The Enlighten Illuminations will again light up the Parliamentary Triangle every night until March 9 (the festival runs until March 15). The Building projections will be on from 8pm to 11pm each night with lots of entertainment from 6pm.

While autumn will be welcomed, our summer of disaster and humanity will not be forgotten. An animation showing the bushfires across Australia and the regeneration that has started will run on a loop on the Questacon building during the festival.

The national institutions will be open after dark and there will be special installations dotted around the Parliamentary Triangle. Share your favourite art installation using #EnlightenCanberra.

The Neon Archway is an Instagrammer's dream, a rainbow of light under which to pose. It'll be on the west lawns of Old Parliament House, between the Reflection Pond and start of Enlighten Alley.

Bloom, presented by the National Capital Authority, is "an epic landscape of giant gum nuts and gum nut flowers". The kids will love Chromatica, a 6.7m long take on the classic childhood kaleidoscope.

Also check out the '80s-themed Monsters Love You! (But might eat you...)

Then there is Sal the Snail, a four-metre-tall neon inflatable snail. Which is exactly what we all need right now.

The Canberra Night Noodle Markets also open on Friday and run until March 9.

Poklol x Puffle will be selling both KFC and cheeseburger puffles. The KFC one, usually rhe most popular, features sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken stuffed inside a cheese puffle, topped with kewpie mayo and shallots.

And the illuminated fairy floss will be back this year for Enlighten. Cue the queues.