Things to do in Canberra this week (4 - 10 July)

There’s so much going on in Canberra this week, with lots of school holiday fun, stand-up shows, live concerts and sport.

For something a bit wild, head to the Australian National Botanic Gardens and get an awe-inspiring look at the creatures that used to roam the very same lands that we live on today.

On Saturday, the weather may be frosty but the competition is red hot as the Raiders and Dragons duke it out in a double-header NRL and NRLW afternoon.

And the Canberra Theatre Centre hosts the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow, bringing the best comedians from the festival to Canberra.

Here’s your guide to what’s on this weekend and during the week.

Multiple Days

Zoocation – The school holiday program with a difference!

When: Four days a week during the school holidays. Monday 7 July to Thursday 17 July, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: National Zoo & Aquarium, 999 Lady Denman Drive
Cost: $105 per child. Tickets available via National Zoo and Aquarium

Visit the National Zoo and Aquarium these school holidays and unravel the mysteries of the animal world. Have your children bring all their burning questions to the zoo so they can get their answers from the professionals.

During a fun-filled day, children will get up and close and personal with many of the zoo’s animals, play games, make toys for the animals and they’ll learn a bunch along the way.

Staffed and developed by the experienced Education Guides of the National Zoo and Aquarium, this program prides itself on delivering a program like no other.

MEGAfauna: Look-Alike exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens

When: 4 July to 10 July, 8:30 am to 5 pm
Where: Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross Street, Acton
Cost: Free

The Botanic Gardens come alive with the beasts and creatures of the distant past in MEGAfauna.

Kids will squeal with delight (and a little bit of fear) as they encounter some of the huge megafauna that once called Australia home.

This fun outdoor exhibition lets kids compare extinct megafauna with their living descendants by investigating fossil evidence and forming the connections between the wildlife we know and love and their more imposing progenitors.

Brindabella Winter Dance Weekend

When: 4 July to 6 July, 10 am to 5 pm
Where: Wesley Church Hall, 20-22 National Circuit, Forrest
Cost: Individual day tickets $80 | Friday to Sunday tickets $160 Book online

The Brindabella Winter Dance Weekend is all about dancing your way through history by taking part in workshops to learn different styles of dance from the Renaissance to the Victorian era.

Each evening is finalised with a themed ball and to finish off the weekend, Sunday will have a very special afternoon tea dance. All dances are taught and total amateurs as well as seasoned pros are welcome to come learn and have fun.

Costumes aren’t required but where are the thrills without the frills?

Friday

Ensemble Offspring – Live music performance

When: 4 July, 5:45 pm
Where: The Street Theatre, 15 Childers Street, City West
Cost: Standard tickets $49 | Concession tickets $45 Book online

Ensemble Offspring is a real treat, bringing together a diverse variety of musical styles and ideas to create a special concert unlike anything you’ve ever heard.

David T Little’s Ghostlight is the centre of the concert, taking the listener on a journey of drama and introspection. The orchestral and vocal work of Jane Sheldon brings the Buddhist concept of the desire for non-existence into the plane of music.

High concept and experimental, this concert also features the work of Anna Thorvaldsdottir, in an exploration of fragility and delicacy expressed through sound.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow

When: 4 July, 7:30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit
Cost: Tickets from $54.90 to $59.90. Book online.

A stellar stand-up show is coming to Canberra after touring around Victoria and NSW, bringing together the best and brightest from the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Get ready to split your sides and fall over laughing as acts like Kevin Kropinyeri, Alexandra Hudson, Brett Blake, David Quirk and Zoë Coombs Marr bring their best material to the stage.

Saturday

Book launch: Peculiar Parents with Stephanie Owen Reeder and Ingrid Bartkowiak at the National Library

When: 5 July, 10.30 am to 11.30 am
Where: National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West
Cost: Free, but bookings are essential. Tickets available through National Library of Australia.

Join children’s author Stephanie Owen Reeder and illustrator Ingrid Bartkowiak at the National Library as they uncover the perfectly peculiar world of Australian animal families with their new book Peculiar Parents.

You’ll hear some of the best passages about eye-catching animal antics, bountiful burrows, magnificent mums and doting dads, followed by a hands-on craft activity.

There will also be a special meet and greet with animals from the Canberra Reptile Zoo.

Canberra Raiders v Dragons at GIO Stadium

When: 5 July, 3:15 pm
Where: GIO Stadium, Battye Street, Bruce
Cost: Tickets from $35 to $60. Book online

A big night of footy is on the way at the GIO stadium as the St George Illawarra Dragons and Canberra Raiders butt heads.

The first double header of the 2025 season, Saturday’s game will have the Raiders NRLW side kicking off their campaign before the main event. It’s set to be an exciting game and a hard-fought contest as the Green Machine fights on home turf. The question is – can they slay the Dragons?

Sunday

Hartley Hall Markets

When: 6 July, First Sunday of every month, 9 am to 2 pm
Where: Hall Showgrounds, Gladstone Street, Hall
Cost: Gold coin donation on entry

The Hartley Hall Markets, organised by Hartley Lifecare, are one of Australia’s largest home-made and home-grown goods markets.

Held on the first Sunday of the month, the Hartley Hall Markets are open from 9 am to 2 pm. You will find stalls offering food, locally grown vegetables and fresh produce, baked goods, plants, furniture, clothing, pottery, children’s toys, arts and crafts, unique gifts and more.

Stroll among the trees, stay for lunch and enjoy the fresh air, live entertainment and children’s activities.

Art. Make. Create.

When: 6 July, 10 am to 2 pm
Where: National Portrait Gallery
Cost: Free. For more information visit National Portrait Gallery

Join the National Portrait Gallery for its annual family day inspired by the bold and dynamic exhibition The Immersive World of Thom Roberts. Connect with Thom Roberts and participate in his live, interactive artwork created throughout the day.

Get creative and playful all day long with block printing and badge-making. Build a cardboard city, craft a colourful kaleidoscope and construct your own pop-out train.

There will also have live music, ping pong, a chill-out space and plenty of portraiture to go around.

Monday

UC Capitals Holiday Camp

When: 7 July, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: G Wigg Sports Centre, Radford College (1 College Street, Bruce ACT 2617)
Cost: Single session: $100 per participant | Double session package: $180 per participant, book here

Lace up your sneakers, grab your friends and join an epic day of basketball led by the UC Capitals’ very own Nicole Munger and Nyadiew Puoch.

The UC Caps Holiday Camp offers young basketball enthusiasts the chance to enhance their skills alongside UC Caps players and coaches in a fun and supportive environment.

Every participant will receive an access code for a ticket to attend a UC Capitals home game during the 2025/26 WNBL season.

Kids Workshop: Make a Layered Lyrebird Drawing

When: 7 July, 10 am
Where: Canberra Museum and Gallery, Cnr London Circuit and City Square, Canberra City
Cost: General admission $10 per child. Bookings at Canberra Museum and Gallery

Make a layered lyrebird drawing these school holidays by trying different drawing strategies in response to Sidney Nolan’s Lyrebird costume.

Activities will include blind drawing, creating texture and line, cropping and making impressions from shadows and shapes.

Parents and carers are required to accompany their children but are not required to purchase a ticket.

Tuesday

A Good Kind of Trouble with Brooke Blurton and Melanie Saward at the National Library

When: 8 July, 6 pm to 7 pm
Where: National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West
Cost: Free, but bookings are essential. Tickets via National Library of Australia.

Join Brooke Blurton and Dr Melanie Saward as they yarn about their new young adult novel, A Good Kind of Trouble, and what it means to write Indigenous-led stories for today’s young people at the National Library of Australia.

This event takes place during 2025 NAIDOC Week. This year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities and the legacy of our ancestors.

Thursday

Big Name, No Blankets – Opening Night

When: 10 July, 7:30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: $25 – $90, plus transaction fee. Tickets via Canberra Theatre Centre.

Big Name, No Blankets celebrates the phenomenal journey and impact of Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher, one of the founding members of Australian music icons Warumpi Band in an epic rock ‘n’ roll theatre show.

Named after Warumpi Band’s debut album, Big Name, No Blankets is a theatre show featuring Warumpi hits, showcasing Luritja and Gumatj (Yolngu Matha) languages and culture.

Making history as the first rock ’n’ roll band to sing in Aboriginal languages, Warumpi Band is acclaimed for creating our Blak anthems: Jailanguru Pakarnu, My Island Home and Blackfella/Whitefella.

Upcoming events

• Bring Back My Wives: The Ultimate Housewives x Drag Live Experience – 13 July
• The Hartley High Tea and Fashion Showcase 2025 – 19 July

Submit your event here to be considered for our weekly events guide.