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.

People on deck chairs watching a movie in Fed Square on a large screen.

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.

MCG football stadium lit up pink at night.

The best NFL events in Melbourne

Tailgate parties, buffalo wings, American BBQ and cheerleaders. Melbourne is getting an NFL takeover ahead of the big match between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. On 6 September, watch the legendary San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush Cheerleaders in action. They’ll attempt to break the world record for the largest cheerleading dance. Break out the pom poms and join the dance at Fed Square. Then on 11 September head to free parties and watch the game on big screens at your favourite sports pubs. 

Rooftop garden at Fed Square with people under market umbrellas.

RESET: A Festival for Grounding and Growing

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Learn all about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle and reconnect with nature at this year’s RESET festival. Swing by the Planting Party where there'll be music, talks, a market and art installations. Chill out with your latest read at a daytime book doof. Then join a junk journalling workshop or learn to repair and upcycle your old clothes. 

Presenters holding placards in the Atrium at Fed Square.

Zero Waste Festival

Check out the Zero Waste Festival and hear from experts in climate change, sustainability and more at the panel discussions. Explore the stalls, then learn a new skill at a bunch of hands-on craft activities. There’ll also be clothes, books, toys and fabric swaps so you can trade in your pre-loved pieces for something new. Or take the little ones to the kid-friendly station where they can learn all about how to take care of the earth.

Performers in Chinese dragon costumes on stage at a cultural festival.

Chinese Traditional Cultural Festival

Fed Square is transforming into a huge Chinese festival. Head to the main stage and see epic lion dances, live music and more. Browse for handmade crafts and collectables at the market stalls. Or join a workshop to design your own painted fans and calligraphy. Feeling peckish? Pick up authentic street food from the market featuring everything from dumplings to roujiamo (chinese burgers). 

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 picture of a dolphin on the Big Screen at Fed Square, people gathered at the foot of the screen to watch, city buildings in the background.

Outdoor Cinema: Feathers, Fins and Friendship

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Melbourne’s favourite free outdoor cinema is back for the school holidays. And your eyes aren’t deceiving you, the big screen has had a big upgrade! Across three afternoons, the program will focus on ‘90s family favourites. Catch the cute flicks Flipper, Free Willy and Fly Away Home. Each holds an important message about our responsibility for protecting the homes of our animal friends. 

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.

More of the best free events

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.

Parents and child seated in cinema seats, parents holding large striped containers of popcorn, the child in the middle smiling up at the screen.
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Library Cinema at narrm ngarrgu

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

Seated audience watching a standup comedian perform with microphone in a small underground venue.
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Bar Humbug Comedy

Bar Humbug Comedy is a free weekly stand-up comedy night.

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.

A group of people standing around and talking on a darkened stage, with others sitting and talking to a person in a wheelchair.
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Play: Melbourne Fringe Radical Access Movie Nights

Film screenings and panel discussions that embed accessibility at the core of creative process.

Craft paper, scissors and glue stick on a wooden table with a pile of hand-made magazines.
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Our Words, Our Way

Join Our Words, Our Way for a four-part creative workshop series exploring zine-making.

NFL fans wearing red sports outfits including oversized red hat, in a bar setting with striped bar decor.

49ers Melbourne Takeover

Join the 49ers faithful at Transport Bar ahead of the historic 49ers vs Rams game at the MCG.

A community book fair event, featuring tables lined with independent publications, with attendees browsing and interacting with stallholders.
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Emerging Writers' Festival

The Emerging Writers' Festival boasts performances, panels and workshops for all aspiring writers.

The lower half of three people modelling upcycled patchwork trousers and skirts on a runway.

ReWear Runway

An upcycled and sustainable fashion show and part of the Zero Waste Festival.

A still from a videogame depicting a Chinese soldier fighting two warriors in front of an ancient Chinese temple.
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Feng Mengbo: Long March Restart

An free exhibition that playfully reimagines modern Chinese history as a videogame.

People gathered in an exhibition space with displays.

Deaf Art Science Festival

A free festival for young people, families, members and allies of the deaf community.

A gallery space with paintings displayed on one white and one yellow wall, plus a series of totems or tree trunks displayed in a white stand in the middle.
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Ngarn Wa'ngal: Art of the Gum Tree

Discover how the iconic gum tree has inspired centuries of Australian art and culture.

A glorious display of flowering wattle trees with bright yellow blooms.

Wattle Walk

Celebrate National Wattle Day with a guided walk in the gardens.

Innovative red-coloured building that is the ACCA art gallery, set against a blue sky, with a large open area in the foreground.
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NEW26

The return of the much-loved NEW exhibition series at ACCA.

A traditional dragon dance with onlookers in a public outdoor space.

Tram Sarong Festival

Tram Sarong brings authentic Malaysian food, performances, activities and more to Melbourne.

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

The Street Social is a free, family-friendly weekend by the water.

Free kids activities

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 smiling child holding a large pink soft toy.

The Big Toy Swap

Give your child’s toy box a sustainable refresh at The Big Toy Swap. 

Two park rangers in front of a display table with their ute behind and more displays.
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Junior Rangers - Wings and Wattles

Find urban bushland in Royal Park and connect with nature close to home.

Families working with paper craftworks hanging from ropes in an indoor space.
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Paper Planet at Fed Square

Theatre and play merge in this magical place, as stories and adventures spring to life.

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 interactive shadow-play and creative session at ArtPlay with a child and an adult participating.
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Inside Out

Families with young children are invited to play together in a world of colour.

A preschool aged child with curly hair wearing a red dress, holding open a book and looking at it.
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Preschool Storytime

Sing songs and read stories with your young child at North Melbourne Library.

Free Melbourne markets

Black and white photograph of an artist using oil crayons to create an artwork.

Melbourne Makers' Market

A curated showcase of the city's finest contemporary art and design.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Black and white photograph of a young couple at an open air market, small marquees in the background.

The Lygon Street Market

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

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.

See all free events

Last updated on Sun 30 Aug 2026

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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 Reverb: A Journey Into Sound, 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.

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.

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.