September 19

Hello Canberra,

Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: This weekend in Canberra + Kite Fest returns.

🌦️ Weather: 19°. A high (95%) chance of showers in the afternoon and evening.

Coming Up: 🪁 Kite Fest

Arboretum Kite Fest returns next Sunday with a sky full of kites, expert demonstrations with spectacular aerial displays, delicious food stalls, face painting, live music and hands-on kite-making workshops. Bring your own kite, buy one at the Arboretum, or join a workshop (bookings required) and fly it over the grassy amphitheatre. Details here.

📆 This Weekend in Canberra

It’s a busy weekend with UC’s Open Day Festival, the Raiders seeking redemption against the Sharks, A Repair Café and Made Local Markets in Hawker, a Flower and Cactus Show at EPIC, and of course Floriade.

Get the full rundown of weekend events.

Further Afield: 🌼 Canberra’s Secret Flower Show

Floriade isn’t the only floral display in bloom. Thousands of daffodils have sprung up around the former site of Sherwood Homestead, once part of the homestead’s gardens. While the old slab cottage is long gone, the flowers remain as a living reminder of the area’s history. Sherwood is a popular walk or ride from the Blue Range Recreation Area. Just please don’t cut or remove the flowers so everyone can enjoy them. Details here.

Tidbits

Northbourne Closed From Tonight: Northbound lanes on Northbourne Avenue, between Vernon Circle and Rudd Street, will be closed from 8pm tonight until 6am Monday. Details here.

Parlour Up for Sale: Less than a year after changing hands, Parlour restaurant and High Jinks Bar are headed to auction. The current owner admits he “bit off more than he could chew”—and the venues will go under the hammer with no reserve.

Replace Your Fruit Netting: Some types of bird netting are unsafe for native wildlife such as possums and flying foxes, and are banned in the ACT. If you can poke a finger through the mesh, it must be replaced with wildlife-safe netting. You can swap unsafe netting for free at the ACT Wildlife office (Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Dairy Road) on 20 September, 11 October or 25 October, 10am–12pm.

Floriade Parking Tip: My tip if you’re planning on visiting Floriade this weekend—try the Nangari St car park. Last weekend I parked in the brand new multi-storey car park and it wasn’t busy, with plenty of spots available. It’s only a short walk to Floriade and costs $2.50. Details here.

Something to do: 🎾 Play Tennis For Free

Next week is Play Tennis Week, and Tennis ACT is running a special promotion to celebrate. Clubs across the ACT and region are offering one hour of free court hire all week. You don’t need to be a member, and courts can be booked online. Details here.

🎭 Coming Up on Stage

The Wiggles: A new show has been added to The Wiggles Tree of Wisdom Big Show Arena Spectacular! at the AIS in November. Details here.

Looking for Alibrandi: The cult classic novel and film comes to the stage. Looking for Alibrandi is an honest portrait of 1990s Mediterranean culture that gave voice to systemic racism in Australia from a migrant perspective. At the Canberra Theatre from 3 October. Details here.

The Play That Goes Wrong: Another show has been added for this comedy hit from London—a mix of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes, where everything goes from bad to utterly disastrous when the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society stages a classic murder mystery. Details here.

The Church Singles Tour: The Church will perform 20 singles in a career retrospective at the Canberra Theatre in February. Details here.

Lend Me a Tenor: It’s 1934 and the Cleveland Grand Opera Company has secured world-famous tenor Tito Merelli for one night only. Naturally, everything goes wrong in this farce of mistaken identities and mishaps, now on at ACT Hub. Details here.

Trent Dalton’s Love Stories: Adapted by the team behind Boy Swallows Universe. Based on real tales gathered on a Brisbane street corner, it’s a warm, funny and moving celebration of love in all its forms. Opening next week at the Canberra Theatre. Details here.

Bored Teachers: A stand-up show for teachers! The Struggle is Real! comedy tour stops in Canberra this Sunday. Details here.

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Canberra

The Noosh First Birthday: The Noosh (the monthly queer variety night at Fun Time Pony) is turning one! They’re taking over the club this Saturday with entertainment, chaos, dancing, queerdos, and everything that makes The Noosh great. Details here.

Speak Sleazy: A sleazy cabaret night of feathers, fishnets and everything too weird for the mainstage. Expect striptease, sass and saucy surprises from some of Canberra’s finest local talent at ilLustrious Dance & Burlesque, a new queer-owned dance and event space in the city. Details here.

Queer PowerPoint: Queer PowerPoint is coming to Canberra with a three-night spectacular across Belconnen Arts Centre, Tuggeranong Arts Centre and The Q in Queanbeyan. After selling out shows nationwide, the capital region’s own lineup of queer brilliance finally gets its moment in the spotlight. Details here.

One Night in Heaven: Back for another year—Heaven nightclub takes over The Vault with 1990s and 2000s dance anthems, drag performances, psychedelic visuals and more. Details here.

SpringOut is also coming up soon — I’ll have more details when the program is released.

Classifieds

🎻 Mozart’s Requiem LIVE in Canberra: 24/25 September, 7:30pm, Llewellyn Hall. From The Godfather to X-Men to The Crown, Mozart’s Requiem has featured in some of pop culture’s most epic and unforgettable moments. His final masterpiece is dramatic and anguished, yet full of hope — experience it LIVE at Llewellyn Hall with full orchestra and choir this September. Details here.

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Canberra Digest will be back on Monday—Have a great weekend!