Tuesday 25th February

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: A new cafe in Belco + your guide to Enlighten.

☁️ Weather: 27° and cloudy.

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🍽️ Canberra Eats

Some foodie news:

Carlotta’s Free-Flowing Lunches:
Starting this weekend, city Italian restaurant Carlotta is introducing a boozy long lunch on Sundays. Enjoy a shared feast of seasonal dishes paired with 90 minutes of bottomless drinks. Details here.

Kiln Cafe:
There’s a brand-new cafe at Belconnen Arts with gorgeous views of Lake Ginninderra. Kiln is open seven days a week and serves dinner from Thursday to Sunday. See the menu.

Ballyhoo’s Enlighten Art:
Ballyhoo in The Lawns precinct is lighting up for Enlighten. Diners will be surrounded by glowing works by local artist Tommy Balogh. The artworks respond to specially installed lights. Details here.

Hot Luck Takeover:
This Sunday, Paranormal Wines (Campbell) is hosting Hot Luck—the makers of “inauthentically authentic” hot sauces. Paranormal will be serving up fried snacks, spicy dishes, and a noodle or two, along with cans from The Grifter Brewing Co. Walk-ins only. Details here.

Sliceria:
A new pizza place is opening on Marcus Clarke Street next to where Miss Vans used to be. Sliceria is the brainchild of Thapa Magar Hemnath, who ranks among the top 100 pizza makers in The Best Chef Awards. Details here.

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This Weekend: 💡 Enlighten

Enlighten will illuminate Canberra from this Friday evening through to March 10.

Illuminations: The National Gallery, Portrait Gallery, Parliament House, and Old Parliament House will all be illuminated. Questacon will feature a special interactive illumination inspired by Lego that you can control using the outdoor iPad stations.

Installations: Alongside the illuminations are a series of light-up art installations. These include Insectarium, a carpet of mysterious rocks, and Mycelium Network, which is made up of hundreds of glowing mushrooms. You’ll find these installations around the Enlighten Hub located between Questacon and the National Portrait Gallery.

The Night Shift: Several national institutions will stay open late during Enlighten, hosting special events. MoAD is running A Date with Democracy—a love-themed experience with a dance floor and a chance to belt out your favourite love songs and break-up ballads at karaoke. Details here.

Enlighten Beyond: Enlighten is expanding beyond the National Triangle. Every evening, Glebe Park will transform into an enchanted woodland featuring interactive performances, the zoo is holding exclusive night tours, and the Botanic Gardens is running a BYO family-fun picnic. Details here.

Food and Drink: There will be two food hubs at this year’s Enlighten. The BentSpoke Beer Garden features several Canberra favourites, including Grease Monkey and Jackos. And the Enlighten Food Park will showcase interstate food trucks. There’s also a new Blacklight Dessert Lab featuring glow-in-the-dark doughnuts and fairy floss that glows under UV lights.

Live Entertainment: Every evening, there will be live music in the Festival Hub from around 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm.

Shuttle Bus: There will be a free Shuttle Bus running around the National Triangle and City during Enlighten. It will run every 20 minutes on a continuous loop. Details here.

You can find out more about Enlighten on the festival website.

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Something to do: 🚲 Pedal Power Rides

Pedal Power, Canberra’s largest cycling organisation, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It began with a protest ride in 1974 when 50 cyclists rode from Belconnen to the City calling for more cycling infrastructure.

To honour the spirit of volunteering in the ACT, they’re hosting a community bike ride as part of Cyclonats—a Festival of Cycling. It’s a great way to connect with fellow volunteers and cycling enthusiasts. The event starts with a free sausage sizzle, followed by a 6 km ride around Civic. There’s also a ride for International Women’s Day and a Family Bike Picnic coming up. Details here.

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Exhibition: 📸 Fit to Print

The National Library has invited renowned Australian photojournalist Mike Bowers (Insiders) to select a number of his favourite images from the Fairfax Photo Archives. The exhibition explores how the pioneers of press photography in Australia developed their storytelling skills while capturing a lasting record of Australian society in the early 20th century. Fit to Print opens this Thursday. Details here.

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Tidbits and News

Reload Bar is Closing: Reload, the video game-themed bar in the city, has announced it will be closing next month. The bar, which has been open for nearly 11 years, was put up for sale last year but failed to attract a buyer. It will hold a mega closing party on March 22.

Raiders in Trouble: It didn’t take long for two Raiders players to get into trouble in Las Vegas. Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies were briefly removed from their hotel by security after getting into a scuffle. More.

Veteran Dogs Receive Awards: Two retired military combat assault dogs, Manic and Aslan, received the Australian Animal Distinguished Service Award at a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial yesterday. More.

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Classifieds:

🕯️ Candlelight Concert - The Best of Fleetwood Mac: Buy your tickets now to discover the music of Fleetwood Mac in James Fairfax Theatre at the National Gallery of Australia under the gentle glow of candlelight. Details here.

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Classifieds are paid ads that support Canberra Digest