Canberra, ACT · Summer-Autumn
Enlighten Festival
Late February to mid-March (approx. 2.5 weeks, including the Balloon Spectacular)
Enlighten is Canberra's late-summer festival of light, running from late February across the Parliamentary Triangle. Monumental architectural projections cover the facades of Parliament House, the National Gallery, Questacon and the other national institutions, with night noodle markets and after-dark museum programs alongside.
The Balloon Spectacular, a week of dawn mass hot-air balloon ascents from the lawns of Old Parliament House, is the festival's other signature and one of Australia's best free spectacles. Around 300,000 people attend across the program, nearly all of it free. Canberra's late-February evenings are made for it.
- Arts & Literature
- Family Festival
- Major Event
- Free entry
- When
- Late February to mid-March (approx. 2.5 weeks, including the Balloon Spectacular)
- How often
- Every year
- Venue
- Parliamentary Triangle
- Crowd
- Approx. 300,000
- Entry
- Free
- Setting
- Outdoor
- Public holiday
- Canberra Day (second Monday of March)
Dates shown follow the event's typical pattern; exact dates change each year, so confirm on the official site before booking travel.
Getting there by bus
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Fares and timetables are confirmed on the operator's site before you book.
