5 November 2026
Day + Time | Thursday | 6pm – 9pm
Opening | 6pm
Official Speeches | 6:30pm
Location | Civic Square and Craft + Design Canberra, 180 London Circuit, Canberra, ACT, 2601
Entry | Free event | Registration required
Access | Wheelchair accessible, accessible bathroom, assistance animals welcome
YOU'RE INVITED
Join us in Civic Square to celebrate the opening of the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival.
STARTING FROM 6PM
Smoking Ceremony
Official Opening by Jodie Cunningham, CEO + Artistic Director of Craft + Design Canberra
Welcome by Minister Michael Pettersson MLA
National Robert Foster Metal Prize Award Winners Presentation by Gretel Harrison, Owner + Managing Director of F!NK + Co
Performance by A Chorus of Women Choir
Music Isaac Dugdale, Food by Mr Papa and Bar by Ale Mary
EXPLORE THE FOLLOWING ON THE NIGHT
Exhibition | EMERGENCY | Signal, Adapt, Repair | Multiple Artists
Exhibition | SMALL RITUALS | Hand Carved, Handheld | Senden Blackwood
Public Artwork | NEST | Design for a Displaced Future | Multiple Artists
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival runs from 5 - 15 November. Presenting an innovative program of exhibitions and events responding to the theme of Dissent, the Festival celebrates Canberra as a creative capital and a global city of design.
Connecting Canberra's community with over 500 artists, craftspeople and designers, the 2026 Festival advocates for creativity as a powerful tool for questioning, challenging and reshaping societal norms.
Images | 2024 Craft + Design Canberra Festival Launch in Civic Square | Photography by 5 Foot Photography