A colourful art exhibition with a sculpture and letter painting on the walls.

Melbourne's must-see exhibitions

From giant interactive installations to pop-up galleries featuring internationally renowned art, these exhibitions cannot be missed.

Free exhibitions

Black and white photograph from the 1960s of model, Twiggy, wearing a mini-dress at the Melbourne Cup.
Until

Swinging 60s

Did the sixties really swing in Victoria? A new exhibition from the Old Treasury Building.

An artist painting in a workshop with brightly coloured murals on the wall, artist's materials on the floor.
Until

Creative Acts: Artists and their inspirations

Step inside the unseen inner worlds of artists at State Library Victoria.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
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The Story of the Moving Image

A permanent exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.

Historic photo of protesters at a women's rights demonstration.
Until

Protest Melbourne

An exhibition about Victoria's long history of public protest.

Animator and filmmaker Adam Elliot working on a claymation set, adjusting characters.
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Making Memoir of a Snail

Explore handmade sets, props and characters from Adam Elliot's claymation film Memoir of a Snail.

A woman walking through a display with shelves of military-style food packages.
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Taste of Combat

Honouring the vital work of the Catering Corps and the evolution of military food.

An early watercolour painting of Melbourne's Yarra River.
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Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River

Explores the chequered history of the stream we call the ‘city’s river’.

A colourful woven artwork with different textures and patterns representing a map.
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Hyperworlds: Unreal Cartography

An exhibition from Allanah Sarafian exploring maps as emotional and ideological objects.

An obscure image with monochrome tones resembling plumes of smoke.
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Kate Hunter: Unicellular

Unicellular intersects personal stories with sounds and images that reflect the overlooked.

Display of sculptural moulded clay figures.
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Are You Lonely Tonight? I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

A group exhibition around the theme of loneliness, at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

Small sculpture made from coloured glass displayed on a wooden base and white pedestal.
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Robert Croft and Cam Michael

Artists Robert Croft and Cam Michael present their solo exhibitions at Jump Left.

A person holding paintbrushes stands in an art studio with a colorful abstract painting hanging on the wall.
Until

Anna Pelc: All the Places I’ve Been

A retrospective exhibition that brings together artworks created over the past decade.

Renaissance-style painting of a woman screened onto a window frame.
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Fuga: Art Soirée by Drasko Boljevic

View the windows in the laneway of Melbourne Place and meet the artist.

A black and white detail of a bridge pylon showing metal and stone construction.
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Greg Branson: Manifesto Melbourne

This exhibition invites viewers to see Melbourne through the lens of influential photographers.

An abstract, dark sculpture resembling two seahorses against a bright blue background with wavy lines.
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Frances Loriente: What Would We Be if We Were Under the Sea

This exhibition by Frances Loriente explores our connection to the sea and its creatures.

A collection of vintage Furby electronic robotic toys displayed on wooden shelves.
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RISING: Furby Chorus and FRIENDs

Domestic robots gather to converse through synchronistic movement for the Australian Dance Biennale.

An exhibition of contemporary wall-based artworks in a gallery space, with a person in the foreground.
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A Family Gathering: Asian Heritage Week Exhibition

A group art exhibition celebrating Asian Heritage Week, featuring artists across the Asian diaspora.

A printed swatch of fabric hanging from a solid concrete wall and draped over a wooden easel.
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Elizabeth West: Beyond The Frame

Beyond the Frame examines the shifting boundary between seeing and being.

Scattered pile of artworks in different mediums and colours.
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Collectors' Delight

Explore an eclectic collection of unframed works and rediscovered pieces from VAS artists' studios.

Flinders Street Station illuminated blue at night.

What's free and what's open on the King's Birthday long weekend

Free events, winter markets, family-friendly activities and more.

Blockbuster exhibitions

Two individuals talking to each other inside Melbourne Museum at night, with blue lighting.
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Nocturnal: Museum After Dark

Experience Melbourne Museum after hours, when the doors stay open and the night belongs to adults.

Events, talks and tours

A wall covered in framed images and photographs and displayed very close together.

Art and Heritage Collection Tour

Take a free guided tour of the art and heritage collection at Melbourne Town Hall.

People on a tour at the Immigration Museum, looking over a table with a video display.

Immigration Museum Guided Highlights Tour

Immigration Museum Guided Highlights Tour

Last updated on Mon 3 Nov 2025

Only In The City

Only in this City of Ours
People milling around Fed Square at night.

Melbourne's essential night-time events

From hidden laneway markets to epic pop-ups, Melbourne gets lit once the lights go out.

A crowd of people sitting on picnic blankets at an outdoor cinema at sunset.

The best pop-up and outdoor cinemas in Melbourne

Find the best outdoor cinema, pop-up theatres and free movies.

Smiling vendor selling a range of pastries, dips and spreads at Queen Victoria Market.

Queen Victoria Market

This beloved Melbourne landmark is the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere.

Discover more

An ant moving a green circle on a rock.
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A velvet ant, a flower and a bird

Step into a garden of knowledge anchored by three familiar figures from nature.

An abstract landscape painting in green and earthy tones.
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Melissa Boughey: Step Outside

Melissa Boughey’s wetland studio offers new way of seeing.

Painting of two individuals in a parking lot setting. A woman in a red top is perched on the roof of a vehicle, while a man stands nearby looking toward her.
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Top Arts

Top Arts 2026 offers a captivating look into the inventive and imaginative spirit of young artists.

Abstract 2D line drawing or print of a mother feeding a baby in a high chair.
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Mother: Stories from the NGV Collection

Mother presents diverse stories drawn from across the NGV Collection.