Canberra Nara Candle Festival 2026 Celebrates Japanese Culture Under Thousands of Lights

Event dates: 2026-10-24 – 2026-10-24

Where: Canberra Nara Peace Park, Lennox Gardens, Canberra, Australia

Genre: Japanese Culture Festival

The Canberra Nara Candle Festival 2026 takes place Saturday, October 24, at the Canberra Nara Peace Park within Lennox Gardens, celebrating the Canberra-Nara sister city relationship with thousands of candles lighting the park alongside Japanese cuisine, music, dance and demonstrations - free admission, at a venue that actively welcomes people with access needs.

Article

Canberra's peace park lights up with thousands of candles this October, honoring one of the city's longest-running international friendships.

A Sister City Tradition

The Canberra Nara Candle Festival celebrates the Canberra-Nara sister city relationship and promotes the values of peace and goodwill, held at the Canberra Nara Peace Park within Lennox Gardens.

Thousands of Candles, Japanese Culture

On October 24, 2026, the park lights up with thousands of candles, alongside Japanese cuisine, music, dance, and demonstrations - all free to attend.

Ask Marine

Want to know more about the Canberra-Nara relationship or what to expect at the festival? Ask Marine.

More About This Event

This Year's Highlights

• Celebrates the Canberra-Nara sister city relationship and promotes peace and goodwill.
• Thousands of candles light the park, alongside Japanese cuisine, music, dance and demonstrations.
• Free admission at a venue that actively welcomes people with access needs.

Tickets

Free admission.

Access

Canberra Nara Peace Park, Lennox Gardens, Flynn Drive, Capital Hill, Canberra. The venue actively welcomes people with access needs.

What To Know

This isn't an anime convention - it's a genuine, decades-rooted sister-city cultural tradition, which gives fans of Japanese culture a different, quieter way to connect with Japan than a fan convention, through a real civic relationship rather than a media fandom.

Sister-city relationships like Canberra-Nara are real, often decades-old civic partnerships between Japanese cities and overseas counterparts, and candle/lantern-lit gatherings are a recognizable way Japanese communities (and their partner cities) express peace and remembrance themes publicly.

Easy Japanese

オーストラリアのキャンベラで、10月24日にキャンドルを使ったお祭りが開かれます。キャンベラと奈良市の友好関係を祝うイベントです。

Marine's View

キャンドルの灯りで姉妹都市の絆をお祝いするなんて、素敵ですね。奈良とキャンベラ、ずっと仲良しでいてほしいです。