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What’s On in Canberra: August 2026
The only guide you need to what's on in Canberra this month and beyond.
August is when Canberra gets serious about winter — and honestly, it suits the city. The air is crisp, the skies are clear, and the kind of cold that sends everyone else inside has a way of making Canberra feel more itself. Rug up, lean in.
This month’s calendar is genuinely stacked. Whether you’re after free cultural experiences, a reason to finally explore the lake foreshore, a well-earned truffle dinner (season’s almost here), or a Saturday morning lost in markets stalls, May has something worth getting out of bed early for.
Here’s everything worth knowing about what’s on in Canberra this June.
Read on for our pick of things to do…
In This Guide
Editor’s Pick:
Celebrate Spring at Floriade
Canberra’s annual spring glow-up is back, with Commonwealth Park set to burst into colour for 30 days. Floriade brings more than a million flowers into bloom, with sprawling displays of tulips and annuals creating plenty of reason to make the trip (and plenty of very pretty photo opportunities while you’re there).
It’s not just a wander through the flowers either. Expect live music, food and wine, market stalls, gardening workshops and family-friendly activities throughout the festival, while NightFest turns the park into an after-dark floral playground with illuminated displays and live entertainment. Best of all, daytime entry is free, so you can pop in for a stroll, grab something to eat and make an afternoon of it.
Where: Commonwealth Park, Canberra ACT
When: Saturday 12 September – Sunday 11 October 2026. Daily gate hours 9:30am–5:30pm (last entry 5pm). NightFest hours to be confirmed by editor.
Cost: Free general admission. NightFest is ticketed and some workshops may require bookings.
Best For: Families; Couples; Regional travel; Outdoor enthusiasts; Community events; Visitors
Need to Know: 39th annual festival themed “Feast of Flowers,” featuring over one million spring blooms. Includes live music, food and wine markets, gardening workshops and family activities throughout the run. NightFest transforms the park after dark with illuminated displays and live entertainment.
Paris Is Setting Up Shop for One Very French Day
Pack your appetite because a little piece of France is making a one-day pit stop in Canberra. Le Marché is bringing its award-winning French market to Thoroughbred Park for the first time, with more than 45 artisan and gourmet stalls turning the grounds into a very convincing little French village.
Expect fresh pastries and macarons, crêpes, raclette, tarte flambée, French cheeses and saucisson, plus a pop-up French supermarket for stocking the pantry. There’ll also be fashion, linen, perfume, antiques and a brocante to browse, with live accordion music setting the scene. Local chefs will be getting involved too, including Les Bistronomes’ Clément Chauvin, so you can make a proper morning of it. Best of all, entry is free and dogs are welcome.
Where: Thoroughbred Park, Randwick Road, Lyneham ACT
When: Sunday 30 August 2026, 9:30am–3pm
Cost: Free entry
Best For: Food lovers; Food & drink lovers; Markets; Dog lovers; Community events; Families
Need to Know: One day only. Arrive early for the best pick of pastries and produce. Dogs welcome. Over 45 artisan and gourmet stalls plus a pop-up French supermarket. Live accordion music throughout.
Eat & Drink:
Savour an Afternoon Tea at Parliament House
Queen’s Terrace Café inside Parliament House is serving up one of Canberra’s most unique high teas every Friday to Sunday from 11am. The menu leans into native Australian ingredients, including a crab sandwich with native lime kewpie and a fig and date wattleseed tea cake. It’s $70 with tea or coffee, or upgrade to a glass of sparkling for $80. After your high tea, make a day of it by exploring Parliament House—take in the architecture and exhibitions, enjoy a stroll through the gardens, or deepen your understanding of Australia’s democracy with a guided tour.
Bookings here.
Where: Queen’s Terrace Café, Australian Parliament House, 1 Parliament Drive, Canberra
When: Friday to Sunday, from 11am (ongoing)
Cost: $70 per person with tea or coffee; $80 per person with a glass of sparkling
Best For: Food & drink lovers; Couples; Regional travel; Visitors; Premium experiences
Need To Know: After high tea, Parliament House is free to explore — guided tours of the building are also available for those wanting to learn more about Australia’s democracy.
Art, Culture & Performance
Experience Epic Country at the National Gallery
Thirty monumental paintings. Thirty windows into some of the most powerful cultural storytelling in the country. Ngura Pulka — Epic Country is now open at the National Gallery in Kamberri/Canberra, running until 23rd August, and it’s as epic as the name suggests. Led by senior First Nations artists and collectives from the APY Lands, the canvases pulse with colour, Tjukurpa and a deep connection to Country. Six brand new large-scale works make their public debut here too, which has been years in the making. This is a must-see.
Where: National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes, Canberra ACT 2600
When: Until Saturday 23 August 2026
Cost: Free
Best For: Art lovers, Cultural experiences, Exhibitions, Families, Visitors, Locals
Need To Know: Features six brand new large-scale works making their public debut — allow extra time to take in the full scale of all 30 monumental paintings.
Outdoors & Active:
Walk the Shores of Lake Burley Griffin
If you do one thing in Canberra that costs absolutely nothing, make it a walk along Lake Burley Griffin. The 35km loop around the lake takes in some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks (including the National Carillon, the National Museum, the National Gallery and the Parliamentary Triangle), all framed by the kind of wide-open sky that makes you remember why Canberra is actually beautiful. You don’t need to do the whole thing; the foreshore between Acton and Kingston is the sweet spot, with great coffee stops, the Canberra Glassworks and the Old Bus Depot Markets nearby on Sundays. Best enjoyed in the crisp winter morning light with a takeaway flat white in hand.
Markets & Shopping:
Handmade Canberra Market
Canberra’s favourite design and food market is back for its September edition and it’s a big one. Over 260 stalls from Australia’s best artists, designers and producers fill the Exhibition Park pavilions with jewellery, art, textiles, clothing, homewares and a dedicated indoor food and wine pavilion that makes it very easy to stay longer than planned. Free to enter, easy to get to via light rail, and genuinely one of the best markets in the country. Go hungry.
Where: Exhibition Park
When: Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 September, 10am–4pm
Cost: Free
Best For: Markets, Free events, Food & drink lovers, Families, Weekend plans
Need To Know: Accessible via light rail. Over 260 stalls across art, design, fashion, homewares and a dedicated indoor food and wine pavilion
Free Things to Do:
Australian War Memorial
Free to enter and genuinely one of Australia’s most important cultural sites, the Australian War Memorial is worth building an entire Canberra day around. Beyond the permanent galleries, the daily Last Post Ceremony at 4:55pm is a quietly moving experience that stops visitors in their tracks every single time.
Treloar Cres, Campbell ACT 2612
What’s On This Month in Canberra: FAQs
June in Canberra is anchored by the Christmas in July Festival at Patrick White Lawns (running from early July, so worth booking ahead now), the Handmade Canberra Market with over 260 stalls across art, design and food, and the Canberra Truffle Festival, which kicks off on 1 June and runs through August. The Ngura Pulka — Epic Country exhibition at the National Gallery is also unmissable this month.
The Canberra Truffle Festival is the headline act — running from 1 June through 29 August, it spans degustation dinners, truffle hunts, cooking demonstrations and markets across restaurants, cafés, bars, wineries and farms throughout the region. For a full paddock-to-plate experience, book a truffle hunt at The Truffle Farm or Beltana Farm.
Ngura Pulka — Epic Country at the National Gallery of Australia is the standout — thirty monumental paintings led by senior First Nations artists and collectives from the APY Lands, including six brand new large-scale works making their public debut. The Australian War Memorial is also free to enter and worth building a full day around, with the daily Last Post Ceremony at 4:55pm a quietly moving highlight.
A walk along Lake Burley Griffin costs nothing and takes in some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks, best enjoyed on a crisp winter morning with coffee in hand. The Australian War Memorial is free to enter, and the Handmade Canberra Market has free entry with easy light rail access. The Christmas in July Festival at Patrick White Lawns is also free for all ages.
Need more ideas on what to do in Canberra this month? Here’s our guide to the best weekend activities in Canberra and, if you’re heading to Sydney for the weekend, here are our tops picks.
