Lights, Canberra, action!

Canberra Balloon spectacular at sunrise

Canberra is probably most famous for the springtime Floriade festival but in my humble opinion, Autumn is the season the Canberra really shines. As the nights get chilly, the avenues of trees around the capital start to turn red, gold, and orange. The odd fog starts to creep in and add some mystery to the mornings but its the evenings where the magic first starts. Over two weeks in March, the Enlighten Canberra Festival kicks off and colours some of Canberra’s most well known architecture in light art. As well as the lights, the festival includes activities, installations and of course the Night Noodle market. Enlighten is entirely free (other than any food you want to buy) so there’s no excuse not to check it out if you’re in town while its on.

Enlighten Canberra – National Library 

And after a week of wandering among the bright lights, the pace changes up again. Its time to set the alarm and hope for light winds and clear skies. Why? Because just as the Enlighten lights dim and fade, the Canberra Balloon Spectacular is ready to take centre stage. For a few glorious days each autumn, a flotilla (fleet, flock?) of hot air balloons take the to skies over Canberra. If the weather is just right, the balloons float over the lake, dipping low over the water, taking paddle boarders for a tow and skimming over the iconic buildings of Canberra.

Canberra balloon spectacular

Enlighten Canb

As well as the festival, Autumn is harvest time in the region’s wineries and there are some beautiful places to check out the changing leaves of Canberra’s autumn trees both in the regional areas surrounding the city and in the inner city itself.