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

This exhibition looks at what it was like to live in Victoria during the 1960s.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
Until

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.
Until

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.
Until

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.
Until

Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River

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

Black and white photograph of a busy Melbourne city intersection with trams, cars, people crossing the road, and buildings, dating from around the 1950s or 1960s.
Until

Making Modern Melbourne

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

A colourful woven artwork with different textures and patterns representing a map.
Until

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.
Until

Kate Hunter: Unicellular

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

Inside a large, darkened gallery space with projected artwork on the walls and a single person viewing.
Until

Occupation Studies: ngayanhurra bayarral Birrarung

A new multichannel audiovisual artwork by artist Tahlia Palmer.

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.

Person standing in an exhibition gallery with digital and sculptural displays.
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EMERGENCE[Y]

An exhibition exploring how adaptation in a world of flux unfolds in every layer of life.

Yound adults walking through an exhibition with bright lights on one side.
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MSDx: In the Making

Explore hundreds of design student projects in this behind-the-scenes look at the built environment.

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.

A abstract artwork in shades of cobalt blue, red, and cream.
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Recurring Echoes: Liliana Barbieri

An exhibition celebrating 25 years of artistic practice by Liliana Di Lizio Barbieri.

Artwork depicting a naked man astride a golden globe.
Until

George Gheorghe: After the Question

Symbolic reflections on humanity, memory and the timeless search for meaning.

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.

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.

A monochromatic, hyper-realistic drawing of a branch of gumnuts.
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Sarah Ackland: Journey with the Pencil

Sarah Ackland is an Australian artist who enjoys working tonally in graphite.

Portrait in oils of a woman viewed in profile with dark hair in a bun.
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Victorian Artists Society Portrait Exhibition

This annual exhibition celebrates portraiture in all genres.

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

Winter Only in the City - Checkout the cold list

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People in a corridor viewing artwork the walls.
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We Belong – Art Exhibtiion

Experience the creativity, identity and perspectives of deaf and hard of hearing young people.

A tall white box with the middle vertical section torn and rolled upwards, showing a white old-fashioned movie camera inside.
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Screens In The White Box

An experimental film program exploring the relationship between cinema and gallery space.

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.

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.
Until

Top Arts

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