With a splash of Christmas entertainment and more besides, here’s HELEN MUSA’s weekly Arts in the City column. 

Young Canberra actors have joined to bring entertainment to Canberra families in the interactive Christmas experience, North Pole Lane, the brainchild of Murrumbateman midwife, Mindy Dominick. Before meeting the big man, visitors can meet Mrs Claus, the Winter Princess, Bear Mischa and other characters, performed by 10 actors, including three members of the same family, Sam, Lily and Rosie Welling. At South Point Shopping Centre in Tuggeranong until December 24.

Wayfarers Australia and friends, along with Music for Canberra, will be directed by Canberra music legend Judith Clingan in a Christmas concert of old and new works, including a Christmas cantata, The Birds’ Noel, with words and music by Clingan herself. Overture Hall, Orana Steiner School, Weston, December 20.

Former CityNews Artist of the Year Michael Dooley and his colleague Daniel White’s easy-listening jazz project DM Ascension features French-Catalan musician Christophe Goze on guitar on their new single, Immersion, written by Dooley and White. Goze’s involvement follows their initiative in forwarding him a story published in CityNews about their work. 

QL2 Dance’s Emerging Choreographers Project will see young dance artists, Akira Byrne, Alex Potter, Arshiya Abshiree, Calypso Efkarpidis, Charlie Thomson, Chris Wade, Jahna Lugnan, Magnus Meagher and Sam Tonna, each choreograph a short work of their own, in collaboration with their peers. A Block Theatre, Gorman Arts Centre, December 14-15.

Veteran Canberra watercolour artist, Isla Patterson, will be holding an Open Studio at 10 Mainoru Place, Hawker, December 14-15. 

Aussie folk singer Eric Bogle, North East Arnhem Land reggae ragers the Andrew Gurriwirri Band and Blue Ridge Mountains singer-songwriter Martha Spencer will lead the line-up at the 38th Illawarra Folk Festival. Bulli Showgrounds, January 17-19.