There’s enough excitement on the field for everyone this week. Photo: Events Canberra.
It’s a busy week in Canberra with something for everyone.
For Canberrans looking to pick up a little piece of history, a vintage item of furniture for their home or even just a shiny trinket, the ACT Seasonal Antique and Collectable Fair has a lot on offer for antique hunters.
Finish off the week on Sunday with a full day of footy across two codes, as the Raiders play the Knights and the Giants battle the Suns.
All this and everything in between across the capital in the days to come.
Multiple Days
A fun hands-on exhibition at CMAG. Photo: Canberra Museum and Gallery.
Hop In! An immersive world of play featuring Beci Orpin’s Bunny Dearest
When: 7 August to 13 August, during normal gallery hours
Where: Canberra Museum and Gallery, Corner London Circuit and Civic Square
Cost: Free.
Hop In! is a fun, exciting exhibition which invites kids to move, imagine and build in a crazy environment where rooms shift in scale and perspective. Kids can wander through reimagined everyday spaces like kitchens, bedrooms and backyards, where their expectations of the limitations of a space are completely turned upside down.
At the centre of this unique exhibition is Bunny Dearest, a piece by artist Beci Orpin, which guides visitors through this wonderful world.
Designed for active play and open-ended discovery, Hop In! sparks curiosity, builds confidence and creates opportunities for families to connect through shared play.
What if ageing is not an ending, but a powerful act of ongoing creation? Photo: Tuggeranong Arts Centre.
Channels: Artists on Ageing Creatively – At the Tuggeranong Arts Centre
When: 7 August and 8 August, 7 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North
Tickets: Tickets from $35 | Book online.
In this hybrid documentary and live music experience at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, award-winning composer and videographer Creswick (FKA Liam Budge) turns both lens and sound toward a question rarely explored with depth: what does it mean to keep creating across a lifetime?
Through intimate portraits of celebrated artists including jazz musician Vince Jones, composer Judith Clingan, ceramicist Malcolm Cooke, artist Marily Cintra and dancer Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, Channels traces a shared, unrelenting creative force, one that does not fade with age, but evolves, deepens and transforms.
Drawn from conversations with these artists, Creswick weaves cinematic portraiture with a responsive live score. Song, spoken word and image converge in real time, bringing lived experience, artistic legacy and present-moment vitality into powerful alignment.
There will be plenty of interesting antiques and historical items at the fair. Photo: Events Canberra.
ACT Seasonal Antique and Collectable Fair
When: 8 August and 9 August, 9 am to 5 pm
Where: Quokka Pavilion, EPIC Park, 10 Flemington Road, Mitchell
Cost: Free entry.
Up to 22 antique dealers from all over the country visit Canberra for just two days to present an array of old-world charm, historical pieces, everyday antiques and special one-of-a-kind items for the keen-eyed enthusiast to spy or for the newbie to come upon by chance. It’s a great place to go hunting for objects with history and personality that embody an era of design. Who knows what treasures you may find?
Dita Von Teese – Nocturnelle, playing at the Canberra Theatre Centre on 10 – 11 August. Photo: Canberra Theatre Centre.
When: 10 August and 11 August
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: Tickets from $99.9 to $385 | Book online.
With her signature mystery and old-Hollywood glamour, burlesque queen Dita Von Teese announces her highly anticipated return to the Australian and New Zealand stage in 2026 with her spectacular new world tour, Nocturnelle.
The Global Icon, renowned for setting the benchmark in modern burlesque, brings her most ambitious show yet. Following her record-breaking Glamonatrix tour, which held a sold-out run in Australia in 2019, Nocturnelle is a sensual spectacle and a fresh creation. Inspired by the golden age of magic, it blends sophisticated striptease with the art of illusion for an unforgettable evening. The full ensemble is a secret, but expect to be dazzled by a hand-picked cast of world-class neo-burlesque artists.
Join the National Library of Australia for the Oral History Pod. Photo: National Library of Australia.
Oral History Pod: Capture your memories at the National Library of Australia
When: 11 and 12 August, from 10 am to 5 pm
Where: National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Canberra
Cost: Free one-hour sessions | Book online.
Step inside the Oral History Pod at the National Library of Australia, a cosy private space created in celebration of their Oral History Collection this August.
Recording your memories can be surprisingly powerful. This pop‑up experience invites two people to sit together and record a meaningful conversation that captures memories, reflections, and stories worth holding onto.
In the pod, one of you becomes the storyteller and the other the question‑asker. Everyday moments often become treasured keepsakes – for you, your family, or anyone you choose to share them with. This pod gives you the chance to preserve those stories before they fade.
Saturday
Pick up your next thrifted piece at Exhibition Park. Photo: Moshtix.
Fashion Thrift Society Canberra
When: 8 August, 10 am
Where: Exhibition Park in Canberra
Cost: Ticket prices vary | Book online.
The Fashion Thrift Society Tour is coming to EPIC, bringing more than 100 curated stalls of vintage, designer, preloved and local small businesses selling thousands of unique pieces for thrift lovers and fashion enthusiasts.
There will be plenty of second-hand treasures, local food trucks visiting to provide delicious meals and a local DJ to keep the energy going.
The Gutsy Girls film is screening at NFSA on 8 August. Photo: NFSA.
Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour 2026
When: 8 August from 2 pm
Where: NFSA, 1 McCoy Cct, Acton
Cost: Tickets $33 Adult | $25 Child| $30 Group (+$1.50 Booking Fee) | Book online.
Celebrate 10 years of Australia’s premier adventure film tour spotlighting women who absolutely send it! Since day one, Gutsy Girls has been championing fearless female adventurers who push boundaries, shatter expectations, and prove that gutsy is a way of life, not just a moment.
This milestone year brings you 2½ hours of heart-pounding action and soul-stirring stories from remarkable women around the globe. Experience a diverse collection of films varying in both length and style, that showcase climbers, paddlers, runners, riders, and explorers redefining what’s possible in the adventure world.
These aren’t just films. They’re powerful testaments to human potential. Watch determination transform into achievement, fear give way to courage, and ordinary women accomplish extraordinary feats that’ll have you plotting your next challenge before the credits roll.
Take in the beauty of the night’s sky at the National Arboretum. Photo: Humanitix.
Stargazing – Winter in the Woods at the National Arboretum
When: 8 August, 6:15 pm to 7:45 pm
Where: Dairy Farmers Hill Lookout, National Arboretum
Cost: Tickets from $57 to $88 | Book online.
Head to the National Arboretum for a 90-minute stargazing experience that offers an exciting window into the wonders of the universe, with a local astronomer on hand.
Stargazers will get to use a state-of-the-art telescope, which you can use to look at the Moon’s surface, Saturn’s rings, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, stars and plenty more.
The helpful astronomer will also tell amazing stories about the constellations, satellites, and the International Space Station. This is followed by a Q&A and warm blankets, hot chocolate and herbal tea are provided.
Sunday
This is your last chance to see the Giants in Canberra this year – don’t miss it! Image: Ticketek.
When: 9 August, 1:10 pm
Where: Corroboree Group Oval, Manuka Circle, Griffith
Cost: Tickets from $27 to $100 | Book online.
The GWS Giants return to Corroboree Group Oval for their final game of three games in Canberra for 2026. The Giants will look to knock off their fellow expansion club the Gold Coast Suns in an effort to keep their slim wildcard finals chances alive.
Meanwhile, the Suns will hope to snap their 10-game losing streak, the second-longest running in the competition this year.
Off the back of a record-breaking crowd in Canberra earlier this year, the Giants have solidified themselves as one of the ACT’s favourite teams. If that game against North Melbourne was anything to go by, this one will be a cracker too!
It’s Indigenous round and the Raiders will be looking to leave a lasting impression on the visiting Knights. Image: Ticketek.
Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights
When: 9 August, 2 pm
Where: GIO Stadium, Battye Street, Bruce
Cost: Tickets from $40 | Book online.
Get out to GIO this weekend and cheer on the Green Machine in Indigenous Round, when more than points are up for grabs.
The 11th-placed Raiders are taking on the 6th-placed Knights. It’ll be a tough one in what’s been a hard season for last year’s minor premiers, and they could use all the help you can give ’em.
The NRL kicks off at 2 pm, but why not make a day of it? Get out at 11:50 am and watch the incredible talents on display in NRLW.
Thursday
Get the inside story on how radio was used to educate people all across Australia’s vast hinterland. Photo: NAA: A8746, KN14/6/73/66.
Curator talk – 75 years of School of the Air
When: 13 August, 12:30 pm
Where: National Archives of Australia, Kings Avenue, Parkes
Cost: Tickets $5 | Book online.
Discover the stories behind 75 years of School of the Air through records from the national archival collection.
Join a National Archives curator for a behind-the-display look at our anniversary display and discover how radio transformed education for students living in remote Australia.
Explore fascinating records, including lesson materials and student work, and learn about the experiences of the students, teachers and communities connected through the program.
The session concludes with a Q&A, where you can ask the curator about the display, the collection and the stories behind the records.
Upcoming Events
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