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.

Lasers reflecting over water

When is public transport half price in Melbourne?

Public transport is half price in Victoria until Friday 1 January 2027. This includes Melbourne trains, trams and buses as well as regional trains, coaches and buses. Check the full details.

Someone flipping through a box of records.

Melbourne Record Fair

Prefer your music analogue? Queen Vic Market is hosting an entire event dedicated to vinyl. Flip through more than 20,000 new and used records. Expect plenty of old favourites and rare finds. A line-up of DJs will set the scene, spinning tunes on vinyl, of course! Plus, find plenty of food trucks to refuel at.

A crowd covered in yellow and green confetti.

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

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This vibrant cultural fest kicks off with a colourful Independence Day party in Fed Square on 15 August. Don’t miss the flag-hoisting and high-energy performances. You can also catch new talent in the annual dance competition featuring Bollywood and contemporary styles. If your budget allows it, spend the festival checking out the best new releases in Indian cinema.

People walking around colourful market stalls on a sunny day in the city.

Cachivaches Latin Market

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Immerse yourself in the cultures of Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and more at this two-day Latin festival. Queen Victoria Market will be drenched in colour with live dance performances and pop-up market stalls. Got some spare cash to burn? Shop for traditional crafts and try authentic street food.  

The city skyline at night with a cloud of fog around a bridge.

Now or Never

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Now or Never is back with a slew of free art events lighting up the waterfront. Catch a free light show as laser beams dance across the water. See Hamer Hall transformed by kaleidoscopic mandala projections and a '90s-inspired electronic synthesiser score. Then watch Evan Walker Bridge vanish into thin air in a mysterious cloud of mist.

Two young adults observing a sculpture in a gallery space with digital and scupltural displays.

EMERGENCE[Y]

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Science Gallery brings together artists, scientists and collaborators from around the world for its newest exhibition. Immerse yourself in artworks representing our future and our ever-changing world. Discover fashion made from fungus, coral soundscapes, a vertical city farm and First Nations knowledge of the Birrarung. The best time to visit is during the Friday night party on 28 August.

More of the best free events

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.

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.

Illustration of a crane looming over a public housing apartment building.
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Library Cinema at narrm ngarrgu

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

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.

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 person in a gallery setting looking at a sculpture of an oversize wooden pipe with a sculpture of a giant peeled mandarin balanced on the pipe.
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Poetry Goes No Further Than Language

Explore a moment in mid-1980s China when a group of artists began to question values about art.

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 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.

A man in a black t-shirt standing with a microphone in front of a presentation screen and two stools, inside a bar setting.
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Off Leash: Monthly Live Comedy Show

A monthly comedy residency that's exactly what it should be: casual, funny, full of vibes.

Crowded, dimly lit bar with mirror ball, artworks on the walls and eclectic decor.
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Damn Fine Laughs

Catch Wednesday-night stand-up comedy at FAD Gallery Bar.

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.

Looking over a blurred shoulder at a table with books displayed.
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World of the Book

Experience the rare, the sacred and the iconic in this one-of-a-kind exibition.

Visitors on a tour at the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio with electronic instruments on display on shelves.
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MESS Studio Tour

Take a free guided tour of a collection of rare instruments and hear the stories behind the sounds.

People in an exhibition space looking at exhibits, one person squatting to peer at a display of artefacts on the floor.
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In Between Exhibition

In Between explores identity, coexistence, and connection through works by emerging artists.

Overhead view of temporary book stalls filling Wilson Hall with people walking around looking at the products for sale.
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Melbourne Rare Book Fair

A treasure trove of rare and beautiful books, manuscripts, ephemera and more.

Two individuals smiling and enjoying a sunny day outdoors, with a curved green and pink stripe overlaid over the image.

Disability Pride

Enjoy comedy, drinks, art, badge-making and other activities at the Disability Pride celebration.

A woman in a beige cap and orange t-shirt sipping an iced coffee while reading a book.

Section 8 Presents: Book Doof

Book Doof bring their iconic reading rave to Section 8.

Smiling person with a large earring hanging from their earlobe, wearing glasses on their face, with greenery behind them.

Emerging Writers' Festival: Program Launch

Join the Emerging Writers’ Festival as they celebrate the official launch of their 23rd year.

Gimin Taiko drumming performers outdoors in a park setting with their large drums and hands in the air.

Gimin Taiko

A drumming performance conveying the courage and spirit of the Gimin Farmers.

Light beams form geometric planes and vast three-dimensional environments.
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PRESENCE

A totalising encounter of lasers and sound.

East Melbourne library exterior with large glass-paned facade and porch doorway.

East Melbourne Library 20th Birthday

Enjoy live jazz, free BBQ, children's activities, workshops and library tours.

An outdoor event space at Harbour Esplanade Docklands, featuring a large screen broadcasting a sports match to an audience seated in colorful bean bags.
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The Street Social: Winter Warmer

Melbourne's favourite waterfront experience is back again with Winter Warmer.

Free kids activities

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.

A smiling person seated in front of the children's section of a library, holding up a picture book and teddy bear in her lap.
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Songbirds

Come along to narrm ngarrgu Library on Wednesdays for Songbirds.

A woman in a library setting holding a ukulele and talking to a toy bird.
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Stompers

Join in the Stompers fun with your toddler every Wednesday at East Melbourne Library.

Illustrations of two children with clipboards in (real) garden setting.
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Fitzroy Gardens Outdoor Adventure

A free fun outdoor seek and find adventure around the Fitzroy Gardens.

A little girl looking at a colourful display of cushions in an art gallery.
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Children's Play: Ragnar Kjartansson

A new children's exhibition by Ragnar Kjartansson, inspired by the idea of a theatrical feast.

A graphic representation of two hands holding a picture frame in front of a beach with blue sky, a black and white picture of a mother and her child in the frame.
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Make a Memory

Create a keepsake inspired by the book, These Long-Loved Things at a free drop-in craft session.

A large-scale handwoven textile featuring various materials like wool, mohair, and beads and varied images and symbols.

Family Art Day at ACCA: Teens' Edition

An inspiring art workshop designed for teens and their families or carers.

Colourful illustration features a variety of characters emerging from an open book to play instruments.

Book Week: Symphony of Stories

Celebrate Book Week at State Library Victoria.

Free Melbourne markets

Person browsing a display of clothing on a rack at a market in a commercial retail space.
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Bourne Local Market

Visit the Collins Square retail plaza for curated local market stalls.

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.

A crowded scene within the Queen Victoria Market, featuring various banners for a craft fair and market called 'CRFT*WRK'
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CRFT*WRK Market

Enjoy a monthly craft fair at Queen Victoria Market.

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.

Person holding a large bunch of fresh rhubarb with carrots at an outdoor market stall.
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Docklands Waterfront Farmers' Market

Showcasing fresh produce, market eats and live entertainment on Harbour Esplanade.

People walking towards a red illuminated archway that reads Winter Night Market.
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Winter Night Market

The Winter Night Market returns to the iconic Queen Victoria Market sheds.

Market stallholder with her puppet toys, beside the Yarra River in the CBD.
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The Southbank Makers Market

Explore the Southbank Makers Market every Sunday on the promenade at Southgate.

People browsing an outdoor market bric-a-brac stall in a park location.

The Lygon Street Market

A monthly open-air market held on the first Sunday of each month.

See all free events

Last updated on Wed 29 Jul 2026

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An artwork that features discarded electronic components resembling a robotic creature, part of an exhibition at Science Gallery.

Friday Night Social: Wild Circuits

Enjoy Science Gallery Melbourne’s free Friday night parties with their latest exhibition.

Two people standing in front of a large pink spiky wall of speakers in an exhibition space.
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Reverb: A Journey into Sound

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

Visitors enjoying an evening event at the National Gallery of Victoria, seated on stools under shadowy lighting.
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NGV Friday Nights: Cartier

NGV Friday Nights shine with Cartier, featuring live music, flims, food and drinks.

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.