Melbourne for free

Featured

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

What's free in Melbourne this month

Everything to see, do and enjoy in Melbourne for free this month.

Girl looking out at mini village display in the garden.

The best free and cheap family activities

Find family-friendly fun and free events in Melbourne.

A couple in a gallery looking up at a sign that says count down.

The best free museums and art galleries in Melbourne

Explore world-class museums, edgy artist-run spaces and blockbuster exhibitions for free.

A large street art mural of two elderly people

Free things to do in Melbourne every day

Have a grand day out on a budget at Melbourne's best free experiences, attractions and exhibits.

Crowds milling around the Vic Market sheds at sunset.

The ultimate guide to Melbourne's best markets

Explore Melbourne's iconic markets.

A young tourist couple and an older tour guide, standing in front of a famous Melbourne pub.

Melbourne Greeter Service

Discover what locals love about Melbourne with a free two-to-four-hour walking tour.

Wide shot of people sitting on grass hill watching the sunset over city skyline.

Melbourne's best free date ideas

Swipe right without maxing your debit card and try these free date ideas

Two women walking through a cactus garden

Free tours of iconic Melbourne places

See glorious city sights without spending a cent.

A young boy and girl pointing to triceratops bones in the Museum.

Free things to do with kids in Melbourne

Get the kids out and explore these free events and adventures for an awesome day of fun.

A couple standing in front of the Royal Exhibition Building, surrounded by trees.

Walks and itineraries

These self-guided walks and itineraries will help you discover Melbourne's best sights.

Person walking in a laneway that's painted in brightly-coloured stripes.

Flash Forward

Explore 40 city laneways that have been transformed by over 80 creatives.

Outside of the Melbourne Town Hall building, as seen from Swanston Street.

Melbourne Town Hall Tours

Take a tour of one of Melbourne's most iconic buildings.

A busker performing in the street playing an electric guitar with his head facing downwards looking at the instrument.
Until

Bourke Street Mall Busking

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

A garden at dusk

Five free must-do Melbourne walks

It’s time to get out and about in the city. Have a wander with these free guides.

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

Long line of tables covered in books.

Melbourne Book Market

Melbourne Book Market is a curated collection of more than 5,000 new and pre-loved titles.

Smiling vendor selling a range of pastries, dips and spreads at Queen Victoria Market.

Queen Victoria Market

This beloved Melbourne landmark is the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere.

Water wall installation at the entrance to NGV International on St Kilda Road.

NGV International

NGV International houses a whole world of international art.

Dark silhouetted figures in a space with red and blue lighting.

ACMI

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

Large, rectangular building of Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square.

Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia

The world’s first major gallery dedicated exclusively to Australian art.

A group of people seated around a table in a pub like setting, some of them singing.
Until

Sea Shanties and Folk Songs

Join this free weekly celebration of rollicking and spirited singing.

Inside a bustling market hall

Things you can only see in the city

Uncover secret rooms, historic architecture and iconic landmarks found only in the city.

A view over Melbourne by night, with buildings lit up.

New Year's Eve in Melbourne

From fireworks to fancy dinners and family fun, Melbourne is the perfect place to celebrate NYE.

Two friends are seating outside a small cafe kiosk there is a sign saying mork chocolate

The best Easter offers, high teas and events in Melbourne

Find Easter high teas, dining deals, events and more

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

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.
Until

Library Cinema at narrm ngarrgu

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

The exterior of the Koorie Heritage Trust at Fed Square with a yellow KHT sign out the front.

Koorie Heritage Trust

An Australian First Peoples arts and cultural centre.

Man wearing traditional Italian dress - red hat, green waistcoat, holding an Italian flag in front of the Exhibition Building.
–

Italian Festa and Expo

Celebrating all thing Italian at the Royal Exhibition Building and Museum Plaza.

Three African drummers wearing colourful clothing while drumming with their hands on stage.
–

African Music and Cultural Festival

Celebrate the best of African culture with music, food, fashion, film, dance and art.

Installation view of the Spartans & Anzacs exhibition at the Shrine of Remembrance, with people walking around the space, reading panels and looking at displays.
Until

Spartans & Anzacs

This exhibition invites reflection on the enduring values forged in conflict.

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.
Until

Making Modern Melbourne

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

People lgathered on the Fed Square rooftop with yoga mats and shade umbrellas.

Planting Party

A celebration of community-led environmental action, art and plants, marking the start of spring.

Woman seated at a workstation working at a sewing machine.

Remake + Repair Workshop

Learn practical repair and upcycling skills while transforming old textiles into something new.

Two three-dimensional botanical sculptural paintings by artist Josh Davison hanging side-by-side on a pale coloured gallery wall.
Until

Joshua Davison

More Life is a solo exhibition by artist Joshua Davison.

Two people walking along a pathway in Fitzroy Gardens.

Fitzroy Gardens walk

If you’re looking for an iconic Melbourne garden walk, this is an excellent place to start

A little girl looking at a colourful display of cushions in an art gallery.
Until

Children's Play: Ragnar Kjartansson

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

A delicately painted porcelain plate with a blue design depicting waves around the outside and a burning landscape in the centre.
Until

Margaret Ackland: Reflections

Margaret Ackland’s elegant still lifes serve up the uneasy truths of contemporary life.

An Australian landscape watercolour painting by Maxine Wade, of a large gum tree by a body of water, in muted shades of green, blue, tan and cream.
–

Maxine Wade: Land For Sale

This exhibition features Australian landscapes painted in watercolour.

Artwork collage featuring historical LGBTQIA+ liberation protest imagery overlaid against a green background with graphic illustrations.

LGBTIQA+ History Walk

Join a free, guided walk uncovering Melbourne's rich and remarkable LGBTIQA+ history.

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

Bedtime Storytime

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

A person spooning food from a large salad bowl onto a plate they hold in their hands.
Until

Local Lunch Club

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

Author Angie Cui, with long dark hair, shelves of children's books in the background.

The Festival of Ice and Snow with Angie Cui

Bundle up for a wintry adventure and celebrate family, cultural traditions and storytelling.

Person seated on a couch with graffiti scrawled on the walls, a pile of books on their lap.

Book Doof: A Daytime Rave for Readers

A no-pressure shared space for book lovers and creatives to relax, read, write or make – with music.

See all free events

Free attractions

A drone shot of Fed Square at dusk, with a heart-shape of lights surrounding a central stage in the middle of a huge crowd.

Fed Square

Melbourne's public square and meeting place, opposite Flinders Street Station.

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.

Water wall installation at the entrance to NGV International on St Kilda Road.

NGV International

NGV International houses a whole world of international art.

A museum visitor in an exhibition space using a screen, surrounded by display objects.

Australian Music Vault

A celebration of Australian contemporary music – past, present and future.

Dark silhouetted figures in a space with red and blue lighting.

ACMI

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

Large, rectangular building of Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square.

Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia

The world’s first major gallery dedicated exclusively to Australian art.

People seated at desks arranged in an octagonal pattern inside the La Trobe Reading Room of State Library Victoria.

State Library Victoria

Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free public libraries in the world.

The glass-panelled entrance to the Victorian Police Museum.

Victoria Police Museum

Explore the social history of policing through interactive displays and over 300 collection items.

Free and cheap

People walking along a plant-lined pathway in public gardens, with city towers in the background.
Until

Fitzroy Gardens Heritage Tour

A journey through the heritage-listed gardens, where history and nature seamlessly blend.

Wide skyline shot of historic buildings in Melbourne.

Cheapskate's guide to Melbourne

Find happy hours, secret foodie spots, cheap activities and more.

Two friends are walking out of an arcade

The best things to do under $20 in Melbourne

The best cocktail deals, cheap eats and low-cost activities in Melbourne.

A table set with Thai dishes and someone lifting noodles from a bowl of soup.

Melbourne’s best dinners under $20

Find Melbourne's best cheap eats and pub deals for your next dinner out.