Enlighten Set to Illuminate the Cultural Capital

The Electric Canvas

Canberra is a city of possibilities, with the ability to surprise visitors through art and culture, food and wine, and its superb natural surroundings. Enlighten 2014's stellar program of events provides the perfect opportunity to showcase Canberra's finest cultural attractions, as well as hidden gems.

The festival's program includes a variety of free and ticketed events from 28 February to 8 March including live performances, fascinating talks, blockbuster exhibitions, exclusive dining events and a host of surprising experiences.

Stunning architectural projections will transform the Parliamentary Triangle bringing vibrant colour, movement and celebration to six of Canberra's most treasured buildings with an ever-changing canvas of eye-catching images.

In the Parliamentary Triangle, free entertainment will include a concert by world-renowned US soul singer Charles Bradley, a stunning garden of fire which will light up the High Court in a sea of flames, and Fiers a Cheval - a spectacular herd of horses standing four-metres tall.

Following on from its debut success in 2013, Le Dîner en Blanc, the French pop-up picnic which attracts hundreds of elegant diners dressed in white, will also return to a secret location in Canberra on Saturday 8 March.

Other exciting events include the National Film and Sound Archive's Priscilla Party, a performance by Paul McDermott at the Royal Australian Mint, the National Portrait Gallery's Elvis at 21 Karaoke Party, Barry Morgan's World of Organ's at Questacon and after-dark access to the blockbuster exhibition Gold and the Incas: Lost Worlds of Peru at the National Gallery of Australia.

Dine within the corridors of power at Parliament House, catch Mental as Anything at the National Museum of Australia, spend an enchanting evening at the Australian National Botanic Gardens and enjoy a live vintage radio show in historic Old Parliament House.

While in Canberra for Enlighten, you can also laugh yourself silly at the Canberra Comedy Festival, cheer on a winner at the 2014 Seppelt Black Opal Stakes and ACTTAB Canberra Cup Race Day, and experience the beauty and colour of the Canberra Balloon Spectacular.

Throughout February, a collection of restaurants and cafes, wineries and galleries will show off the finest local produce, wine, art, events and experiences the Canberra district has to offer as part of the popular Summerside Festival. Sample local cuisine at degustation dinners, enjoy outdoor cinema and tapas, or sign up for a food and wine matching event.

Le Dîner en Blanc

There are also some of the biggest and best exhibitions on show in Canberra throughout Enlighten. Experience the splendour of ancient pre-Hispanic cultures at the National Gallery of Australia's Gold and The Incas: Lost Worlds of Peru exhibition. The National Library of Australia's exhibition Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia brings together more than 100 maps, atlases, globes and scientific instruments from the world's great maps collections. While the National Portrait Gallery's exclusive summer exhibition Elvis at 21, Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer provides an intimate look at his dazzling emergence to stardom in 1956.

For more information about what's on in Canberra this autumn and to book accommodation, go to www.visitcanberra.com.au or download a free iPad edition of the 2014 Canberra Capital Region Visitor Guide from the App Store.

For full program details and to buy tickets to Enlighten 2014, visit www.enlightencanberra.com