Federation square on a sunny day overlooking Flinders Station and the city skyline

What's free in Melbourne this month

Gone a bit too hard on the wallet lately? These awesome festivals, exhibitions and family-friendly activities won't cost a cent.

When is public transport free in Melbourne?

Public transport is free in Victoria from Tuesday 31 March to Sunday 31 May. This includes Melbourne trains, trams and buses as well as regional trains, coaches and buses. There's no need to tap on your Myki during this time but if you do, don't fret, you won't be charged! Check the full details.

The grand arched entrance and central dome of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, viewed through a frame of green tree branches with a fountain in the centre foreground.

Royal Exhibition Building Open Day

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Melbourne's most beautiful building is throwing open its doors for two days of free activities. Expect lion dancing, talks, kids activities and food trucks. The Dome Promenade will also be open to roam and explore, with incredible city views from the secret rooftop.

People walking along the water in the city.

Docklands Waterfront Farmers' Market

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The Docklands local farmers' market is a having an ocean-themed takeover. Head down to Harbour Esplanade on 17 May for free fishy fun. Sing along with the sea shanty choir. Sign the kids up for fishing clinics and craft workshops. Then grab a bite from the seafood vendors. Think paella, lobster rolls and mussels.

People walking over a city bridge in footy gear at sunset.

The Long Walk: Naarm

Head up to the Birrarung Marr Hilltop for a First Nations festival and an afternoon of family-fun. There'll be live music performed by some of Australia’s leading Indigenous artists, plus free sport and art activations. Factor in funds to grab a bite at the food trucks. The festival ends with the walk to the 'G for the Dreamtime match.

A chef in an apron turning chicken skewers on a flaming grill.

Satay and Reog Festival

An entire festival dedicated to sizzling satay and Reog folk dancing is coming to Fed Square. Wander through the market stalls and pick up satay dishes from across the world. Then settle in to watch the Reog performances. Expect traditional music and vibrant costumes.

Flinders Street Station lit up in blue at dusk during Melbourne's RISING festival, with city buildings in the background.

RISING: Melbourne

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RISING is back with a stacked program of free fun this winter. Watch an army of hacked Furbie robots move in eerie synchronicity at Emporium. See the stunning Flower Power art installation bloom in City Square. It tells the story of the yam daisy, a staple food for First Peoples. Then sink into the moving instrumental tunes at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Spanish flamenco dancers swirling the skirts of their brightly coloured dresses.

Spanish Language Fiesta: 10 Years of Culture

Hola Melburnians, you don’t have to speak Spanish to enjoy this colourful free festival. Get down to Fed Square to catch live Latin music, salsa dancing and more roaming performances. Browse the market stalls and feast on street food. 

More of the best free events

Three female comedians speaking into microphones with varied facial expressions.
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Funny Femmes and Thems

A monthly comedy night celebrating women, non-binary and gender-nonconforming comedians.

A still from the movie, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, showing Johnnie Depp and Leonardo Di Caprio in character as Gilbert and his developmentally disabled brother.
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Library Cinema at narrm ngarrgu

Each month, watch a movie on the big screen, including contemporary, classic and documentary films.

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.

A person spooning food from a large salad bowl onto a plate they hold in their hands.
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Local Lunch Club

Live well, eat well, together at Kathleen Syme Library.

Drag performer hosting bingo in the dimly lit Heartbreaker Bar.
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Drag Bingo

Enjoy a night of drag bingo at Heartbreaker.

The four female members of the Flinders String Quartet posing in front of a vintage yellow and green Melbourne tram.

Flinders Quartet Community Concert

Flinders Quartet present a relaxed, 45-minute free community concert.

A person in a black suit holds a large, green ape head sculpture behind them, on a city sidewalk with graffiti-covered walls in the background.
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Rehearsing the City Exhibition

See archival photos from Victoria’s collections, plus work by contemporary street photographers.

Two First Nations individuals sitting back to back on the ground outdoors, engaged in a traditional weaving activity near a body of water.
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FUTURE COUNTRY: Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions

The second iteration of the Country Road and NGV First Nations Commission initiative.

Person looking at a display in a glass case, rows of colourful books in the background.
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World of the Book

Explore the rare, the sacred and the iconic in the 20th anniversary of this annual exhibition.

A community awareness and fundraising event in Princes Park, Carlton, with a mascot holding hands with a runner and a person in a white scientist's coat.
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Conquer Cancer Australia: World's Longest Relay

Melbourne is attempting a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous relay of 29 days.

Artworks of Australian landscapes hanging on a grey wall with the back of two women looking at them.
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Six Artists: Seven Days

A new art exhibition by six Australian artists at Sofitel Melbourne On Collins.

Four people seated in a row under dark purple lights, one person laughing.
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Comedy at the Charles Dickens Tavern

A lineup show of some of the best homegrown and international stand-up comedians live in the CBD.

A contemporary art gallery installation featuring large-scale fabric hangings with a person walking past them.
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Bina Jean: Sacred Unfolding

Sacred Unfolding is a fabric installation that explores the continual transformation of life.

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.
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Making Modern Melbourne

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

A surprised looking man wearing a Tyrolean hat and holding a microphone in a large room with striped drapes on the ceiling and people seated at benches.
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Ben Sorensen's Game Show Experience

Join Ben Sorensen’s free weekly Hofbrauhaus trivia experience.

Red and gold washing blowing on a Hills Hoist clothes line.
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KINGS Artist-Run: May Exhibitions

Presenting shows by Glenda Mejía and Tania Cañas, Aaron Ashwood and Perce Jerrom.

A gallery hung with artwork with a polished wooden floor and green and orange feature walls
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Melbourne in Retrospect Exhibition

An exhibition that captures Melbourne in a way that deeply binds us to the city’s story.

Free kids activities

A tight shot of the hands of a child cutting out pictures from paper sheets.

Family Art Day at ACCA

Join a free art-making program designed for families with young children.

Play School exhibition with signature teddy and toys.
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Play School: Come and Play

A hands-on, playful exhibition where families can discover how the beloved TV show comes to life.

A graphic design pattern featuring a magenta abstract shape over a light blue grid background.
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Bush Kinder

Go 'all in' at this Bush Kinder workshop at narrm ngarrgu Library.

A hanging mobile of an umbrella with childish drawings on it and hanging from it in hearts, plus a blue swirly cloud above it; pink background.
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My Love Umbrella

Create your own 'Love Umbrella' hanging mobile in this joyful, hands-on craft activity for kids.

Group of children seated on the floor while adults look on.
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Auslan Storytime

Bringing stories to life through visual language and movement, 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.

A cartoon style drawing of two people dressed in blue and white togas holding classical Greek hand puppets in front of a stage.

Mechanical Theatre Making: Kids' Workshop

Create a theatre and play in this free kids' workshop for National Archaeology Week.

Young children and their parents listening to a story book being read aloud in a colourful environment with large dinosaur cutouts.
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Dino Days

Young dinosaur enthusiasts, aged 3-5 years, are invited to explore all things dinosaur.

An illustration from the book, Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller, showing a beefed-up crocodile, a kangaroo, cassowary, dingo and wombat wearing green and gold sporting jerseys.

National Simultaneous Storytime

Join the fun when the same book is read simultaneously to 2 million children across the country.

Graphic design illustration featuring abstract green shapes on a light blue background.

Reconciliation Week Stompers

Go 'all in' at this Reconciliation Week Stompers at Kathleen Syme Library.

Free Melbourne markets

Aerial view of an interior market with stalls selling clothing and raft, and many people walking around and shopping in the space.

Boho Luxe Market: Christmas Edition

A design market full of handmade, ethically sourced products.

Market stall tents with signage next to a heritage brick building, with greenery and families.
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Younghusband Market

With great music, curated stalls, hands-on workshops and delicious food, a vibrant scene awaits.

Market stallholder with her puppet toys, beside the Yarra River in the CBD.
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The Sunday Market at Southgate

Explore the Sunday Market at Southgate and meet the makers.

Selection of market goods including packets of teas and biscuits.
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Kensington Market

An eclectic mix of homewares, culinary treats, ceramics, sustainable goods and visual art.

See all free events

Last updated on Fri 1 May 2026

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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.

An exhibition of contemporary wall-based artworks in a gallery space, with people in the space looking at the art.

A Family Gathering Opening Night: Asian Heritage Week

Celebrate the opening night of Asian Heritage Week with art, DJs, performances and curated stalls.

Artwork featuring a bright yellow flower against a patterned background.
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RISING: Flower Power

Flower Power shares First Peoples’ knowledges, ecologies and ongoing resistance.

A room with coloured vinyl records displayed on illuminated shelves and a person standing in front a mixing desk with four turntables.
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RISING: The Vinyl Factory – Reverb

ACMI and RISING present The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, a major exhibition of vinyl culture and music.