating all things bonsai. Details here.
This Week: 💀 Day of the Dead at Smith’s
Smith’s Alternative is celebrating Día de los Muertos with a week of colour, music, film, poetry and tradition. There are events all week, including an all-day festival this Saturday with sugar skull painting workshops and a night party featuring some of Canberra’s energetic Latin American bands. On Sunday there’s a free family-friendly screening of Coco. Details here.
Something to do: 👻 NFSA Ghost Tour
These tours usually sell out months in advance, but the NFSA has just released tickets for this Friday night’s Halloween tour. Explore one of Canberra’s most haunted buildings with local guide Tim the Yowie Man. Details here.
📰 Tidbits
BMX Jam Takes Over Braddon: Next weekend (7–9 November) Canberra’s city centre will host some of the best BMX riders from Australia and around the world for the biggest BMX freestyle event in the southern hemisphere. On Friday and Saturday, Elouera Street (outside BentSpoke) in Braddon will be transformed into a street-style BMX park for a two-day street party. On Sunday, riders will hit the dirt when they head to Stromlo. More.
Repurposed Linens: Capital Linen Service, owned by the ACT Government, processes over 7000 tonnes of towels, bed sheets, pillowcases and surgical linens each year for our hospitals, health care facilities and many hotels. But what happens when the linens reach the end of their working life? They’ve donated 132 kilograms to fashion students at CIT to experiment with. More.
📚 Canberra Reads
Ita Buttrose: One of Australia’s most celebrated journalists and executives, Ita Buttrose, will be in conversation with Alex Sloan about her memoir Unapologetically Ita. Details here.
Julianne Schultz: Julianne Schultz will be in conversation with Allan Behm about the updated edition of her book The Idea of Australia: A Search for the Soul of the Nation. Its publication complements the October SBS four-part series, hosted by Rachel Griffiths, inspired by and based on Schultz’s book. Details here.
Logan Firth: At just 19, local author Logan Firth has released her debut book Sydney’s Convicts—it follows the harrowing journey of Emily Wilson, a young girl torn from the streets of London and thrust into the unforgiving world of colonial New South Wales. Through hardship and heartache, Emily must navigate the brutal realities of convict life while discovering her own strength and identity. She’ll be at Tuggeranong Library on 22 November. Details here.
This Weekend: 🎸 Queanbeyan Music Muster
Apologies for not putting this in the Digest sooner—it slipped under my radar—this weekend is the Queanbeyan Music Muster. Daryl Braithwaite, The Wolfe Brothers, Shannon Noll and more will be performing. Details here.
Classifieds
🍷 Twilight, Wine, and World-Class Music – the perfect evening out: 13 November, 6:30pm, National Museum of Australia. As twilight falls over the National Museum, enjoy a drink and canapés on the lakeside deck before an hour of evocative live music by the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Other Worlds features ghostly myths, ancient tales and two world premieres – including Sally Whitwell’s haunting new work inspired by Canberra’s own Old Parliament House. Details here.
🎨 studioMAP Anniversary Exhibition & OPEN DAY: studioMAP art classes for Children & Teens - 30th year Anniversary art exhibition at M16 Artspace Nov 1-23 /Wed-Sun 12-5pm. OPEN DAY Sat Nov 8 10-2pm ALL WELCOME. See website for art classes suitable for 6-10yrs / 8-14yrs / 11-15yrs / Teen only 15+. Established 1995. enquiries 0438 003 492. studiomap.com.au
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Classifieds support Canberra Digest.
🎸 Live Music This Week
Thursday
- The Maes (folk) @ Smith’s Alternative
- DSM6 / Paloma / Dislodged (indie/rock) @ The Baso
- Scenery #2 (ambient) @ Dissent
Friday
- Chaperone (alternative) @ Dissent
- Lecia Louise (blues/rock) @ Smith’s Alternative
- JD Band (blues/roots) @ Dickson Taphouse
- Mic Knight Standards Trio (jazz) @ Smith’s Alternative
Saturday
- Gia Ransome (indie/rock) @ Live at the Polo
- Possessed (metal) @ The Baso
- Battle of the Bands Lakeside Jam @ Tuggeranong Arts
- Keggin (punk) @ Dissent
- Transit Dolls @ Pot Belly Bar
Sunday
- Memory Card 2 @ Dissent