Packed crowd of people cheering, holding their hands up, and watching an event outside.

Festivals

There's always a festival going on in Melbourne, whether it's film, comedy, arts, music, food or design. Check out the current events below.

The Town Hall at night with Melbourne International Comedy Festival banners, signage, and red and blue spotlights and people lined up in queues on the footpath.
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Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The festival that takes over the city celebrates 40 years of funny - come have a laugh.

People holding loaves of bread outside a bakery stall with signage.
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Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

A 10-day feast bringing the best-of-the-best from Australia and the world, direct to your lips.

Everything you need to do in Melbourne this Christmas

Everything you need to do in Melbourne this Christmas

Plan your festive adventures every week in the leadup to Christmas.

A cartoon depiction of a young woman with black hair and large, blue-rimmed eyes with heart-shaped pupils; pink love heart background.
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Melbourne Women in Film Festival

Marking 10 years championing women and non-binary filmmakers with bold screenings and events.

A person wearing an apron, seated at a table as part of am art workshop, using a paintbrush to apply paint to paper.
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Festival of Veterans Arts

Enjoy this veteran-led arts festival with exhibitions, performances, workshops and family events.

A lion dance performer surrounded by crowds.

Where to see traditional lion dance performances in Melbourne

Celebrating Lunar New Year in Melbourne? Here's where to see lion dances and dragon parades.

Rainbow lights on water jets and a giant bauble on the river at night.

The ultimate guide to Melbourne’s best Christmas events

Seek out Christmas movies, festive pop-ups, glittering decorations and more.

A crowd of people with umbrellas watching a purple-lit stage outdoors.

Guide to Diwali in Melbourne

Find where to celebrate Diwali in Melbourne at these blockbuster festivals and events.

A wide-angle photo taken from the top steps of the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, looking down a paved forecourt and across parkland towards the city skyline at dusk.
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Open House Melbourne Weekend

Open House Melbourne Weekend connects you with good design – explore buildings, places and spaces.

A woman looking at a display of Formula 1 racing suits in an exhibition.

The best Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix events in Melbourne

Map out your perfect Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne.

A woman walking through a Christmas shop filled with white decorations.

Where to enjoy a European-style winter in Melbourne

Embrace the chill with warming treats, pop-ups and events worthy of a Northern Hemisphere winter.

Melbourne Town Hall with a line out the front for Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Melbourne's best blockbuster events

The best major events on in Melbourne this year.

Festivalgoers holding tiger-themed items, flags and signs.

South Asian Festival

Experience South Asian culture with street food, music and dance, stalls, fireworks and more.

A neon light display of Santa's sleigh being pulled by kangaroos.

The ultimate guide to Melbourne's best Christmas lights and decorations

Where to see stunning Christmas trees, the best Christmas lights and more beautiful decorations.

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

A festival of new art, music and performance in the heart of Naarm/Melbourne each winter.

A laneway lit up with hanging fairy lights

The best hidden Christmas events and laneway pop-ups in Melbourne

Find the best laneway street parties, free workshops, pop-up events and gigs.

Crowds looking at a festival stage in the city.

The best free festivals in Melbourne

The best free festivals you need to visit in Melbourne this year

Santa in front of a lit up Christmas tree in Fed Square.

Christmas in the city

See the city light up with dazzling displays, festive events and activities for the whole family.

An adult and a few primary-school aged children standing at a table that holds a potted plant and a red watering can, with slightly obscured signage in the background that reads 'Little Food Festival'.
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Little Food Festival

Australia's iconic food festival created for kids is free for all to attend.

A group of friends having a picnic at an outdoor event

Melbourne's best outdoor events

Take the good times out into the fresh air with alfresco dining, summer events and epic pop-ups.

See all festivals

Discover more

A waiter in a restaurant, blurred in motion.
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Order Up: A City Fed by Many Cultures

Experience the soul of Melbourne’s hospitality scene like never before and this exhibition.

Colorful hard plastic suncatchers, including a flamingo shape and one shaped as a disposable cup with the word COFFEE written on it, hanging outdoors.
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Matter of Methods l Methods of Matter

This exhibition reveals the unseen, vulnerable side of creative research.

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.

A landscape painting capturing a sunset over a body of water, featuring a vibrant orange and pink sky.
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Charli English: Portholes

An exhibition of a series of hybrid painting-sculpture works.