October 3

Hello Canberra,

📅 Today: It’s Friday, 3 October. South.point is hosting a night-time laser tag arena plus I've put together the very first Canberra Digest Quiz.

⛅️ Weather: 18° and partly cloudy.

👉 This Weekend in Canberra

The sun will be out this weekend, and it’s packed with things to do—Dr Karl at Floriade, the Circus Festival Market Day, NightFest, the Woodcraft Guild exhibition, and more.

Get the full rundown of weekend events.

Coming Up: 🔫 Laser Tag at the Hyperdome

This Halloween, South.Point shopping centre will be transformed into a night-time laser tag arena where humans must fight to survive against radioactive mutants. After your mission briefing and gear-up, it’s one hour of relentless combat in a fully themed war zone, complete with lights, sound, and special effects. Details here.

Puzzle: 🧩 The Canberra Digest Quiz

The first of the new weekly Friday quizzes—this one features Canberra’s Nappy Valley, baking measurements, mountain ranges, and more.

Play This Week’s Quiz.

It’s my first go at building a quiz, so I’d love your feedback. The page is still in beta, so there might be some bugs or design issues to iron out over the next week.

Coming Up: 🎉 Smith’s Celebration

Ten years ago, Beth and Nigel bought Smith’s Alternative from the receivers after the bookshop-by-day, live-music-venue-by-night went bankrupt. Since then, the venue has hosted more than 10,000 events. Next weekend, they’ll be celebrating the past decade with a “*%!@ing big party,” with proceeds going towards the next stage of their expansion. Expect a packed line-up of performances and events across the weekend. Details here.

🎥 Film and Screenings

This is Home: Mont, Canberra’s own adventure brand, is hosting an immersive film night featuring a curated collection of short, environmentally focused films by local filmmakers, alongside a panel discussion. Details here.

Avatar at IMAX: Canberra missed out on seeing Avatar: The Way of Water in IMAX when it was first released in 2022. Now that we have an IMAX cinema in the city, here’s your chance—before the next Avatar film drops in December, IMAX is bringing back The Way of Water in 3D for one week only. Details here.

La Chimera: The ANU Film Group, in partnership with the Embassy of Italy, is hosting a free screening of La Chimera. Starring Josh O’Connor, the film premiered to a nine-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and earned widespread critical praise. Details here.

The ANU Classics Museum (worth a visit btw—join the free monthly tour) is also hosting a reception and panel discussion before the screening. Details here.

🐑 Weekend Markets

Some extra markets happening this weekend:

South Canberra Community Markets: Feed the farm animals, join a scavenger hunt, or try your luck at sideshow alley games. Browse stalls for unique handmade gifts, tuck into tasty street food, and enjoy live music—all in the relaxed country setting of Westwood Farm, Kambah. Details here.

Hall Markets: The Hartley Hall Markets are back this Sunday, with fresh produce, plants, jewellery, furniture, unique gifts, and more. Entry is by gold coin donation, with all proceeds supporting Hartley Lifecare’s disability programs and services. Details here.

Social Capital Markets: Social Capital's monthly For Purpose Market is on from 10am–2pm this Saturday in Dickson. Social Capital is a collective of social enterprises in Canberra. Details here.

📚 Canberra Reads

Chris Hammer: Canberra’s own Chris Hammer will be in conversation with Michael Brissenden on his latest crime fiction novel Legacy, in which Martin Scarsden flees an assassination attempt only to land in even more trouble with a deadly family feud, leaving him at death's door. Details here.

Kids & YA Day: The Canberra Writers Festival will host the inaugural Kids and YA Day on 26 October. It’s a day of interactive sessions and workshops with writing and drawing superstars. Details here.

Split: Join Libraries ACT this National Mental Health Awareness Month for an inspiring evening with author Maggie Walters as she shares insights from her powerful book SPLIT. A Life Shared: Living with Multiple Personality Disorder, and leads a conversation aimed at breaking down barriers and stigma surrounding mental health at Dickson Library. Details here.

Kids: This Weekend

Play at Dairy Road: The weekly Play at Dairy Road has started again. It’s a free, family-friendly event held every Sunday from September to December. Designed for kids of all ages, Play features live performances including music, circus, puppetry, and poetry. Details here.

Haig Park Village Markets: The Haig Park Village Markets is running free activities for kids during the school holidays. This Sunday, kids can get up close with nature at the interactive display from Wildlife Reimagined, take part in potion-making workshops, and explore a nature play sensory station for little ones aged 1–4. Details here.

📰 Tidbits

Daylight Saving: Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, with clocks going forward an hour at 2am.

Magpie Thief: A Canberra cyclist captured the moment a swooping magpie plucked an earphone straight from his ear! More.

Qantas Closure: Qantas has confirmed it is closing its Canberra base next year, forcing the 30 locally based staff to relocate. More.

Classifieds

DroneArt: Experience the most magical night of the season when DroneArt comes to Canberra—the sky will transform into a breathtaking open-air concert of light and colour. Details here.