It’s festival season in Canberra and there’s so much to do and see this February, March, and April, including our Autumn Handmade Market on 21 & 22 March at Exhibition Park in Canberra. Here’s a rundown of everything else Canberra has to offer this Autumn.
Enlighten Festival
The iconic Enlighten Festival returns from 27 February to 9 March to transform our national buildings into installations of light and sound, showcasing Australian culture and storytelling. Sample international flavours at the Food Park, and enjoy late-night access to some of Australia’s cultural institutions like the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.
As part of Enlighten, Symphony in the Park returns on Sunday 8 March, and the Lights! Canberra! Action! short film festival is on Friday 6 March.
Royal Canberra Show
The annual Royal Canberra Show is being held this year on the weekend of 20-22 February at Exhibition Park in Canberra. With its traditional livestock and agricultural competitions, plus sideshow alley, a farmyard nursery and cattle precinct, a craft expo, lots of food and drink options, show bags, and fireworks to finish each day, there’s something for the whole family.
Lunar New Year Festival
Celebrate the Lunar New Year and welcome the Year of the Fire Horse on Woolley Street in Dickson, with performances, food, and family activities. The festivities run from 10am to 10pm on Saturday 21 February.
Handmade Canberra’s Autumn Market
The Handmade Market is back with our first market of 2026, on 21 and 22 March at Exhibition Park in Canberra. Our all Australian-made market is now in its 18th year of supporting Australian creative small businesses, and we’re super excited to bring you a lineup of over 260 stalls featuring jewellery, art, textiles, clothing, and homewares, as well as our dedicated food and drink pavilion.
5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain
This major special exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia features commissioned works by established and emerging First Nations artists from across the country, with 10 large-scale installations celebrating the past, present, and future of Indigenous culture and intergenerational legacies. This free exhibition is open now until 27 April.
Haig Park Village Markets 5th Birthday
The Haig Park Village markets are a weekly market on Sundays from 8am to 2pm, in Haig Park, Braddon. They feature a diverse range of local farmers, producers, and makers, with performers and kids’ activities, and Sunday 15 February is their 5th birthday celebrations.
Canberra Balloon Spectacular
Watch the hot air balloons launch at dawn and drift across the Canberra sky every morning from 14 to 22 March. Launching from Patrick White Lawns in Parkes, the Canberra Balloon Spectacular is a must-do Autumn event in Canberra. This year the Handmade Market coincides with the final weekend of the Balloon Spectacular, so top off a magical morning of balloons with coffee and breakfast in our food pavilion, and a stroll around the market stalls.
Bungendore Harvest Festival
The Bungendore Harvest Festival is an annual celebration of cold climate food, drink, and fibre, returning from 17 to 19 April with a market day on Saturday, and farm tours and food and wine events all weekend. It’s run by Southern Harvest who also hold a Farmers’ Market every Saturday from 9am to 12pm in the Village Square, Bungendore.