Canberra's beloved Enlighten Festival is getting an early start for its 2026 edition, with organisers launching the event three months ahead of schedule in a strategic move to boost interstate tourism numbers.
Early Launch for Tourism Growth
Events ACT officially unveiled Enlighten 2026 on Wednesday, marking a significant shift in timing for the festival's announcement. The early reveal aims to capture the attention of potential visitors from outside the Australian Capital Territory, who currently represent just 10 per cent of the festival's patronage.
The festival of light and illumination will run from February 27 to March 9, 2026, with Events ACT hoping the extended promotional period will encourage more interstate residents to plan their visits well in advance.
Ross Triffitt, Events ACT executive branch manager, revealed that almost 250,000 people attended Enlighten last year, but the organisation believes there's substantial room for growth in attracting visitors from beyond Canberra.
Mark Seymour Headlines Symphony in the Park
One of the major drawcards for Enlighten 2026 will be the free Symphony in the Park concert featuring Hunters and Collectors frontman Mark Seymour performing with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
The concert is scheduled for Sunday, March 8 at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park, with Seymour expressing excitement about reworking Hunters and Collectors hits into orchestral arrangements.
"I'm just really looking forward to the idea of orchestrating 90 to 100 minutes of music with a full-blown orchestra," Seymour said during Wednesday's launch at the National Library.
The launch event featured a sneak-peek performance with Seymour delivering an orchestral version of the Hunters and Collectors classic Throw Your Arms Around Me, accompanied by four members of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
Expanding Towards Floriade Proportions
Events ACT has set ambitious targets for Enlighten, hoping to build visitor numbers toward the scale of Canberra's famous Floriade festival, which typically sees a near-even split between local and interstate visitors.
Mr Triffitt emphasised the unique nature of Enlighten compared to other lighting festivals across Australia, noting that this is the one time national cultural institutions in the National Triangle collaborate in a single festival.
"That's really around driving visitation to Canberra," Mr Triffitt said. "Making sure that people understand Enlighten isn't just another lighting festival in Ballarat or Bendigo, but this is about the national cultural institutions coming together."
The early launch allows for extended promotional opportunities, including "long-lead PR" to encourage visitation planning before Christmas.
Diverse Illumination Program Revealed
The 2026 festival will feature several new illumination projects, including an animated projection by Yankunytjatjara artist Kaylene Whiskey titled Queens of the Desert, which will adorn the walls of the National Portrait Gallery.
Local Canberra couple Eleanor Evans and Giovanni Aguilar from Bruce will create a stop-motion animation work called The Page Turner for projection onto the National Library of Australia.
Ms Evans described the project as requiring "hundreds of hours of work" in their home studio, with each second of animation needing 24 photographs to tell the story of their character discovering books.
"We live locally and go past the library all the time and it's such a beautiful building," Ms Evans said. "And so many people come to Enlighten, so it's really exciting."
Other key dates for Enlighten 2026 include Lights! Canberra! Action! on March 6, Luminous Ideas at the Canberra Theatre Centre from February 28 to March 1, and the opening of Leonardo da Vinci - 500 Years of Genius immersive digital experience on February 27.
