Enlighten Canberra
Enlighten Canberra is an outdoor annual art and cultural festival held in Canberra, Australia featuring illuminating light installations and projections, performances from local and interstate musicians, a short film festival and the Canberra Balloon Spectacular.
| Enlighten Canberra | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Exhibition |
| Begins | 1 March 2024 |
| Ends | 17 March 2024 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Canberra |
| Coordinates | 35.3081°S 149.1244°E |
| Years active | 12 |
| Inaugurated | 2011 |
| Most recent | 3 March–19 March 2023 |
| Attendance | 287,874 (2015) |
| Budget | $5.3 million over four years (2011 to 2014) |
| Website | www.enlightencanberra.com.au |
The festival is an Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government initiative held annually in early March, encouraging people to "See Canberra in a whole new light." The centrepiece of Enlighten Canberra is the illuminating of Canberra's cultural institutions after dark, including Old Parliament House, Parliament House and the National Gallery of Australia (since the 2011 event) as well as the National Portrait Gallery and Questacon (since the 2012 event). There is also live music, film screenings and after-hours tours.
Since its inception, Enlighten has become increasingly popular, attracting 115,000 visitors in 2013 and 131,500 in 2014. Attendance rose again in 2015, to 287,874 visitors.