A girl and a boy reaching their hands out to touch a glass wall water feature.

3 – 19 Apr

School holidays

Entertain the whole family over the school holidays with these kid-friendly events and activities. There's plenty of free, low-cost events and family attractions to choose from.

When are the school holidays?

The school holidays in Victoria are from Friday 3 April to Sunday 19 April 2026.

When is public transport free during the school holidays?

Public transport is free in Victoria for the entirety of the Easter school holidays and continuing until Thursday 30 April 2026. 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.

Julia and her two kids walking across Princes Bridge

Julia Busuttil Nishimura's family day out - only in the city

If you simply can't bare to think up a day of activities, Melbourne-based cook and author Julia Busuttil Nishimura has done the hard yards for you. Follow her guide for a fun, easy, affordable day out - without the stress of planning and researching what you should do!

School holiday deals and offers

A mother and two young children on the deck of a ferry looking out across the water.

Port Phillip Ferries

Kids (4-16 years) travel free on these weekly 2.5hour cruises, Tuesdays 9.30am-12.15pm, T&Cs apply.

Special offer

School holiday events

Three children looking at colourful pamphlets while standing on the stairs inside the Old Melbourne Gaol.

Billie B Brown and the Case of the Missing Treasure

Join Billie B and the Secret Mystery Club as they take on one of their trickiest cases yet.

Performer wearing a coat with striped lapels, with a large bubble wand.

Dr Hubble's Brilliant Bubbles

A fun, funny and (slightly) educational show for all the family by Australia’s favourite bubble man.

A tan jacket made of squiggly fur on a white dummy torso.

Let's Party: NGV Fashion for Kids

Step into a vibrant world of colour, creativity and celebration.

Man wearing a tuxedo performing sleight of hands tricks with a glass in front of a seated audience.

Melbourne Magic Show

Enjoy a theatrical magic experience like no other.

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

The Sunday Market at Southgate

Explore the Sunday Market at Southgate and meet the makers.

A child wearing a plastic coat, squirting paint with a paintgun at a pink canvas on a wall splattered with paint.

Melbourne Paint Lab Art Workshop

At Melbourne Paint Lab you can splash, splatter and drip paint to unleash your inner artist.

A group of smiling participants in a studio workshop setting, holding glass-domed terrariums.

Serene Terrarium: Workshop for Beginners

Create your mini plant world while enjoying a soothing cuppa and a calming environment.

Seven people in coloured aprons holding up kokedama balls in a workshop.

Kokedama Workshop

Enjoy a beginner's workshop and learn how to make a little moss ball plant.

Two smiling workshop participants holding up jewellery they have made.

Polymer Clay Workshop

Create beautiful pairs of earrings and necklaces using polymer clay in this fun workshop.

Three smiling workshop participants in a studio space, holding up jewellery they have made.

Polymer Clay Earring Workshop

Create beautiful jewellery in this fun workshop.

Illustrations of two children with clipboards in (real) garden setting.

Fitzroy Gardens Outdoor Adventure

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

A plate of fluffy pancakes with ice-cream and chocolate over the top.

Chocolate Family Adventure Day

Enjoy an all-inclusive, stress-free family outing filled with fun, creativity, and delicious treats.

Picnic spread of dishes, boxed food and drinks on a blue gingham tablecloth.

Family Mystery Picnic: Melbourne Laneways

Solve clues, taste and collect pre-paid gourmet food on this unique foodie adventure.

The shopfront of a Japanese-style craft workshop with brightly coloured craft materials on shelves and a neon sign.

DIY Craft Workshops

Unleash your creativity at these workshops where everyone is a designer.

A group of people dressed at pirates posing on an old ship.

Pirate Day at Polly Woodside

Come along and experience the pirate life aboard Melbourne's tall ship.

A DIY kids craft project of a cardboard gladiator helmet, inspired by ancient Roman designs.

Creative Lab: Rise of the Gladiators

Enter the world of ancient Rome in Melbourne Museum’s Creative Lab workshop, Rise of the Gladiators.

A portion of an ancient Roman colonnade at an archaeological site, against a blue sky.

Mosaic Monuments

A drop-in activity that invites families to step into the world of ancient Rome!

Young children playing in a tunnel structure at the Children's Gallery at the Melbourne Museum.

Autumn School Holidays at Melbourne Museum

Autumn adventures await at Melbourne Museum.

A male performer operates a large, yellow, barrel-shaped smoke cannon, which fires a large, blue-lit smoke vortex across a dark stage during a live science show.

Kaboom!

See Australia’s favourite family science show.

Two performers wearing bright costumes on a stage.

Magic, Mirth and Mystery

Enjoy a family magic show these school holidays.

A male magician in a top hat and suit on a smoky stage, holding a yellow and green fan and performing a trick.

Illusionaire Family Magic Show

Sam Angelico is back in Melbourne performing his family-friendly show Illusionaire.

A male performer dressed in a red ringmaster-style jacket and black trousers on a stage with blue and red lighting, holding a stick and gesturing with his other hand during a circus and magic show.

The Greatest Magic Show!

The Greatest Magic Show is a spectacular packed with magic, comedy and larger-than-life fun.

A male circus performer in a purple jacket and black pants stands on a stage in a circus tent under bright lights, holding a flaming torch, with an audience watching and a large CIRCUS sign in the background.

Circus The Show

A family circus spectacular that families are raving about.

An illustration of a tan coloured deer with antlers and a grey kola, with the human faces of Kirsty Webeck and Ivan Aristeguieta superimposed on the animal's heads.

The Big Animal Quiz with Kirsty Webeck and Ivan Aristeguieta

A family-friendly live show is an hour of laughs, education and banter about animals.

A woman and child sit in a museum, looking up at a glass case displaying a preserved human body posed in a dramatic leap, with exposed muscles visible.

Body Worlds: The Anatomy of Happiness

Discover what lies behind the skin to reveal how our health, emotions and environment impact us.

Three people interacting with a neon light installation in a gallery.

Distraction

An exhibition that plugs into the torrent of content and places we go when craving distraction.

A child and an adult with sporting medals around their necks, one of them holding a table tennis paddle, standing in a room.

Table Tennis

Play a game of table tennis with the local world champion, Chau.

Animator and filmmaker Adam Elliot working on a claymation set, adjusting characters.

Making Memoir of a Snail

Explore handmade sets, props and characters from Adam Elliot's claymation film Memoir of a Snail.

A young child wearing a dressing gown, looking at an open picture book in her lap, blurred twinkling lights behind her.

Bedtime Storytime

Hop into your pyjamas, grab your favourite teddy and enjoy bedtime stories.

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

Dino Days

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

Play School exhibition with signature teddy and toys.

Play School: Come and Play

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

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

Auslan Storytime

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

Three cartoon kids in a a real park setting.

Then and Now Time Detectives

Join a fun and educational kids activity exploring the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens.

A scene from a Studio Ghibli anime film, with humans and creatures on a green rooftop.

Mina Yu Quartet with Strings: Studio Ghibli

Immerse yourself in the melodies and soundscapes of Studio Ghibli films.

Side view of a child typing on a laptop.

STEM Holiday Workshop for Young People: Auslan and English

Young people are invited to experience a free hands-on STEM workshop at Science Gallery Melbourne.

A standing and seated row of children in a large bright room, all holding up artworks they've created.

Rainbow Art Class

A guided art class for children, led by an artist and educator.

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.

My Love Umbrella

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

A night-time story session at the State Library Victoria, with young children and their grown-ups listening to a story while sitting on the floor or on beanbags; a colouful mural on the wall behind the story-teller.

Storytime: After Dark

Snuggle up for an enchanting storytime after dark in the Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter.

Two people seated below a neon sign.

The Story of the Moving Image

A permanent exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.

A man in a dinner suit and glasses upside down against a blue and black sun ray striped background.

The Tricky Nick Magic Show

Strap in for an unpredictable rollercoaster ride through the weird mind of Tricky Nick.

Four women standing and holding up small mosaic lamps in front of a circular neon sign.

Mosaic Art Classes: Turkish Lamp Workshop

Make beautiful mosaic lamps at this Turkish lamp workshop in Melbourne!

A child and their adult carer, engaged in a collaborative collage arts and crafts activity, involving paper and other materials.

Collage Nouveau: Children's Collaging Workshop

A sustainable craft workshop, for kids aged 5 to 8 years and their carers.

Three illuminated lamps with cylindrical parchment or fabric shades, decorated with various pressed flowers and small human figures.

Pressed Flower Lamp Making Workshop

Make your room colourful and vibrant with your own pressed flower lamp.

A woman with two red plaits and a white cap holds up a picture book in a kids library area.

Stompers

Bring your child to Library at The Dock on Tuesdays for a lifelong love of books.

A large dinosaur model with its mouth open in a park setting.

Dinos at the Zoo

Let your imagination run wild as you explore the trail of dinosaurs at Melbourne Zoo.

A woman holding a teddy about toe read a picture book in a library story area.

Songbirds

Visit Southbank Library on Mondays for Songbirds, with songs, rhymes and stories for littlies.

A kids comedy troupe performing on stage in fun poses.

Comedy Club for Kids

A laugh-a-minute hour the whole family will enjoy.

Balloon display of octpus and kangaroos surrounding a tram and Flinders Street Station.

Balloon Story

An immersive installation where every world, creature and moment is crafted entirely from balloons.

North Melbourne AFL football player gesticulating during a match.

AFL Round 6: North Melbourne v Richmond

North Melbourne meet Richmond in this Round 6 AFL match.

A man wearing safety goggles bends down to cook with two small children - all wearing white shirts.

Signor Baffo

Don’t miss this laugh-out loud treat for young children and their families.

A woman smiling and holding up a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar in a library setting.

Stompers

Join in the Stompers fun with your toddler at North Melbourne Library every Thursday.

A library staff member holding a large owl puppet in one hand and a picture book in his other hand, standing in the children's section of a library.

Stompers

Enjoy fun stories, songs, rhymes and activities at Kathleen Syme Library every Monday.

A smiling library worker holding up three picture books with their front covers facing out, seated cross-legged on the floor in front of library display shelves.

Songbirds

Come along to City Library on Fridays for songs, rhymes and stories.

People crowded into the Royal Exhibition Building for a market.

The Makers and Shakers Market

Enjoy 185 top-tier makers of homewares, food and fashion, plus special activities just for the kids.

A smiling adult holding a ukulele seated at a low table, with two picture books resting on the table, in a library setting.

Preschool Storytime

Share the wonder of books with your children at narrm ngarrgu Library.

A busker performing in a street with a guitar around his neck and arms outstretched while singing.

Bourke Street Mall Busking

Meet Melbourne's marvellous musicians and more in the iconic Bourke Street Mall busking program.

Cruise boat passing under bridge heading towards Docklands.

Ports and Docklands Cruise

Experience Melbourne's best scenery in Docklands on a sightseeing cruise.

A smiling woman with long red plaits and a white cap in a library setting with a large bear on her knee.

Songbirds

Come along to Library at The Dock on Wednesdays for Songbirds: songs, rhymes and stories.

Two performers on stage making very long and large bubbles.

Bubble Show in Space

Embark on a soap-tastic adventure to the intergalactic wonder that is bubbles in space.

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

Stompers

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

A woman in a yellow hard hat reading a picture book and smiling in a library.

Stompers

Head to Southbank Library on Thursdays to enjoy stories, songs, rhymes and fun.

A woman holding a picture book titled 'Ruffles' and also holding a dog toy in a library reading area.

Songbirds

Come along to East Melbourne Library on Thursdays for Songbirds: songs, rhymes and stories.

A smiling woman with a ukulele seated at a desk with two picture books on display.

Stompers

Join in the Stompers fun with your toddler at narrm ngarrgu Library every Friday.

A woman seated with her legs crossed about to read a story in a library setting.

Songbirds

Come along to North Melbourne Library on Mondays and Wednesdays for Songbirds.

A library staff member standing in the children's book section of a library, holding up a picture book and reading from it.

Songbirds

Come along to Kathleen Syme Library on Tuesdays for songs, rhymes and stories.

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

Preschool Storytime

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

Two people showing off their resin-decorated breadboards in a workshop setting.

Resin Art Class: Cheeseboards and Coasters

Make abstract art and discover the magic of working with resin.

A person with blue hair at a vending machine as another person directs them on how to use it.

Loopy Lab

See how plastic waste is a resource by making your own pen or carabiner from plastic bottle tops.

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.

Songbirds

Come along to narrm ngarrgu Library on Wednesdays for Songbirds.

A group of people at a Paint and Sip class, learning to paint on canvas with acrylics while enjoying a glass of wine.

Paint and Sip Class: Acrylic Art on Canvas

Immerse yourself in the delightful and creative experience of this Paint and Sip class.

A child wearing a handmade necklace created using recycled and upcycled materials during an art workshop.

Wearable Art: Jewellery Making Workshop for Kids

Create accessories and jewellery using recycled and upcycled materials, for ages 9 to 13 years.

A Melbourne AFL player with a pumped fist and cheering himself and the crowd on during a match.

AFL Round 6: Melbourne v Brisbane Lions

Melbourne meet the Brisbane Lions on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG during Round 6.

Winni Wizard, a kids comedian, wearing a large green witch hat and red-lensed goggles, making a funny expression while pointing at their eye.

Winni Wizard and Her Magical Smells

Winni Wizard’s hilarious hijinks turn the Magic Shop upside down these school holidays.

More school holiday ideas

Family attractions

Koala in a gum tree at Melbourne Zoo.

Melbourne Zoo

Journey through a world of wildlife in the heart of Melbourne.

Child looking over right shoulder with delighted smile, dark dinosaur model behind.

Melbourne Museum

Explore history, culture, science and nature at this popular Melbourne attraction.

Large IMAX signage above entrance to cinema.

IMAX

Delivering an immersive movie experience on the world's largest screen.

The geometric exterior of ACMI at Federation Square in Melbourne.

ACMI

Museum dedicated to the moving image through events, film screenings and exhibitions.

Family in a glass tunnel looking up at a very large stingray.

SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

Discover thousands of aquatic animals in four enchanting worlds at this top Melbourne attraction.

Tranquil scene of trees and lawn surrounding a lake.

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

A picturesque haven for recreation and a key botanical resource for research and conservation.

Two people standing on the 'ceiling' of an inverted living room.

House Down Under

Australia’s favourite inverted house photo experience brings topsy-turvy fun to Melbourne.

Three women joining hands and fooling around against a fantasy backdrop.

ArtVo

An interactive 3D art gallery with optical illusions that visitors can touch and explore.

People skating in an indoor ice rink with disco lighting.

O'Brien Icehouse

An ice arena for public skating and ice sports events, located in Docklands.

A family seated at an outdoor table in a grassy park, eating takeaway food from the food van parked behind them, the Skyline Ferris wheel in the background.

Skyline Melbourne

See Melbourne's unbeatable city view from the Skyline Melbourne Ferris wheel.

Double-storey ArtPlay building with city skyscrapers in the background.

ArtPlay

A creative arts centre for children to share unique experiences with professional artists.

Kingpin Melbourne's bowling lanes decorated with vibrant murals.

Kingpin Melbourne

Kingpin's new flagship space brings next level entertainment to Collins Arcade.

Three teenagers playing a basketball arcade game in an brightly lit games venue.

PLAYit

Next level arcade and mini golf fun for all ages and abilities.

Pink sweet food treats inspired by the Sanrio character My Melody, found at the Hello Kitty Cafe.

Hello Kitty and Friends Café

A colourful experience celebrating Hello Kitty and Friends with themed treats and exclusive merch.

Painted bears of various sizes standing on a wooden ledge.

Bear With Us

Unleash your inner artist in this therapeutic and fun experience.

Two people standing in an immersive room at Dreamskape surrounded by a virtual reality projection of interior of a spaceship.

Dreamskape

Explore the District Dockland's multi-media sensory entertainment complex.

A smiling young girl seated as a table in front of a pile of slime.

Slime Lab

A play and retail space offering awesome and creative slime workshops for kids.

A child engaging in an immersive augmented reality adventure game standing in front of a brick wall and holding a digital device up high.

Hunters and Raiders

A world-first AR treasure hunt filled with clues, mystery and real-world adventure.

A sophisticated music store with guitars hanging on the wall.

The Music Gym

Drop in to The Music Gym, Melbourne's most playable pit stop!

Person on a skateboard at Riverslide Skate Park.

Riverslide Skate Park

The city's biggest skate park, overlooking the Yarra River and Birrarung Marr.

Small brick building illuminated at night, housing Signal creative arts studio.

Signal

Signal is the City of Melbourne's creative studio for young people 14 to 25 years.

Brightly coloured singing booths arranged around the walls in a large room, with bench seating in the central open space.

Kono Coin Karaoke

Enjoy a karaoke experience at a singing booth.

The exterior of Hardrock climbing in the city, surrounded by other buildings.

Hardrock Climbing

The ultimate indoor rock-climbing experience in Melbourne is at Hardrock Climbing.

A family of two adults and three children gathered around and looking at their strip photos outside a vintage style photo booth on Flinders Street in Melbourne city.

Flinders Street Photobooth

Have your photo taken at a vintage black and white photobooth.

Looking into the interior of a studio space, with a row of five small booths on the left and shelves of props and equipment on the right wall.

Life4Cuts Chinatown

A Korean-inspired self-photo booth studio in Chinatown.

Three girls posing and holding up their hands in peace signs while wearing flower headbands.

Hama Film Self Photo Studio

A self-photo studio where you can take amazing photos in special concept rooms.

A giant ball pit with brightly coloured geometric patterns and neon shapes on the walls.

Hijinx Hotel

No beds here. Just ball pits, bold colours, brain-teasing challenges and a lot of laughter.

People laughing and having fun on MotoGP arcade games.

Archie Brothers

One-stop entertainment venue with arcade games, bowling lanes, dodgem cars and cocktail bar.

People enjoying tenpin bowling.

Strike Bowling

Tenpin bowling plus karaoke and escape rooms - great fun for everyone.

Exterior of Holey Moley mini golf venue at night.

Holey Moley Golf Club

Holey Moley offers a mini golf course and bar with 27 themed holes plus a karaoke room.

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Girl looking out at mini village display in the garden.

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A small playground on a sunny day

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A statue of a mother and baby giraffe in an indoor children's playground.

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Young kid sitting on the shoulders of an adult in a large crowd of people watching a show.

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