Things to do in Canberra this week (29 August - 4 September)

The capital is buzzing with things to see and do this week as the weather begins to warm. Discover the best in our handy event guide.

Romance and tragedy combine at Canberra Theatre Centre with Bell Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The world’s most famous star-crossed lovers are sure to deliver a raw, emotional performance.

The Taiwan Film Festival offers a diverse schedule of international films at Dendy Cinema in Civic, including family dramas, neo-noir revenge tales, and restorations of beloved Chinese cinema classics.

EPIC hosts the quarterly Handmade Canberra Markets, featuring a range of food, drink, handmade goods, gifts, and artisanal products to get excited about. Pick up a gift for a loved one, or treat yourself to something special.

All of these and many, many more promise to entertain and inspire Canberra in the coming days.

Multiple Days

The Texans 1972-73 – Photography exhibition at Photo Access

When: 28 August to 4 September, during regular gallery hours
Where: PhotoAccess, 30 Manuka Cir, Griffith
Cost: Free.

Unseen for half a century, these images from photographer Judith MacDougall capture sometimes strange, sometimes intimate moments of Texas in the 70s. Shot on 35mm, these photos are a glimpse into the early work of an artist who would become a pioneer of observational documentary.

MacDougall sought to bring a new light to the world of cowboys, promoters, cowhands, diner workers, bodybuilders and car enthusiasts across the proud, independent land that is Texas. This will be a fascinating insight into country Americana.

Inferno by Mikaela Stafford – NFSA Installation

When: Open 29 August to 4 September, 10 am to 4 pm
Where: National Film and Sound Archive, 1 McCoy Circuit, Acton
Cost: Free, no bookings required.

This new digital installation combines epic-scale motion graphics, kinetic sculpture, and dynamic lighting with an original soundscape by electronic composer Kate Durman, conjuring a hyper-real, sci-fi-infused world where identity, memory, and matter collide. The NFSA’s first commissioned artwork, Inferno, was created by Stafford following an artist residency at the Archive earlier this year.

Influenced by club culture, hyperrealism, early cinema, and Japanese silk painting, Inferno invites audiences into a richly textured and enveloping space, greeting them with a hefty tome inscribed with otherworldly ‘epic poetry scrawl.’

Bell Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet

When: 29 August to 4 September 2025
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Cct, Canberra
Cost: $45.00 – $124.00, plus transaction fee. Tickets available from Canberra Theatre Centre.

After a chance meeting, an intense but forbidden love is ignited between two young lovers, Romeo and Juliet. And despite the unending, violent feud between their families, they will risk everything to be together.

This raw portrayal of Romeo & Juliet will envelop you in the passion, intensity, and heartbreak of Shakespeare’s most evocative tragedy.

Peter Evans’ critically acclaimed production of the greatest love story ever told returns to stages in 2025. Introducing the magnetic Madeleine Li as Juliet, this exquisite production is not to be missed.

Handmade Markets Canberra

When: 30 August and 31 August, 10 am to 4 pm
Where: Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), Exhibition Park in Canberra, Budawang, Coorong, and Parkes Pavilions, Lyneham
Cost: Free entry | Cash preferred by vendors.

Handmade Markets is returning to Canberra for its quarterly showcase of local designers and producers. More than 260 Australian artisans, creatives, and producers will be at the show at Exhibition Park, showcasing a diverse range of fashion, ceramics, furniture, kids’ items, artworks, accessories, jewellery, and, of course, a selection of gourmet food and wine.

For individuals with sensory needs, a low-sensory hour will be held from 9 am to 10 am.

Taiwan Film Festival

When: 30 August and 31 August, various times
Where: Dendy Cinemas Canberra, Canberra Centre, 148 Bunda St, Canberra
Cost: Tickets from $16 to $20 | Book online.

The Taiwan Film Festival is coming to Dendy Cinemas this week in Civic, offering a window into international film with a focus on women’s perspectives, gender, identity, and bold storytelling.

This year, the festival’s lineup features complex explorations of modern family life with Daughter’s Daughter, pulpy neo-noirs about power, corruption, and false imprisonment in Organ Child, and a very special restoration of a classic of Taiwanese cinema, Flowers of Shanghai, which chronicles the intimate lives of 19th-century courtesans.

Friday

Disco night with DJ Sue at The Tradies Dickson

When: 29 August, 9:30 pm to 12:30 am
Where: The Tradies Dickson, 2 Badham Street, Dickson, ACT
Cost: Free for Members | Membership from $4.

Head to The Tradies in Dickson this Friday for an unforgettable disco night with DJ Sue, everyone’s favourite granny disc jockey, as she provides the perfect tunes for a night of dancing and flowing drinks.

The party kicks off at 9:30 pm and finishes at 12:30 am; it’s free for members, and membership is only $4, so don’t miss out.

Saturday

Turn Back Time at Lanyon Homestead

When: 30 August, events from 10 am to 9 pm
Where: Lanyon Homestead, Tharwa Dr, Tharwa
Cost: Ticket prices vary | Book online.

To celebrate Family History Month, Lanyon Homestead is bringing the past to the present, with a range of exciting events to look forward to.

Family History ACT will be there to help you start your ancestry journey, with tips and tricks to trace the story of your lineage. Hand-dipped beeswax candle-making workshops give you the chance to make your very own artisanal candles in just 30 minutes.

Do you have a family heirloom that you want to preserve? A workshop on the day will provide museum-grade advice on how to preserve old photos, textiles and papers. All this and much more, in addition to games, live music, bush dances, tours and knitting workshops.

Raiders v Tigers at GIO Stadium

When: 30 August, 12:45 pm
Where: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Cost: Tickets from $35 | Book online.

The Raiders’ last home game of the 2025 season pits the Green Machine against the gutsy Tigers. This double header will feature both NRLW and NRL teams, with kickoffs at 12:45 pm and 3 pm respectively.

Leo Amadeus – Horse Brother

When: 30 August, 6 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: $18.00 – $26.00 | Buy tickets.

Leo Amadeus is an actor, writer and musician ducking into Canberra for a one-night-only performance of this one-man musical comedy show before heading back to Sydney, where he’ll be wowing the Sydney Fringe Festival.

This collection of zany and hilarious comedy songs from Leo Amadeus’ original album, Just a Little Bit Mad, lets listeners into a weird world of crazy caricatures and hijinks that Leo inhabits.

Sunday

Winter Tales presents Professor Helen Ennis at the National Library

When: 31 August, 2 pm to 4 pm
Where: National Library of Australia
Cost: $20 per person | Buy tickets.

Join Professor Helen Ennis as she discusses her extensive writing on the work of Australian women photographers at the National Library of Australia.

This event is held in association with the National Foundation for Australian Women and the Australian Women’s Archives Program (AWAP).

Winter Tales events feature a notable woman speaking about her life and work and raise funds to support the Australian Women’s Archives Program.

Tickets cost $20 per person and bookings are essential.

Upcoming events

• Gone with the Wind at the NFSA – 13 September
• Defending Australian Territory with Dr Andrew Carr at the National Library – 17 September
• Duck Pond at the Canberra Theatre Centre – 18 – 20 September

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