Between the Big Chill Festival in Curtis Park, the start of the weeklong Rotary Book Fair at the racecourse, and the opening of the Archibald exhibition at NERAM there was a lot of events for people to enjoy.

This week the 38th Armidale Eisteddfod also gets underway at the Old Teachers College.

The eisteddfod attracts entrants from the local area as well as neighbouring towns.

At the racecourse there are thousands of books for sale and it will continue until next weekend.

Armidale Central Rotary Club estimates that more than $900,000 has been raised - much for local community projects - since the fair began almost a quarter of a century ago.

The Archibald Prize exhibit will be on display at NERAM until June 26. It is the country's most-loved portrait prize award, and one of its most prestigious.

Awarded to the best portrait painting, it's a who's who of Australian culture from politicians to celebrities, sporting heroes to artists.

A selection of portraits from the NERAM collections that were finalists in the Archibald Prize over the decades will also be on display.

While the Big Chill concert was a major highlight of the weekend, the ice skating is still here until May 29, which is something worth trying out.

Ice rink sessions will run daily from 10am to 8pm and tickets are available for purchase from www.bigchill.com.au.

It certainly shows our city has plenty to offer for people to enjoy. I hope you get the chance to do just that.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week.

Laurie Bullock

Group Editor