A tourism expert says Canberra is at risk of becoming known as politician-riddled and soulless once again after the loss, downsizing or cancellation of a number of events and venues.
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In 2017, the capital will lose one-day international cricket, the Westside Container Village and the Australia Day Live concert.
Plans are also underway for a fence to go up around Parliament, putting a stop to people rolling down its hills, the AIS Arena could become a specialist "Volleydome" and the ANU Bar looks set to be torn down.
University of Canberra School of Management assistant professor Naomi Dale said the changes could impact on Canberra's evolving image.
"We're sort of slowly dragging ourselves away from that cold, politician-filled, nothing-to-do-at-night-time sort of image that we definitely are beating, but by losing some of these left-of-centre events and locations we're going to start back into that direction," she said.
"It really does impact on the way people feel about Canberra and the way they actually experience Canberra as well, because if we're heading back to that politician-riddled, strict policies and rules and red tape around things, that's sort of starting to squash all that creativity we've been seeing growing and growing."
The policies, rules and red tape were mainly a legacy of the National Capital Authority, Dr Dale said, with some legislation lagging behind Canberra's quest to become "the coolest little capital in the world".
"[Twenty years ago] there were lots of things that were cancelled or removed because it didn't sit well with the image of Canberra and that's all well and good, except that image is really now changing and we're trying very hard to change it to an exciting [place] and something that's full of life and young and interesting," she said.
An NCA spokeswoman said the body recognised the importance of events and festivals and encouraged diverse activities. More than 700 events were approved by the NCA in 2016.
"Our support includes working with event organisers, making available outstanding public spaces including the lake, and by providing event infrastructure such as car parking, power and water," she said.
Urban planner and designer Richard Hu was not concerned about Canberra's changing cultural landscape.
"I don't want to use one word or one conclusion to surmise everything and we really need to look at them case by case, but I think they're better described as change or renewal rather than closing down or losing," the University of Canberra lecturer said.
"If we look at Canberra historically it is changing and if we look at those things I'm not particularly concerned if some businesses are moving elsewhere or closing down - I'm more interested in knowing what are the new activities and what are the new retailers or businesses or amenities to fill those vacancies."
A government spokesman pointed to a number of new events that would happen in 2017, including cricket test matches at Manuka Oval, and said the finishing touches were being put on a new Australia Day event.
"Canberra's 'soul' is stronger than ever. Our city continues to evolve and offer a range of new experiences and precincts for locals and visitors to enjoy," he said.
A VisitCanberra spokeswoman said 4.67 million people visited Canberra in the past year.
"There has been a 10.5 per cent increase in domestic overnight visitors compared to the same time last year," she said.
"International visitors are also up by 11.2 per cent with further growth expected due to the introduction of direct international flights in September."
