Monday, February 23 2026 - Five centuries after his death, Leonardo da Vinci remains the archetype of the restless mind - artist, engineer, anatomist, philosopher, futurist. From this Friday, 27 February, his notebooks and ideas will be refracted through light, scale and technology as one of the world's most celebrated immersive exhibitions, Leonardo da Vinci - 500 Years of Genius, makes its Canberra debut as part of the city's Enlighten Festival.
Created by Grande Experiences in collaboration with Museo Leonardo da Vinci and presented locally by Happen Group, Alter Place and Copper Live, the large-scale work will unfold across the Federation Centenary Fountain precinct adjacent to Parkes Place lawns, supported by precinct partner National Capital Authority.
More than a projection spectacle, the Canberra season situates Leonardo da Vinci not as a distant master but as an active provocateur - a thinker whose interdisciplinary vision continues to shape contemporary culture. Newly commissioned, site-responsive content will sit alongside Grande Experiences' internationally toured assets, combining monumental projection art with reconstructed machines, detailed studies of the notebooks and immersive storytelling environments.
Where traditional exhibitions frame Leonardo da Vinci within the canon of Renaissance art history, this exhibition leans into the volatility of his curiosity, fully immersing visitors and allowing them to truly experience his work through projection art, recreated machines, storytelling and interactive elements. Leonardo da Vinci - 500 Years of Genius guarantees to bring Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, inventions and art to life for audiences of all ages.
Daniel McFadyen (Macca), Director of Happen Group, describes the project as an opportunity to engage audiences beyond the museum vitrine.
"Canberra has a strong appetite for major cultural experiences, and bringing one of the world's leading immersive exhibitions to the Enlighten Festival is a significant moment for the city. Leonardo da Vinci's ideas feel startlingly contemporary and this activation will give audiences a rare opportunity to engage and interact with his art in a way that is feels accessible and inspiring".
The work follows an extended Melbourne season at The Lume and continues the global trajectory of Grande Experiences, whose landmark production Van Gogh Alive reframed the relationship between classical art and digital immersion for mass audiences.
In a city defined by national institutions and intellectual inquiry, Leonardo da Vinci - 500 Years of Genius proposes a reconsideration of legacy: not as something fixed in marble, but as a living dialogue between past innovation and present technology.
Tickets are on sale now, with the activation open to the public from February 27 via Ticketmaster.
