Friday 21st March

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: It’s Friday, March 21.

🌦️ Weather: 28° and showers. 80% chance of rain, most likely in the morning.

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Coming Up: 🏠 The Canberra and Region Heritage Festival

The program for the 2025 Canberra and Region Heritage Festival is now online, with over 130 events happening across the region from April 18 to May 11. There’s plenty to explore—I’ll be sharing some of my top picks in the coming weeks. Details here.

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👉 This Weekend in Canberra

This weekend, there’s a vintage clothing sale at EPIC; it’s the final days of the Canberra Balloon Spectacular; and Lanyon Homestead is hosting the popular Harvest Day Out festival.

Get the full rundown of weekend events.

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Something to Do: 📺 Friends Trivia on the Big Screen

Limelight Cinemas in Tuggeranong is hosting a Friends Trivia Night on the big screen, hosted by Ned and Josh. Expect trivia questions covering all 10 seasons, prizes for the best-dressed and winning team, and a night full of laughs and nostalgia. Details here.

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Tidbits and News

Canberra United’s Future Secured: There’s finally some good news for Canberra United—The Canberra Times is reporting an offer has been received to purchase Canberra United’s A-League Women’s licence, with the prospective owners looking to complete the deal within the next few weeks. The new owners have committed to investing in the club for at least three years. This would be the first time an ALW licence has been sold.

Airbnb Tax: Canberra could soon introduce a tax on short-term accommodation bookings through platforms like Airbnb. A 5% levy is expected to raise just under $4 million in its first year. The levy doesn’t apply to hosted accommodation, where the occupant of the property lists a room inside their own place. Hotels and motels will also be exempt. The measures are aimed at increasing the rental housing supply. The levies will be similar to those in Victoria.

Why Are the Libraries Closed? Libraries around Canberra have been experiencing an increase in unplanned closures, mostly due to staff shortages. More.

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Something to Do: 🇨🇴 Cumbia Dance

A tropical explosion is hitting Canberra next weekend. Cumbia is a popular dance and music style that originated in Colombia and is characterised by its fast-paced rhythmic moves and catchy melodies. La Descarga, an iconic Latin-Australian band from Melbourne, will bring the sounds and moves of Cumbia dance to Canberra on Saturday, March 29. There’s a family-friendly, one-hour workshop at Belco Arts next Saturday afternoon introducing Cumbia dance movements and music. Details here.

On Saturday evening, there’s a high-energy night of Afro-Colombian and Latin rhythms when the La Descarga band shares the stage with Canberra’s own Los Chavos, masters of Latin ska and reggae. Expect lively dance choreographies, limbo, conga lines, and more. It’s happening at Live at the Polo in Turner. Details here.

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Classifieds:

Naked Wines: Get 6 delicious wines handmade by independent winemakers for just $60. Naked Wines works directly with the winemaker to offer insider prices. Details here.

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Classifieds are paid ads that support Canberra Digest

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Coming Up: 🎾 Girls Get Active Day

Girls Get Active Day is a free community event celebrating women and girls in sport. Come along to try a new sport and meet like-minded people. There will be over ten different local sports represented, as well as Pop Tennis and Cardio Tennis sessions. Tennis ACT is giving away 200 racquets to the first 200 kids through the gate. It’s happening next Sunday. Details here.

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Coming Up: 🥾 Aussie Peace Walk

The Aussie Peace Walk is a two-day international walking festival around Canberra. A variety of walks take place over the weekend, with the most popular being a 21-kilometre walk on Saturday and a 24-kilometre walk on Sunday. Shorter distance options are available for all ages and fitness levels. Details here.