Upstageing Canberra

Upstageing Canberra Celebrating Canberra arts for seniors

Reconciliation Week is a time to reflect on and strengthen the bonds between First Nations peoples and non-Indigenous pe...
02/06/2026

Reconciliation Week is a time to reflect on and strengthen the bonds between First Nations peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.

It’s a privilege for us to live and work alongside the Ngunnawal people as Traditional Custodians of this land. Their heritage and culture is all around us, from scar trees and grinding grooves to rock art and shelters and there’s always more we all learn from their rich and continuing history.

If you’d like to explore Country this week and discover more about Ngunnawal heritage, here are a few great places to start:

1. Yankee Hat rock art site – Namadgi National Park. UPDATE: Access to the Yankee Hat trailhead is closed until 12 June due to roadworks on Old Boboyan Road.
2. Hanging Rock – Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
3. Namarag – Molonglo River Reserve
4. Wandarawari Track – Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

Please remember that these are significant cultural sites for the Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians. The Elders ask that you respectfully visit this place by staying on the marked track, taking only memories and leaving only footprints. 👣

➡️ Plan your Reconciliation Week adventure at https://www.parks.act.gov.au/find-a-nature-park
Images with courtesy of ACT Government / ACT Parks & Conservation

Reconciliation Day, communities reflected on the theme: All In. It’s a message that reminds us that reconciliation is a...
02/06/2026

Reconciliation Day, communities reflected on the theme: All In. It’s a message that reminds us that reconciliation is a shared journey which calls on all Australians to step forward, listen, and learn every single day.

At Goodwin Village Farrer, their residents and team spent the day doing exactly that by coming together for an incredible Aboriginal art workshop run by the talented team at Burrunju Art Gallery.

From painting beautiful canvases to crafting traditional First Nations bracelets, they love finding hands-on ways to connect with and learn about Indigenous history and culture together.

Dark comedy meets existential collapse in Exit the King. Queens, a dying king, a collapsing world, and one of the great ...
02/06/2026

Dark comedy meets existential collapse in Exit the King. Queens, a dying king, a collapsing world, and one of the great plays of all time - intimate, theatrical, and painfully human at The Mill Theatre.

Exit the King by Eugène Ionesco Produced & Directed by Jack Spahr
Previews: 3-5 September 2026
Show: 9-19 September 2026
$50 tickets, $40 concession, $35 previews
7:30pm Wednesdays - Saturdays, 2:30pm Saturdays
www.milltheatreatdairyroad.com

Creswick Press Shot - Artists on Ageing CreativelyThursday 6 to Saturday 8 August 2026 @ 7pm / Bar 6pmCOST: $40 / $35Bo...
02/06/2026


Creswick Press Shot - Artists on Ageing Creatively
Thursday 6 to Saturday 8 August 2026 @ 7pm / Bar 6pm
COST: $40 / $35
Book here: https://tuggeranongarts.com/creswick-channels-artists-on-ageing-creatively/

In this hybrid documentary and live music experience, award-winning composer and videographer Creswick (FKA Liam Budge) turns both lens and sound toward a question rarely explored with depth: what does it mean to keep creating across a lifetime?

Through intimate portraits of celebrated artists including jazz musician Vince Jones, composer Judith Clingan AM, ceramicist Malcolm Cooke, artist Marily Cintra and dancer Elizabeth Cameron Dalman AM, Channels traces a shared, unrelenting creative force, one that does not fade with age, but evolves, deepens and transforms.
Drawn from conversations with these artists, Creswick weaves cinematic portraiture with a responsive live score. Song, spoken word and image converge in real time, bringing lived experience, artistic legacy and present-moment vitality into powerful alignment.

The music moves fluidly across jazz, ambient, folk and contemporary classical textures, performed live by a dynamic ensemble attuned to the emotional pulse of each story.

Visually, the work travels through studios, theatres, coastlines and quiet interior worlds, spaces where creativity continues to take shape. Grounded in the voices of the artists themselves, each composition is shaped by memory, reflection and the enduring drive to make. The result is an immersive, evolving performance that listens as much as it speaks. Channels is both a meditation and a provocation, interrogating legacy, relevance, the body and time itself.

What if ageing is not an ending, but a powerful act of ongoing creation?
Image with courtesy of

UpstAGEING Canberra was Australia’s first large-scale Creative Ageing Arts Festival, celebrating the bold, brilliant, an...
31/05/2026

UpstAGEING Canberra was Australia’s first large-scale Creative Ageing Arts Festival, celebrating the bold, brilliant, and diverse creative expression of older Canberrans. Spanning visual arts, theatre, music, dance, film, and beyond!

UpstAGEING Canberra champions the many benefits of creative activity across the lifespan.
The Festival featured performances, exhibitions, arts workshops, and many opportunities to get involved in activities across Canberra – all created by, for, and with older people.

Brighten your garden this winter!The City Renewal Authority’s FREE plant giveaway is on and they need your help to rehom...
31/05/2026

Brighten your garden this winter!

The City Renewal Authority’s FREE plant giveaway is on and they need your help to rehome their plants. These plants beautify and enrich the city’s public places, and every 6 weeks they refresh them according to the season.

To see which plants are up for grabs, head to https://www.inthecity.com.au/plant-giveaway

Save the date Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 11:30am until 1:00pm, or until they’re all gone!Ainslie Pl, City Walk - directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9zMaWvMVvoToBQ9Z8
Image inspo

Experience the difference that nature can make! Be curious, learn and relax. Be part of the community of like-minded pe...
27/05/2026

Experience the difference that nature can make!

Be curious, learn and relax. Be part of the community of like-minded people. Expand your creativity and discover your full potential through their award-winning art school.

Their art classes are located in Canberra at M16 Artspace plus online - and they have programs that can take you anywhere with their Australian and international immersive art nature tours.

Nature photography
Art workshops
Community programs
Nature journalling
Bird watching
Nature walks
Nature tours
And more!

They believe that when people engage nature through art, it fosters a deep connection of custodianship to country and care for nature. Contact the team to learn more NatureArt Lab www.natureartlab.com.au
Image with citing

The Civic Merry-Go-Round is ready to spin again!After a well-deserved break for essential maintenance, the Canberra favo...
25/05/2026

The Civic Merry-Go-Round is ready to spin again!

After a well-deserved break for essential maintenance, the Canberra favourite has reopened.

The much-loved attraction – which was built in 1914 and has been keeping generations of Canberrans entertained since 1974 – was out of action for a month.

Refurbishment work was done to remove, repair and reinstate horses, as well as restoring a full row of previously out of service horses.

General upgrades and safety measures were also completed to extend the life of the merry-go-round while preserving its heritage value.

You can find the Civic Merry-Go-Round in Petrie Plaza in Canberra’s city centre. It operates on Monday to Thursday from 11am-3pm, Friday from 11am-6pm, Saturday from 11am-4pm and Sunday from 10am-4pm.
Image with courtesy of ACT Government

ARIA Award-winning artist and Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti woman Casey Donovan will headline the ACT’s Reconciliation Day ...
25/05/2026

ARIA Award-winning artist and Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti woman Casey Donovan will headline the ACT’s Reconciliation Day upcoming event.

Observed as a public holiday in the ACT, Reconciliation Day is a time for the Canberra community to come together, learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and strengthen our shared commitment to reconciliation.

The 2026 theme for National Reconciliation Week, ‘All In’, invites Canberrans to embrace its spirit of this Reconciliation Day.

Monday 1 June, 2026
10am to 3pm
Dunmore Lang Place, Parkes
Reconciliation Day 2026 is a FREE, family-friendly event!

FREE travel will be available on Transport Canberra bus and light rail services (Sunday timetable applies). Simply let the driver or customer service officer know you’re attending – no need to tap on or off.

Casey Donovan’s performance will be part of an engaging program of live music, dance, storytelling and cultural activities celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Learn more: https://www.act.gov.au/our-canberra/latest-news/2026/may/casey-donovan-to-headline-reconciliation-day-event
Image with courtesy of ACT Government

CraftAlive is in Canberra for four big days! Featuring both local and interstate craft experts, the show is packed full...
20/05/2026

CraftAlive is in Canberra for four big days!

Featuring both local and interstate craft experts, the show is packed full of the latest craft supplies, kits and equipment.

Get the chance to learn from world class specialists with hands-on interactive classes across the whole event.


21 - 24 May 2026
Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC)
ℹ️ https://bit.ly/4tBqtVM
Image with courtesy of

Address

Hughes Community Centre, 2 Wisdom Street Hughes
Hughes, ACT

Website

https://cotaact.org.au/upstageing/

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