Join Canberra Museum and Gallery for the 2026 Canberra and Region Heritage Festival, running 11 April to 10 May.

Responding to this year’s theme, Mid-Century – innovation, change and optimism, our program explores the people, architecture and social networks that shaped Canberra’s growth in the twentieth century, from trailblazing businesswomen to mid-century modern design and its legacy today.

📚 TALK: Enterprising Women - Shaping Mid-Century Canberra

📅 Saturday 11 April
⏰ 2pm
🎫 $12 General Admission - $10 Concession/CMAG Members (+booking fees)

Twentieth-century Canberra was home to a number of enterprising women who, despite the marriage bar and prevailing attitudes, created businesses that became Canberra institutions. In this talk, author Jenny Horsfield with CMAG Curators, Dr Hannah Paddon and Vanessa Roth, explore the stories and businesses of trailblazing Canberran women.

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🎨 TALK: Taglietti, Art & Architecture 

📅 Thursday 16 April
⏰ 2pm
🎫 $12 General Admission - $10 Concession/CMAG Members (+booking fees)

Architect Enrico Taglietti developed and maintained a deep engagement with art and artists throughout his life. This talk by Virginia Rigney (CMAG Senior Curator) explores his foundational experiences. 

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🎾 TALK: The Quiet Diplomacy of the Tennis Court - Canberra’s Mid-Century Social Networks

📅 Friday 17 April
⏰ 5:30pm
🎫 $30 General Admission (+booking fees)
☕ Includes drinks and nibbles

Join a lively panel conversation of historians, curators and long term Canberrans including Professor of History, Nicholas Brown, Professor Mark McKenna and Senior Curator Virginia Rigney who will discuss the intersection between social life and the bigger picture of politics, power and influence. 

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🚌 DESIGN TOUR: Explore Taglietti's Architecture

📅 Saturday 18 April
⏰ 9:30am - 4pm
🎫 $189 General Admission  (+booking fees)
🍴 Includes an Italian lunch at Agostinis 

Join us at Canberra Museum and Gallery for an exclusive, expert-led architectural tour celebrating Enrico Taglietti’s iconic Canberra designs. Guided by architect, author, educator and Australian Architecture Association President, Tone Wheeler, this unique Heritage Festival experience will visit some iconic Taglietti buildings across the city. Tour participants will enjoy rare access to buildings normally closed to the public, and be immersed in Taglietti's distinctive use of space, material and light.

Tickets launching SOON. Register your interest via button below to recieve an email once tickets are available for purchase. 

Register Interest

🔨 TALK: Taking Mid-Century Modern Beyond the 21st Century 

📅 Saturday 2 May
⏰ 3pm
🎫 $12 General Admission - $10 Concession/CMAG Members (+booking fees)

Canberra’s mid‑century modern buildings are some of the city’s most distinctive architectural assets—yet misconceptions about their adaptability often stand in the way of creative reuse. This event brings together two leading voices in architecture and heritage to challenge those myths and open up a conversation about the future of these iconic structures.

Book here