Things to do in Canberra this week (3 - 9 October)

Canberra is buzzing with a whole lot to see and do, with plenty of cultural events, entertainment, craft exhibitions, food and wine, and special performances.

The Italian Film Festival is bringing a full schedule of great films, with dramas, historical biopics, comedies, crime films and much more. Come see the best of The Boot this week.

There are plenty of great school holiday events across the capital, with the UC Capitals hosting a very special basketball camp that gives kids the chance to hone their skills, practice their footwork, and learn from the pros.

On the other hand, kid bug enthusiasts will find a lot to love at the Botanic Gardens with the Bugs Alive exhibition, providing close-up encounters with some of nature’s most astonishing bugs that fly, crawl and skitter.

Multiple Days

Italian Film Festival

When: 3 October to 9 October
Where: Palace Electric Cinemas, 2 Phillip Law St, Canberra
Cost: Tickets from $16 to $21 | Book online or buy tickets on the day.

Italian cinema is coming to Palace Cinemas in a big way this week, bringing the best movies from Italy straight to Canberra.

Elio Germano stars in The Great Ambition, a biopic about Enrico Berlinguer, the leader of the Italian Communist Party. Berlinguer had widespread popularity in one of the largest communist parties in the Western world, and this film follows him as he challenges the dogmas of the Cold War to change the face of Italian politics in the tumultuous post-war era.

In Sicilian Letters, a disgraced local councillor is on a mission to revive his career and restore dignity to his name. When the Secret Service approaches him to help them hunt down the last major mafia boss on the run, he finds himself sucked into a game of cat and mouse.

The Illusion follows a ragtag collection of soldiers, tricksters, farmers, and officers as they enlist to fight in Garibaldi’s 1860 campaign to unite Italy. Garibaldi’s forces struggle to breach the enemy lines, and the battle appears set to reach a deadlock until the commander devises an ingenious plan that utilises the talents of the protagonists.

There’s a whole lot of drama, comedy, biopics and crime films with a little something for everyone.

Bugs Alive Exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens

When: 3 October to 9 October, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Where: Crosbie Morrison Building, Australian National Botanic Gardens
Cost: Children’s tickets $10 | Adult ticket $15 | Book online.

Australia’s largest invertebrate display is coming to the Botanic Gardens, giving curious kids and bug enthusiasts a chance to get up close and personal with some amazing insects.

Dive into the world of insects and see giant stick insects, the world’s deadliest spider and watch a Praying Mantis hunt its prey.

There will be more than 40 different bug species on display, live bug talks from 10:30 am to 12 pm daily and plenty of kids’ activities.

Springtime Gin Garden

When: 3 October to 9 October, 3 pm til late
Where: Midnight Bar, 1 Elouera Street, Braddon
Cost: Various prices. Book now.

Midnight Bar has transformed into The Springtime Gin Garden!

In collaboration with Canberra’s own Underground Spirits and in celebration of Floriade 2025, the activation brings Science and Nature to life through a sensory journey of botanicals, colour and flavour.

The menu features fun and floral delights to suit all tastes:

• The Springtime Gin Garden Experience: The Illusionist, a signature colour-changing cocktail, and an antipasto board to share.
  Cost: $30 per person
• Teapot Affair (serves two): A high-tea style gin cocktail, chilled and fragrant, featuring Underground Spirits’ Collector’s
  & Explorer’s Floriade Gin, Chartreuse Yellow, chamomile syrup, orange blossom, honey and lemon. Served in a vintage teapot with floral cups, garnished with mint and dried citrus.
  Cost: $38
• Underground Gin Tasting Flight: A curated journey through four Underground Spirits expressions: Underground Signature
  Gin, Shiraz Gin, Collector’s & Explorer’s Floriade Gin and Caramel Vodka. Served with Fever Tree tonic water and tasting notes.
  Cost: $32
• The Illusionist: A magical, colour-changing gin cocktail made with Underground Spirits’ Collector’s & Explorer’s Floriade Gin, lavender liqueur, butterfly pea flower syrup, lemon and soda. Watch it transform from indigo to blush pink as you stir.
  Cost: $23
• Skipping Through the Tulips: A floral gin cocktail celebrating Underground Spirits’ Collector’s & Explorer’s Floriade Gin with
  elderflower liqueur, crème de Violette, lemon juice and sugar. Garnished with edible petals and dehydrated citrus.
  Cost: $22
• Grazing Antipasto Board (for Two): A seasonal antipasto selection designed for sharing.
  Cost: $36.

ACT Woodcraft Guild Annual Exhibition

When: 4 October to 7 October
Where: Crosbie Morrison Building, Australian National Botanic Gardens
Cost: Free entry.

Woodcrafters from all over the ACT come together for their annual exhibition to showcase their handiwork, featuring a range of finely crafted pieces for sale that make perfect gifts or keepsakes full of character.

There will be free demonstrations throughout the exhibition on spoon carving, bowl turning, pyrography and toy making. A variety of handcrafted items will also be available for sale, including pens, kitchen utensils, bowls, toys, chopping boards, boxes, and more.

If you’re tired of all the plastic, mass-produced rubbish, head to the Woodcrafters’ exhibition and pick up something made by hand with love.

Looking for Alibrandi

When: 3 – 4 October
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Cct, Canberra
Cost: $25.00 – 79.00, plus transaction fee. Tickets available from Canberra Theatre Centre.

Josie Alibrandi is in her final year of high school. Whip-smart and aspirational, she is a third-generation Italian teenager and scholarship kid, with the shadow of a family curse and a penchant for rule-breaking. Juggling grades, boys, and the claustrophobia of an overbearing nonna and saintly mother, Josie’s life becomes tangled in the webs of class, identity and family history as she finds her place in a changing world.

Looking for Alibrandi is the honest and empowered portrait of 1990s Mediterranean culture that spoke for the first time about systemic racism in Australia from a migrant perspective. It defined a generation and to this day resonates with those caught in the stranglehold of identity and othering in this country.

UC Capitals Holiday Camp

When: Sessions on 7, 8 and 9 October
Where: Two separate locations, check the website for more info
Cost: Single sessions are $100, both Wednesday sessions are $180, and the full week is $450. Book online.

Lace up your sneakers and grab your friends for an epic week of basketball led by the UC Capitals’ very own coaches and athletes! 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.

What’s Included

• Expert Coaching: Each session will be led by UC Caps coaches and players.
• UC Capitals Tickets: Every participant will receive an access code for a ticket to attend a UC Capitals home game during the 2025/26 WNBL season!
• Snacks: Breaks will be held during the session with complimentary snacks, including fruit, snow cones, and popcorn.

Nightfest – Floriade

When: 3 October to 5 October
Where: Commonwealth Park, Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra
Cost: Tickets from $31.58 to $44.45 | Book online.

Floriade’s Nightfest brings great entertainment after dark to Commonwealth Park, lighting up the night with dazzling displays, live music, market stalls, food, drink and plenty of roving performers, as well as lantern workshops, circus acts and fire shows.

While an adults-only show, the KISS TEASE Cabaret, waits at the Kazador Tent. There will be burlesque dancers, comedians, musicians and jugglers to keep you entertained with three shows a night from 3 to 5 October. Don’t miss out on Floraide after dark.

Murrumbateman Moving Feast

When: Saturday 4 October from 10 am to 5 pm
Where: Various wineries and venues throughout Murrumbateman
Cost: Savoury dishes (entree size) $30 and dessert servings $25

Tantalise your taste buds with the 2025 Murrumbateman Moving Feast, taking place over the October long weekend.

This year’s Moving Feast invites you to journey through the Murrumbateman region, indulging in premium food and wine at every stop. Each participating venue will offer a specially curated dish paired with a local wine, creating a progressive tasting experience that showcases the region’s finest produce and craftsmanship.

Come along, indulge a little, and meet the makers behind the region’s fantastic wines. Whether you’re sipping, savouring, or shopping for local treasures, the Moving Feast promises a weekend full of discovery and delight!

Sunday

Hartley Hall Markets

When: 5 October (first Sunday of every month), 9 am to 2 pm
Where: Hall Showgrounds
Cost: A gold coin donation is required upon 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 a variety of products, including 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.

Mystique – A Journey Beyond Reality

When: 5 October, 2 pm and 6.30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: $48.50 to $69 | Buy tickets.

Internationally acclaimed illusionist and Australia’s Got Talent Finalist Michael Boyd brings his spectacular illusion show Mystique to Canberra.

Featuring some of the world’s most impressive illusions, jaw-dropping escapes, levitations, transformations, special effects, and mind-blowing disappearances, Boyd’s incredible production will surprise and delight.

Thursday

The Opera Australia Gala Concert

When: 9 October, 7.30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: $89.90 – $319.90 | Buy tickets.

For the first time in 42 years, the full forces of the Opera Australia Orchestra, Chorus and soloists are coming to Canberra Theatre Centre for a one-night-only Gala Concert.

Conductor Tahu Matheson will lead over 80 artists, including an all-star cast of some of Australia’s most in-demand singers, including Lorina Gore, Diego Torre, Jennifer Black, Sian Sharp, Luke Gabbedy and David Parkin.

Experience grand choruses, soaring orchestral pieces and some of opera’s most beloved arias, as glorious acoustic sound fills the theatre. The eclectic program will take you on a journey through some of opera’s most moving moments, featuring composers such as Mozart, Puccini, Bizet, Verdi, and Wagner.

Upcoming events

• Matthew Kelley Racing Race Day – 10 October.
• Pride & Prejudice – 15 October to 18 October.
• Newsies Jnr – 16 October to 19 October.
• Live at Lanyon with Canberra Symphony Orchestra 2025 – 18 October
• Dracula at the CTC – 23 October

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