The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House (MoAD) is proud to announce its participation in Canberra’s inaugural Enlighten event.

Premiering over four nights this year on March 11, 12, 18 and 19, Australia’s capital will come alive with sound and colour. To celebrate, MoAD is extending its opening hours until 8pm from 11- 16, and 19 March.

The stunning foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin will be transformed into a festive hub, abuzz with an exciting program of major concerts by international artists — surrounded by spectacular lighting effects canvassed across the facades of the surrounding national attractions.

MoAD, the National Gallery of Australia and Parliament House are opening their doors for special after-dark experiences and exclusive Platinum offerings, complementing performances by George Benson (Friday, 11 March), INXS (Saturday, 12 March), Chris Isaak (Friday, 18 March) and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (Saturday, 19 March).

In addition to spectacular projections on the building’s exterior facade, MoAD is offering two exclusive events as part of Enlighten— ‘Spies, Leaks and Scandals’, a torch-light tour running nightly on March 11, 12, 18 and 19, and a special one night only Platinum event- ‘Cartoons in the Courtyard’ on Friday 18 March. For more information about Enlighten, go to enlightencanberra.com.au.

Tickets for Enlighten events presented by MoAD are available exclusively through Ticketek.com.

After Dark Experience

Spies, Leaks and Scandals

Running through much of Australia’s political life is a thread of secrecy and illicit knowledge. In the hot-house atmosphere of Provisional Parliament House, it was hard to keep any secrets. Now, some of the truth can be told – at least for the period when the building was the nerve-centre of Australian political life.

Discover some of these secrets in this exclusive tour presented by MoAD. Hear the stories this building can tell, of times when foreign spies dominated the front pages of our newspapers and when the everyday espionage of journalists provided our daily headlines – in the places where these events actually happened. This is an intriguing and unique look at some of the stories that made Australia.

These torch-light tours will be running nightly on March 11, 12, 18 and 19 at 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm. Tours last approximately one hour.

To attend this event, select ‘Museum- After Dark experience’ when purchasing your Enlighten Event Hub ticket on Ticketek.com.

Unfortunately tickets to ‘Spies, Leaks and Scandals’ cannot be purchased separately.

Click to download more information.

Platinum Experience

Cartoons in the Courtyard - Friday 18 March 6.30pm

As part of the Enlighten Canberra Festival, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House invites you to attend a one-off exclusive Platinum event – Cartoons in the Courtyard.

Enjoy spontaneous fun as renowned comics from TV shows ‘Thank God You’re Here’ and ‘The Hollow Men’ take you on a hilarious romp through the year’s political events. The show will be an exciting fusion of spontaneous story-telling, improvised theatre games, and simple scene play with audience interaction. Expect the unexpected!

The improv actors will use the cartoons from the Museum of Australia’s current exhibition “Behind the Lines” as inspiration. This is your unique opportunity to see this exhibition and to join host Mike Bowers from ABC’s Talking Pictures and award winning cartoonists Jon Kudelka and David Pope as they delve into what goes on ‘behind the lines’ - where the ideas come from, how they are developed and how they reach their finished form. Some of the secrets of caricaturing prominent political personalities may also be revealed!

Sip champagne and enjoy a gourmet BBQ, while discovering the secrets of political cartooning with artists from the ‘Behind the Lines’ exhibition.

Tickets are $45.00 per person plus booking fee and are available exclusively through Ticketek.com. Tickets to this event are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Click to download more information.

Behind the Lines: The Year’s Best cartoons 2010 is a travelling exhibition developed by the National Museum of Australia in association with the Museum of Australian Democracy.