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.

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. 

A Chinese Lion Dance with three performers and a crowd looking on.

Chinatown Lion and Dragon Moon Festival

Enjoy an evening of free family fun under the full moon. Head to Chinatown to catch lion and dragon dances. Watch kung fu and martial arts demonstrations. Then enjoy the glowing children's lantern parade winding through the street at twilight.

Crowds walking through a pink festival entrance.

Footy Fest

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Calling all footy fans. A family-friendly festival is popping up this grand final long weekend. Bring the kids down to meet their favourite players. Then join in fun footy clinics and activations. There'll be loads of free entertainment on the main stage, plus plenty of foodie pop-ups. Don't skip Friday's parade. The two grand finalists will make their way to Yarra Park so fans can wish them luck for the big day!

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

The facade of Melbourne Town Hall illuminated in colours, with a blurred tram going past.
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Light Up Melbourne After-dark Projections

See immersive art projections light up some of the city's most iconic landmarks.

A still image from the movie Driving Miss Daisy, with Morgan Freeman at the wheel of a car and Jessica Tandy in the back seat reading a newspaper.
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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.

People attending a workshop in a small classroom setting with orange walls.
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Local Lunch Club

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

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.

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.

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.

An egg-shaped figuring with a brown cowboy hat and a pistol.
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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.

Oktoberfest-themed illustration with man wearing a Tyrolean hat holding steins of beer, pretzel and meat, with a Melbourne tram.
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Oktoberfest at Hofbrauhaus

Celebrate German bier, food and music as the Hofbräuhaus Oktoberfest turns 58.

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.

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

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.

Aerial view of an outdoor market on Southbank promenade, showing the Yarra River with boats on the right, market umbrellas and stalls on the concourse and city buildings in the background.
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Southbank Makers Market

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

People walking past rows of outdoor market stalls with umbrellas and trees.
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Docklands Waterfront Farmers' Market

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

See all free events

Last updated on Thu 17 Sep 2026

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A family of four standing in a grand library with antique desks, large white walls and a dome ceiling.

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A crowded indoor dance floor with people dancing under disco-style lighting.

Discoteca Italiana Arrivederci Roma

Discoteca Italiana returns to celebrate Roman art, culture and daily life after dark.

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.