Events Guide 16 - 23 April

Hey everyone! Hope you had an enjoyable holiday and Easter, and made time to check out some of the events in last week’s guide!

Last week I mentioned the National Folk Festival, that was on Saturday 15 April, and I was fortunate enough to go spend the day there. Held at the exhibition park, the venue was massive, swarming with not just visitors, but a noticeably large number of artists. As the sun started to go down, the winter breeze seemed to spur people into more active involvement; people began to dance, strangers collaborated their music and even the classical instruments came out.

This week, ANU is celebrating 10 years of collecting art at the Drill Hall Gallery. Beginning 21 April and continuing through till mid-May, the Collection includes works from benefactors—Sculptures from James and Jacqui Erskine, a painting by the Chinese artist Zhang Peili, donated by Lois Conor, a collection of works from Rosalie and Ben Gascoigne and many more—as well as a selection of works by outstanding graduating students, tracing the history of the ANU School of Art back fourteen years.

Head to King O’Malleys this Wednesday 19 April to hear Local Federal member Andrew Leigh MP and Andrew Barr ACT Chief Minister discuss the year ahead. The ANU Australian Republic Association is hosting this commencement drinks event, where speeches will commence at 6pm. Pick out something nice for the smart casual/business dress code.

This Friday 21 April the Manly Raiders will tackle the Sea Eagles in round 8, as the NRL makes its fifth appearance in Canberra this year. There is a special discount ticket offer for this match of the Telstra Premiership – use the password 17ANZAC when booking with Ticketek ?

The main event this weekend seems to be the Sunwaves Indoor Street Fest, held at the Old Bus Depot in Kingston Foreshore. The event promises the full Caribbean experience – Cuban living statues, classic cars, electro Caribbean beats, bongo shows and Latin Jazz. Amongst all of this, Canberra’s top street food vendors will be present, along with local beer brewers, wineries and the ‘sand bar’ which will be serving mojitos all night. Head to the Depot on Saturday at 5pm to enjoy DJs, performing arts, food and drink centred around the the best of the Caribbean.

The Australian National Botanic Gardens is hosting a very interesting event – technically for the school holidays, but open to all! – called the ‘Indigenous plant use walk’. Discover how Indigenous peoples across Australia used to and traditionally use plants for food and medicine, make tools and weapons, and learn ceremonial practices as a ranger guides you through the walk. Celebrate the original owners of this land and register here.

ANU SOAD is presenting a series of screen-based media over three days, in the design gallery, to celebrate the diversity of the School of Art and Design. Act One is on this Wednesday 19 April, from 11am-7pm, with happy hour from 5-7pm.

The Free-Rain Theatre Company is presenting a new production of Les Misérables. From 4 – 22 April the play, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, follows prisoner on parole through a journey beyond the barricades of the French Revolution. Head on over to the performing arts centre in Queanbeyan to see it live.

Now a couple of events that aren’t on this week, but in the interest of securing tickets, I’m here to give you a heads up:

ANU’s premier battle of the bands is back this year, bigger than ever – organisers expect numbers to reach more than 1600. Happening next Thursday, 27 April, Big Night Out is $21 for ANU students and $26 for everyone else, so make sure you get onto Q-pay and secure those tickets. If you’re not having your own crack at taking out the title, just come along and enjoy watching your fellow peers smash it out on stage, amongst food stalls and drinks.

Mr Wolf is hosting Cosmo’s Midnight on the 28 April, so get your tickets fast if you don’t want to miss out. The twins from Sydney have managed to cultivate their own genre of low-end house, lushed-out beat work, and electronica, landing them titles such as ‘the connoisseurs of intelligent electronica’. Collaborations with artists Flume and Fetty Wap have earnt them global acclaim, and their unique forward-thinking or ‘left-field’ sounds place them in the forefront of emerging talent. Not one to miss!

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and emerging. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.