Things to do in Canberra this week (16 May - 22 May)

The week ahead is chock-full of great things to see and do, no matter what you’re interested in.

Looking for stand-up? Live music? Community charity events? History, both local and international? We’ve got you covered with the best events happening in Canberra in the coming week.

Multiple Days

The Dictionary of Lost Words

When: 15 May to 22 May
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra ACT 2601
Cost: Tickets from $69 to $119, plus transaction fee. Book online.

South Australian novelist Pip Williams’ internationally best-selling book comes to vivid life in this critically acclaimed stage adaptation by South Australian playwright Verity Laughton.

In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered to be missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. The Dictionary of Lost Words is the story of the girl who stole it.

Motherless and ever curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium – the “Scrippy”, a converted garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers, guided by Dr James Murray, are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary.

She hides beneath the sorting table and catches a word on a “slip” as it falls, and soon, she finds other words that have been neglected by the men. Here begins Esme’s collection of her own: the Dictionary of Lost Words.

This week at the NFSA

When: 16 May to 22 May
Where: Arc Cinema, 1 McCoy Circuit, Acton
Cost: Tickets from $12 to $21. Book online.

The NFSA brings a whole host of Australian cinematic classics, indie comedy darlings and classic Hollywood films this week, with a packed schedule with something for everyone.

On Friday, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is what audiences have come to expect from the king of indie cinema: weird, funny, aesthetically stunning and with a cast that makes other directors blush.

Eccentric hotel owner named Gustav (Ralph Fiennes) is framed for the murder of an elderly aristocrat, who happens to be one of his lovers. To foil the scheming of her children, he steals her most valuable possession, a painting named Boy with Apple.

Then on Saturday, a double feature of classic Hollywood: Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor as one of history’s most famous women. For something completely different, later in the day, catch 2002’s The Tracker, in which David Gulpilil stars as an Aboriginal tracker press-ganged by three mounted police into hunting a fugitive in the bush.

On Sunday, 2002’s Rabbit-Proof Fence helped create an image of the Stolen Generations in the popular conscience through the story of two Aboriginal children making a near-impossible trek across the famous rabbit-proof fence to escape a mission and return to their mother.

For Thursday’s showing, Simon Baker stars as a detective in a remote opal mining town investigating the disappearance of a woman, missing for 20 years, in Limbo.

Sydney Writers Festival: Live and Local at Tuggeranong Arts Centre

When: 22 May and 23 May. For session times and details, visit the TAC website
Where: Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North, Greenway
Bookings: $10 per session | $25 day pass. Click to book.

After the wild success of Live & Local in 2024, Sydney Writers Festival is coming to Tuggeranong Arts Centre in 2025 for the first time, to bring the best of the Festival direct to you.

One of Australia’s best-loved forums for literature, ideas and storytelling, Sydney Writers Festival will livestream its headline events from Sydney to TAC on Thursday, 22 and Friday, 23 May.

Prepare to be invigorated and engaged by conversations, debates and discussions featuring some of the world’s finest writers and thinkers. Audiences can also participate in live Q&A sessions at each event, sending questions straight to the Sydney stage.

Friday

Ross Noble – Cranium of Curiosities

When: 16 May, 8 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: Tickets from $59.40 to $54.40. Book online.

Ross Noble takes his audience through tangents galore as he muses and pokes fun at whatever he can get his hands on in this disordered, chaotic but always funny live show that invites each member of the crowd into his Cranium of Curiosities.

Renowned for his stream of consciousness delivery and surreal jumping from subject matter to subject matter, Ross Noble has been splitting sides in stand-up and on programs such as the BBC’s QI for many years.

Saturday

Meg Washington – Smiths@Belco

When: 17 May, 7 pm
Where: The Theatre, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen
Cost: Concession tickets $49, full tickets $59. Book online.

Platinum-selling, award-winning singer-songwriter Meg Washington creates a powerful blend of jazz, pop and folk in her captivating performances. A piano player at heart, Washington creates transcendent melodies musically and poetry lyrically.

In this special performance, Washington takes the audience through a selection of her finest songs from an extensive catalogue of five albums.

RiverSong: A tribute to the spirit and strength of our rivers

When: 17 May, 7 pm
Where: Gandel Atrium, National Museum of Australia, Lawson Cres, Acton
Cost: Concession tickets $65, full price tickets $75. Book online.

RiverSong is a fundraising concert held for the cause of repairing and maintaining our riverways and water resources. Bringing together Canberra’s adult choir ‘The Resonants’, the concert will feature a variety of a cappella works as well as historical and contemporary choral music.

Paired with visuals on a big screen, RiverSong takes audience members through a journey all about our vital waterways – the lifeblood of our environment and our land, educating audiences on what they mean for communities.

Sunday

Mighty Guts Walkathon

When: 18 May, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: Patrick White Lawns, around Lake Burley Griffin
Cost: Single registration $10, family registration $30. Tickets are available via the Canberra Hospital Foundation.

This event’s goal is to reduce the stigma, encourage early diagnosis and build a supportive community for our local children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Bring the whole family for a fun-filled morning around Lake Burley Griffin. Enjoy a choice of 5 km or 2 km routes and join in for fun activities, a BBQ and community connections.

This is a pet-friendly event – all are encouraged to participate, and kids under 3 get in for free.

Canberra Treasures Market Day – Heritage Festival

When: 18 May, 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Blundells Cottage, Wendouree Drive
Cost: Free. Book online.

Gain invaluable insight into how the people of yesteryear lived at the Canberra Treasures Market Day.

Stallholders will provide craft demonstrations on everything from spinning, weaving, lacemaking, basket weaving, woodworking to knife forging. Also on the packed agenda are natural dying demonstrations, creating amazing colours from vegetables and kids can look forward to an archaeological dig.

It will be an amazing look into the crafts and handiworks of generations past, when the skills of artisans and workers were highly prized.

There will be plenty of unique handmade items for sale as well as great food like homemade jams, smoked meats and traditional German pretzels.

A bush band and choir will also play throughout the day.

Jamala Wildlife Lodge

When: 18 May, six 50-minute tours running every half hour from 1 pm to 4 pm
Where: Jamala Wildlife Lodge, National Zoo & Aquarium, Scrivener Dam, Yarralumla
Cost: $25 per person | $15 for National Zoo & Aquarium members. Book online.

Ever wondered what it’s like to stay at Australia’s most luxurious wildlife lodge? Don’t miss this rare opportunity to step behind the scenes at Jamala Wildlife Lodge during the National Zoo and Aquarium’s open days.

Join a guided tour through the spectacular Jamala Wildlife Lodge, including two stunning uShaka lodge suites, a Giraffe Treehouse and a Jungle Bungalow, and preview the award-winning Cave Restaurant. Hear firsthand what makes a stay at Jamala a truly unforgettable experience.

Bubbly & Bites in the Patio at Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden

When: 18 May 2025 at 3 pm
Where: Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden, 92-96 Corinna St, Phillip
Cost: $85 per person. Tickets available from the Canberra Southern Cross Club.

Head to the Canberra Southern Cross Club in Woden for high tea on the patio with bottomless Prosecco, three signature cocktails, traditional finger sandwiches, petite cakes, scones with fresh cream and more. It’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Thursday

Coffee with the Curator: The Excellencies of Musick at the National Library

When: 22 May from 10:30 am to 12 pm
Where: Treasures Gallery, National Library of Australia
Cost: $18 for friends of the library, $22 for non-members. Tickets are available through the National Library of Australia.

Join Dr Susannah Helman, senior advisor in collection research, as she provides her insights into the Jamie and Michael Kassler Collection, a significant collection full of exquisite and intriguing prints, rare books and manuscripts dating from the seventeenth to early nineteenth century Britain.

Dr Helman will present a talk in the gallery, which will be followed by morning tea and plenty of time to ask questions.

The Excellencies of Musick: Highlights from the Jamie and Michael Kassler Collection is currently on display in the Treasures Gallery until 17 August.

Upcoming events:

• Comic Gong – 24 May
• Saturday Salon: Ben Hoadley The Bassoon – 25 May
• Psychology of Serial Killers– 25 May
• State of Origin at Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden – 28 May.

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