Things to do in Canberra this week (18 April to 24 April)

There’s no end to the fun over the Easter long weekend, so whether you’re looking for something to fill a spare few hours or you’ve neglected to make plans until now, we have you sorted with the best in local kids’ events, plays, art, films and food.

Multiple Days

National Folk Festival

When: 17 April to 21 April, see website for more details
Where: Exhibition Park Canberra, Lyneham, Canberra
Cost: Ticket prices vary; see website for more details.

It’s Easter in the capital and that means the return of the Folkie, bringing instrumentalists, singers, poets, dance, workshops and more.

Artists across a broad range of musical disciplines come together to bring their love of music to you, along with performers like Josh Pyke, Ruth Moody, Irish Mythen, and many, many more. With more than 350 events, there’s a little something for everyone, all centred around the authentic sound of folk music.

With moth – Exhibition at Craft and Design Canberra

When: 18 April to 19 April and 23 April to 24 April, during normal gallery hours
Where: Level 1, North Building, 180 London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: Free.

The natural, the human and the Victorian come together in Sue Peachey’s exploration of the impact of the colonial mission on the natural world. Peachey pairs and contrasts utilitarian, practical objects with the form and beauty of endemic moth species to focus her eye and the minds of the visitor upon some of the defining doctrines of the Victorian era, such as cheap labour, industrialisation, the introduction of invasive species, and religion.

This week at the NFSA

When: 18 April to 24 April
Where: Arc Cinema, 1 McCoy Circuit, Acton
Cost: Tickets from $8 to $16.

Disney classics, black comedy horrors, Aussie high-school dramas- is there anything that the NFSA doesn’t have?

On Saturday at 1 pm, take a walk on the wild side with Disney’s Tarzan, the classic tale of an orphaned boy raised by wolves (or gorillas) who rediscovers his humanity when he meets Jane, an English woman on a visit to Africa.

For the adults, there is a 7 pm showing of the 2017 hit Get Out, a clever, funny yet confronting film about a Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner scenario with a twist.

On Sunday, the NFSA Restores series returns with the 1999 Australian film Flirting, the coming-of-age story of an awkward teen caught in a love triangle with the new girl and the school prima donna.

That’s just a sneak peek of the coming week, but there are heaps more, so check out the NFSA for more info on great films showing soon.

Claymation Creations

When: 22 April and 23 April, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: Manuka Arts Centre, 30 Manuka Circle, Griffith
Cost: $415 for the two-day workshop.

Kids with a creative streak have a lot to get excited about during these school holidays with Photo Access’ Claymation Creations workshop, a two-day course led by stop-motion animation experts that teaches kids how to get started on their animation filming journey.

Children and teens (aged 8 to 16) will get the scoop on how to write, storyboard, animate, sculpt and then edit their very own short movie. It’s a great way to foster creativity with the helping hand of informed and experienced professionals who can fill in any gaps.

Could your kid make the next Wallace and Gromit?

Madagascar the Musical

When: 22 April 6:30 pm and 23 April 10:30 am and 2:30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Cct, Canberra
Cost: $59.90 to $69.90, plus transaction fee. Tickets available from Canberra Theatre Centre.

From the producers of Shrek The Musical and Dr Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, DreamWorks’ electrifying stage show Madagascar the Musical is coming to Canberra.

Madagascar the Musical captures the essence of the beloved Dreamworks animated film, bringing the characters you know and love to the stage with a fresh and exhilarating twist. Join the gang on a journey of friendship, self-discovery and loads of fun in a perfect blend of heartwarming moments and pure entertainment.

Friday

Good Friday seafood feast at Bar Beirut

When: 18 April, 5 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Bar Beirut, 25 Garema Pl, Canberra
Cost: $79 per person, minimum booking of two people.

On Good Friday, Bar Beirut hosts its seafood feast with a stacked seven-course seafood feast of oysters, kingfish tartare, octopus and more to start the long weekend. Hungry readers are encouraged to book soon as it’s a popular joint with great offerings.

The Black Blues Brothers

When: 18 April 2025, 7.30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Cct, Canberra
Cost: $74.90 to $99.90, plus transaction fee. Tickets available from Canberra Theatre Centre.

The international smash hit has landed at the Canberra Theatre Centre. Produced by Mosaico Errante, The Black Blues Brothers has wowed more than 650,000 spectators across 20 countries. It established itself as a must-see international show with countless sold-out performances, standing ovations and a flood of glowing reviews.

A virtuoso American-style show, as vintage as it is contemporary, spanning generations and continents with an electrifying performance of music and movement.

Saturday

Rhys Darby – The Legend Returns

When: 19 April 2025, 7.30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Cct, Canberra
Cost: $71.60 to $81.85, plus transaction fee. Tickets available from Canberra Theatre Centre.

The Kiwi icon returns to the stage with a brand-new stand-up show for 2025.

In a world full of AI and Robot tech, can a simple dad with slightly tight jeans stay relevant? Rhys hopes to prove that right now, a touch of very human silliness is more important than ever. Perhaps his unique human skills, once thought of as absurd, might just be useful after all; only a ticket to his show will tell.

Sunday

Easter Scavenger Hunt

When: 20 April, 10 am to 12 pm
Where: Haig Park Village Markets, Haig Park, Braddon
Cost: Free.

Head down to Haig Park for a morning of Easter fun and games. If your kids are still buzzing from the egg hunt at home, add some competition to the mix at the scavenger hunt as heaps of kids scramble through the park, or check out Easter arts and crafts, plenty of stalls and other family-friendly entertainment. If you follow the clues all around the park, you may even find a very special Easter prize.

Wednesday

Curator Tour: Fit to Print exhibition at the National Library

When: 23 April, 30 April and 7 May 2025 from 2 pm to 3 pm
Where: National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West
Cost: Free, but bookings are essential. Tickets are available through the National Library of Australia.

Join curator Allister Mills for a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Library’s new exhibition, Fit to Print: Defining Moments from the Fairfax Photo Archive.

Unearth the stories behind the images and learn more about the incredible Fairfax photographic collection.

This tour departs from the foyer and entry is free, however, bookings are essential.

Thursday

Sh!tfaced Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

When: Thursday 24 & Saturday 26 April 2025, 8 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Cct, Canberra
Cost: $49.90 to $54.90, plus transaction fee. Tickets available from Canberra Theatre Centre.

The hilarious, smash-hit, internationally acclaimed, sell-out comedy festival phenomenon returns to Canberra to help you enjoy Shakespeare responsibly.

Blending the genius writing of the Elizabethan playwright with drunken hedonism, this show creates a unique performance each night as the actors are genuinely drunk and do a fair bit of on-the-spot improvisation.

Warning: This show includes a genuinely drunk performer, and anything could happen. This show may contain drinking, swearing, nudity, simulated acts of a sexual nature, terrible singing, actual acts of a sexual nature, and quite possibly some actual Shakespeare.

Upcoming events:

• Adam Kay This Is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor – 25 April
• Porcelain War screening + Q and A – 26 April
• Sweet Charity – 29 April to 18 May.

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