5 – 15
NOVEMBER
DISSENT
Image | Matthew Curtis Increment (detail) 2026 | Photo by Rob Little
Discover 130+ events across the city, including Events, Exhibitions, Markets, Open Studios, Performances, Public Artworks, Symposiums, Talks, Tours and Workshops.
Explore the must-see programs of the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival.
From exhibitions to talks to community gatherings, our free events are open for everyone to enjoy.
The 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival celebrates Canberra as a creative city of design, showcasing the work of more than 500 artists, makers, designers and creative thinkers. Across ten days, experience more than 130 activations, including events, exhibitions, markets, open studios, performances, public artworks, symposiums, talks, tours and workshops across the city.
Responding to the theme of Dissent, the Festival explores how craft, design and creative practice can question what exists, challenge convention and imagine different ways forward. Discover work engaging with environmental and social impact, sustainability, wellbeing, accessibility and the future of Canberra.
Celebrating the handmade and locally made, the Festival recognises the skills, stories and material knowledge held within our creative communities. Together, the program considers craft, design and art as practical tools for responding to the challenges of our time and shaping more sustainable, equitable and imaginative futures.
Itineraries
Experience First Nations Voices. Discover powerful stories, culture and creativity through exhibitions, public art and conversations led by artists and knowledge holders.
See Canberra through design. Explore a city shaped by growth and change, and meet the architects, makers, dancers and thinkers imagining what comes next.
Make with your hands. Join workshops, artist led activities and creative experiences that invite you to learn and connect.
Create together. Discover playful activities, performances and experiences for curious minds of all ages.
Imagine new possibilities. Explore how design, craft and creative practice can respond to environmental and social challenges through exhibitions, talks and experiences.
Walk the city. Explore Canberra’s streets, parks and waterways through guided tours, night walks and public art.
