Our pick for what's on this weekend.
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1. Flower power
Spring has sprung, and as any good Canberran knows this means it's Floriade time. Featuring more than one million blooms, this floral festival has a program jam-packed with flower-inspired events. This weekend sees photography classes, garden tours, a spring posy workshop, kids' gardening activities and more. Saturday and Sunday, 9.30am-5.30pm. Commonwealth Park. Entry is free but some events are ticketed. For more information go to floriadeaustralia.com.
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2. Renewed and reopened
After a short hiatus, the National Portrait Gallery reopens this weekend to fanfare. Celebrate the event with music, drawing activities and giveaways. There will also be face painting for the kids and you can meet the director Karen Quinlan, before taking a free highlights tour. The National Portrait Gallery also has two exhibitions open - Primed, which features 17 of Australia's 30 prime ministers, and The Look, which includes photographs of contemporary figures. Saturday, 10am-5pm. Free.
3. Look to the moon
The multi-Asian cultural festival the Canberra Moon Festival is on this weekend kicking off with the Light Up the Street Ceremony. Over the course of three days, there will be demonstrations including Guinness World Record holder Neal Hardy's concrete smashing, lion dance performances, traditional Japanese theatre, modern Korean pop dance performances and cultural activities such as arrow throwing. Friday, 4.30pm-9.30pm, Saturday, 10am-9.30pm and Sunday, 10am-3.30pm. City Walk. Free.
4. Behind the screens
Don't lie - we've all been mid-conversation and felt the need to quote a film. And, if you're an animation fan, chances are there have been times when it's been a DreamWorks film which has come to mind. Hear from Marek Kochout who has been an animator with DreamWorks since the late 1990s and find out what goes into creating these films. Friday, 6pm. National Museum of Australia. Tickets from $9.01 from Eventbrite. Please note DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition - Journey from Sketch to Screen will be closed during the event.
5. An anniversary of an icon
The combination of cutting-edge technology and the philosophical narrative of The Matrix blew audience's minds when it was first released in 1999. Twenty years on the film's visual style is still instantly recognisable, and the series is still referenced in popular culture. The Matrix's executive producer Andrew Mason joins the National Film and Sound Archive for a Q&A after a screening of the film on Saturday at 6pm. Tickets are $12 from nfsa.gov.au.