More arts news
2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival applications now open
Applications are now open for the Craft + Design Canberra Festival which runs from 5 – 15 November 2026. Craft + Design Canberra are looking for independently funded exhibitions, talks, tours, performances or events that align with the Festival theme of Dissent and celebrate Canberra as a global city of design. For more information including submission guidelines and application form see the Craft + Design Canberra website. Craft + Design Canberra will also be holding an information session about the Festival online from 6:00pm – 7:00pm on 22 October 2025. Registrations are required via Humanitix.
2025 Book of the Year Award event
You are invited to join Minister for Business, Arts and Creative Industries, Michael Pettersson MLA, for the announcement of the 2025 ACT Book of the Year Award held as part of the 2025 Canberra Writers Festival. 2:30pm on Friday 24 October 2025 at the National Gallery of Australia. To book your tickets, head to the Canberra Writers Festival website.
Caretaker Position at Strathnairn Arts
Strathnairn Arts Association is seeking a live-in Caretaker. The part-time role involves maintaining facilities, equipment and grounds across studios, galleries and workshops. Accommodation is included in lieu of payment. Applications close 3 November 2025. For more information and to apply, visit the Strathnairn Arts website.
MusicACT x Green Music Australia Workshop
Join MusicACT and Green Music Australia for an inspiring workshop on taking climate action through music, hosted by musician and community organiser Tim Shiel. Held on Saturday 25 October 2025 at the iconic Old Canberra Inn, this unique event will empower artists, industry professionals, and music lovers to make their practices more sustainable while using their platforms to advocate for a greener future. Places are limited. Fill out your EOI here.
Four new exhibitions open this weekend at Belco Arts
Behind the View by Cassandra Dove, Kaleidoscope IV celebrating the LGBTIQA+ community, and Millinery – A Fine Art by Cynthia Jones Bryson all open on Friday 17 October 2025 at 6:00pm. Works up for auction at The 2025 CAPO Art Auction on Saturday 18 October 2025 will also be on display.
New Canberra Contemporary exhibitions exploring themes of memory, place and diaspora
Through archival materials, video, and performance, Phuong Ngo’s Inheritance reconfigures post-colonial, familial and geographical relationships across South Vietnam, Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra, in an attempt to deepen connections with the past, present and future. In Masked Memory, Rosalind Lemoh presents new works which focus on personal cultural objects from her family home in Sydney with reflections on the particularities of her connection to Mende and Themne cultures from West Africa. Showing from 18 October 2025 to 24 January 2026.
Jill Clingan’s Unfinished Business exhibition
Strathnairn Arts presents Unfinished Business, a 65+ year retrospective by artist Jill Clingan. Opening Saturday 18 October 2025 at 2:00pm in the Woolshed Gallery, the exhibition spans drawing, oil painting, printmaking and pastel. Showcasing work from the late 1950s to the present, it reflects the beauty Jill finds in natural, built and cultural environments at home and abroad.
Midnight Screening: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a special midnight screening at Arc Cinema on Saturday 18 October 2025. Hosted by Venus Mantrap, this cult classic event features costumes, props, callbacks, and a complimentary drink and prop bag. Join fellow fans for an unforgettable night as Brad and Janet’s wild adventure unfolds on the big screen. For more information and tickets visit the National Film and Sound Archive website.
Build, Burn, Repeat Exhibition
Thor’s Hammer presents ‘Build, Burn, Repeat’, an innovative exhibition by local artist Tom O’Hara. Tom’s practice is centred around wood and the complex role it plays in both the natural and human environment. Tom shapes and unifies the object, resulting in works that seem human made and yet naturally formed. Showing from 19 September to 31 October 2025. For more information, visit Thor’s Hammer website.
ArtsNational Canberra Special Interest Morning lectures
On Wednesday 22 October 2025 at 10:00am, ArtsNational Canberra will present a special interest morning with two lectures by Eileen Goulding: Mesoamerican Pyramids – Tombs or Temples and Aztec and Maya Civilisations of Mexico. In the first lecture, Eileen will take you on a tour of several pyramid sites, including Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza. In the second lecture, discover some of Mexico’s ancient gods and learn about the religious rites designed to appease them. Booking via Trybooking.
Apeiron Baroque upcoming concerts
The Ellery String Quartet is 30 minutes of music, and instrumental show and tell in a relaxed and informal setting. Perfect for young ones who are curious about music. This is followed by Little Sounds, Great Noises, a concert pairing Shakespeare Sonnets with Baroque Music. Sunday 2 November 2025 at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
Sharing your Canberra arts events
Promote your arts events on What’s On, the most comprehensive calendar of events in Canberra. To check your event is eligible and learn how to list your event, please read Events ACT’s four simple steps to creating an event listing.
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