A Smurf hot air balloon from Belgium will make its Australian debut when the Canberra Balloon Spectacular kicks off from Saturday. Head to the lawns of Old Parliament House daily from 6.15am to see the pilots lay out and inflate their balloons before taking to the Canberra skies. On the ground there's also coffee and hot breakfast available. Daily from March 11-19. Free. See balloonspectacular.com.au.

Celebrate Canberra's 104th birthday with a whole afternoon of entertainment on the Monday public holiday. From 2pm at Stage 88, there's kids entertainment from Trolls and Shaun The Sheep, then live music from String Elephants, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Havana Brown and Hoodoo Gurus. There's also rides, face painting and food stalls - or take along your own picnic. And it's all free. 2-7pm. See events.act.gov.au/canberraday.

Also worth checking out at the Captain Cook Memorial Jet, both pumps will be fired up for one day only and water will be shot 152 metres in the air - its highest ever.

This is the last weekend to enjoy the after dark festival and Night Noodle Markets, which both run until Sunday. Most of the action is in the Parliamentary Triangle, with giant projections, installations, roving performers and live music. Most of Enlighten is free, but some events are ticketed. See enlightencanberra.com.au for the full program and tickets.

The Enlighten Night Noodle Markets continue at Reconciliation Place, with a blend of Asian and Western eats, live music and alfresco dining. The markets are EFTPOS only, so leave the cash at home. They're open Mon-Thu, Sun 5pm-9pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-midnight. Free entry. See goodfoodmonth.com/canberra/enlighten-night-noodle-markets.

Muse at East Hotel is putting on a whole long weekend of food, talks, literary events, music, a picnic, and plenty of wine. There's panel discussions and talks from some of Canberra's most intriguing mover and shakers starting on Friday night, March 10, and continuing through to Sunday afternoon. On Saturday night, The Cupping Room's head chef Jerome Felix will take over the Muse kitchen for a special one-off dinner. And on Monday, they're taking Muse on the road for a free Canberra Day picnic in Telopea Park. From midday chef Janet Jeffs, gardener and musician Simon Rickard and food writer Liz Posmyk will lead a talk on sustainability and growing your own food. Then from 1pm there's burgers from Beef and Barley, beer from Pact Beer Co, cheese boxes, wine and other entertainment - take along your picnic rug. For more information and tickets, visit musecanberra.com.au/festival-muse.

Hotel Hotel is hosting a Greek night on Saturday. Greek music duo Xylouris White will perform, while Monster Kitchen & Bar executive chef Sean McConnell will serve up his spin on a Greek Taverna inspired by his recent trip to Athens. Dinner is from 7pm, with Xylouris White performing from 9pm.Entry only is $25, or you can get entry plus dinner (excluding drinks) for $80. Tickets at bit.ly/2kIsakS.

It's the country's biggest film festival, returning for its 28th season. This year the program includes 45 films from France, showing at Palace Cinemas from March 9-April 4. Tickets at affrenchfilmfestival.org.

This is not your average symphony. The Canberra Symphony Orchestra will play the music of ABBA for a free concert at Stage 88 on Sunday night. Take a picnic or there will be food vendors on the night. Arrive from 7pm, concert at 7.30pm.

It's the first home game for the Raiders for 2017 on Saturday night - they're playing host to reigning premiers the Cronulla Sharks. Kick off is at 7.30pm. GIO Stadium. Tickets at ticketek.com.au.

The new(ish) rooftop terrace at The Duxton is hosting a pool party for the long weekend on Sunday from 11am. They will have blow up pools and inflatable pool toys at the upstairs bar. Entry is free but is for over 18s only.