Tuesday 4th February

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: The Multicultural Festival Guide + Joining the RFS

🌤️ Weather: 35° and mostly sunny.

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This Weekend: 🥘 The 2025 National Multicultural Festival

The National Multicultural Festival is happening this Friday to Sunday in the city. Canberra's city centre will come alive with over 170 multicultural communities celebrating through food, music, and performances. Expect over 200 performances across eight stages, plus 270 food and cultural stalls.

Here's a guide on what's happening at the festival:

Festival Program and Map: The festival is running from:

• Friday: 5pm – 11pm
• Saturday: 10am – 11pm
• Sunday: 10am – 5pm
• View the Program
• See the Map

(The program on the website is a little hard to use, but a downloadable version should be available before the festival starts).

Workshops: In Glebe Park, there will be a variety of hands-on workshops, including sake tasting, saree draping, folk dancing, tequila tasting, tai chi, kung fu, and more.

Multicultural Film Festival: The Multicultural Film Festival is being held at the new Elsie's Film House pop-up cinema. Details here.

Family Sanctuary at CMAG: If you're looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the festival, the Canberra Museum and Gallery is hosting a Family Sanctuary. The CSO is performing family-friendly concerts, and there will be craft activities, face painting, and a chill-out space for parents and bubs. Details here.

Libraries ACT: Libraries ACT will be hosting a number of events as part of the festival, including bilingual story times. There will also be a Seniors' Space in Civic Library. Details here.

Transport and Road Closures: Public transport across Canberra is free all weekend (Friday to Sunday), but you'll still need to tap on and off.

A number of streets in the city will be closed from 8pm tonight until next early week. You can view a full list of road closures here.

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Something to do: 🚒 Join the RFS

The ACT Emergency Services Agency is looking for 150 new volunteers to join the ACT Rural Fire Service. Applications are now open, and prospective volunteers are invited to attend one of two upcoming information sessions to meet with volunteers and learn more about joining. The next session is coming up on February 15. Details here.

You can find out more about what the RFS does here.

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Something to do: 🏃‍♀️ Canberra Day Appeal Fun Run

The Canberra Day Appeal Fun Run is a 2.5km, 5km and 10km run around the lake with funds going to Hands Across Canberra, which raises vital funds for charities in Canberra. It's happening on Monday, March 10 (Canberra Day public holiday). Details here.

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Tidbits:

Hollywood Comes to Ginninderra Falls: Filming is underway for Netflix's upcoming blockbuster ‘Apex’, starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton. One of the film's locations is Ginninderra Falls, on the ACT border, so you never know—you might just spot a couple of stars wandering around Canberra.

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Pialligo Estate Listed For Sale: Sydney businessman Tony Denny has listed Pialligo Estate for sale after taking over its mortgage following the collapse of Canberra businessman John Russell's hospitality and farm venture. Pavilion Dining at Pialligo Estate recently earned a chef's hat in the Australian Good Food Guide.

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Something to do: 🪴 Native Plant Workshop

In this back-to-back workshop featuring Aaron Chatfield of Dreamtime Connections and conservationist Blake Canackle, explore Indigenous native plant use and propagation. In Aaron's session, participants will discover how Indigenous people use native plants, explore traditional tools, sample bushtucker, and even try boomerang throwing. In Blake's session, attendees will learn native plant propagation techniques and soil care tips—and they'll get to propagate a plant to take home! Details here.

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Classifieds:

🍲 Dinner Delivered: Dinner Ladies make ready-to-heat homely meals delivered to your door. Stack your freezer with their crowd-pleasers, and any time you need it, you're just a hot step away from a belly full of comfort. New customers can use code 'CANBERRADIGEST20' to get $20 off their first order. Details here.

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Classifieds are paid ads that support Canberra Digest