Major events

Featured

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

The NGV and Arts Centre lit up on a winter night.

What's on this weekend in Melbourne

Discover things to do in Melbourne this weekend, from free events to exhibitions.

A group of friends picnicking at the Music Bowl.

Melbourne's best blockbuster events

The best major events on in Melbourne this year.

Festivals and events

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.

Illuminated panels with shades of red on a black background.
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Melbourne International Jazz Festival

A city-wide celebration of jazz, improvisation and boundary-pushing contemporary music.

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.

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.

Red fireworks over the city viewed from a floating bar with umbrellas and lanterns.

The best restaurants to book for New Year's Eve

Book a restaurant, find fireworks near you and plan the best New Year's Eve in Melbourne.

A large group of people taking part in the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival, running across Princess Bridge over the Yarra River, with tall city buildings and trees in the background, set against a blue sky.
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Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival

The Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival takes over the streets of Melbourne this October.

A scene from Mrs Doubtfire The Musical with the protagonist dancing with three children.
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Mrs Doubtfire

It's a feel-good musical, poppets.

An aerial shot of Melbourne city with the MCG in the foreground on a sunny day.
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What's on in September

Things to do in Melbourne in September, from free events to exhibitions and places to visit.

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

The best NFL events in Melbourne

The best NFL events in Melbourne

Here's where to celebrate Australia's first NFL game, coming to Melbourne on 11 September.

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.

Flinders street station lit up in blue lights at night

7 things Melburnians will do even if it's raining

From AFL games and night markets to winter festivals and theatre shows.

Markets

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.

A busy market with lanterns in the city.

The ultimate guide to Melbourne's best markets

Explore Melbourne's iconic markets.

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.

Performers on stage in Queen Vic Market sheds, with children seated on the ground and onlookers standing.
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Cachivaches Latin Market

A vibrant cultural event celebrating the best of Latin American traditions in Melbourne.

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.

Drawing of a market stall with city buildings in the background.
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Moon Fest Market

A vibrant Mid-Autumn market with creative stalls, cultural workshops and family activities.

Red and green native correa flowers.
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Melbourne Friends Plant Sale

Melbourne Friends are hosting an autumn plant sale at Royal Botanic Gardens.

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.

Aerial view of an interior market with stalls selling clothing and raft, and many people walking around and shopping in the space.

Boho Luxe Market: Christmas Edition

A design market full of handmade, ethically sourced products.

Shoppers flicking through crates of vinyl records at a Record Fair.

Melbourne Record Fair

Over 20,000 records from Melbourne’s best vinyl dealers are waiting for you at Queen Vic Market.

Person's face hidden behind the pile of clothing they're holding, next to racks of clothing.

Stock Up Vintage Market

A curated, culture-led vintage market, with music from DJs playing records.

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.

Family events

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 family looking at a circular tank filled with jellyfish in an aquarium.

Melbourne's best rainy day activities for kids

Find the best indoor family activities during the school holidays.

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 child posing in an alcove in a rainbow mural.
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School holidays

Entertain the whole family over the school holidays with these kid-friendly events and activities.

Kids on the grass outside the Shrine of Memorial, holding kit bags and smiling.
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Shrine Kids

Embark on a family adventure with this engaging program designed for discovery at every turn.

A small playground on a sunny day

The best playgrounds in Melbourne

We've rounded up the best adventure parks and playgrounds.

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

Melbourne for free

Discover free things to do in Melbourne, including galleries, museums, events and festivals.

A dark interior space, with smoky purple rounds of light, silhouettes of people's arms pushing into these open spaces.
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Imaginator

An immersive experience that celebrates imagination, technology and play.

Drawing of a child seated in a tree reading a book.
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Melbourne Kids Book Fest

Meet your favourite authors and illustrators at a book festival just for kids.

Young teens in a classroom setting with a teacher looking on and bookshelves in the background.

Escape from the Underworld: Holiday Program

A full-day writing workshop in the afterlife for ages 10–14

A crafted robot figurine with red legs and arms and big eyes with long eyelashes.
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Puppet-Making Workshops for Kids

Super entertaining school holiday puppet-making workshops for kids aged 4-10 years.

Group dancing in a Melbourne laneway, led by a man in a bright green and yellow shiny outfit.

Silent Disco Tour: ABBA Theme with Disko Duk Duk

An ABBA themed silent disco tour of Melbourne, hosted by Disko Duk Duk.

Theatre & musicals

The exterior of a city theatre lit up pink at night.

The ultimate theatre guide to Melbourne

What's on in Melbourne's theatres, clubs, cabaret bars and comedy spots.

A train station lit up in rainbow lights

Melbourne's best drag shows and queer-friendly venues

Find burlesque life drawing, cabaret and the best queer-friendly venues in Melbourne.

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.

Dark image of a Dracula figure lit with red light on stage.
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Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest

A bold, cinematic reimagining of the gothic classic.

A young person with long blonde hair, wearing a green satin top and making an animated, expressive gesture with hands up near their face against a solid olive-green background.
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Tegan Higginbotham: Follow That Turtle!

Award-winning comedian Tegan Higginbotham is back with an unmissable hour of stand-up gold.

Two actors holding megaphones in front of bare trees.
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Till the Day I Die

A new production of Clifford Odets' once-banned anti-fascist play, staged on the back of a truck.

Artwork showing two Punch puppet profiles, nose to nose, with coloured paint splashed over the top.
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The Very, Very, Very, Late Puppet Show

Curated by puppetry enthusiasts for puppetry enthusiasts.

A scene from the musical My Fair Lady with Eliza Doolittle in a pink dress and hat and Henry Higgins in a tweed three-piece suit.
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My Fair Lady

Celebrating 70 glorious years since its debut, Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady returns to Melbourne.

A young woman in a graduation robe holding a cupcake with a single candle, wearing a pink party hat and a sad expression.
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Party

A sharply observed and very funny satire of epically small proportions by Union House Theatre.

Actor with his hands over his face in a dark setting.
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Manifesto of Silences

A bold, Deaf-led reimagining of opera that pushes beyond the limits of traditional storytelling.

Two performers on a stage, a man dressed in a suit, looking at a man with his arms outstretched suspended by an aerial rope above a low pool of water.
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Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan

A dazzling new operatic work by some of Australia’s most acclaimed creative talents.

A clown cabaret performance with two people standing on a stage, one of them is spotlit.
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Spawn!

A variety cabaret gathering an eclectic ecosystem of clown and alternative comedy.

Music and gigs

A busker performing in the street playing an electric guitar with his head facing downwards looking at the instrument.
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Bourke Street Mall Busking

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

A stage with a grand facade to look like a building, with crowds waiting for a band to come on stage.

The ultimate Melbourne live gig guide

Concert halls and music venues hosting live music this week

Exhibitions and Expos

People walking around the outdoor balcony area in front of the Royal Exhibition Dome.

Royal Exhibition Building Dome Promenade

The Royal Exhibition Building opens its doors to a unique view unseen for 100 years.

Exterior of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre at dusk with people crossing the road in front.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Big ideas, bold experiences...this is where Melbourne’s most exciting events come to life.

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.

Two models stand smiling outdoors in vibrant, unconventional fashion ensembles.
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Melbourne Fashion Week

M/FW takes over the city from 19–25 October.

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

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

A person's hands holding up a timber-framed oil painting of a farmland landscape with blue skies.
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Maria Radun: In the Moment

Oil paintings inspired by the diverse landscapes of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

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

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

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.

An oil painting of a pink flamingo alongside a beautiful woman in a pink dress sitting on a rock.
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Yianni John and Sammi Edney: That Little Something Xtra

A father-daughter exhibition intertwining pseudo-symbolism and imaginative realism.

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.

View of Melbourne from across the Yarra River
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St Michael’s Grammar School: Twelve

An exhibition celebrating St Michael’s Grammar School's Visual Art and Design Graduates of 2026.

Sport

A National Basketball League match underway inside John Cain Arena at Melbourne Park, with an indoor court and spectators watching from the stadium seats.

NBL: Melbourne United v New Zealand Breakers

Melbourne United play the New Zealand Breakers for the Indigenous Round of NBL27.

A National Basketball League match underway inside John Cain Arena at Melbourne Park, with an indoor court and spectators watching from the stadium seats.

NBL: Melbourne United v Tasmania JackJumpers

Melbourne United play the Tasmania JackJumpers during Round 12 of NBL27.

A National Basketball League match underway inside John Cain Arena at Melbourne Park, with an indoor court and spectators watching from the stadium seats.

NBL: Melbourne United v Brisbane Bullets

Melbourne United take to the court against the Brisbane Bullets in Round 8 of the NBL season.

A National Basketball League match underway inside John Cain Arena at Melbourne Park, with an indoor court and spectators watching from the stadium seats.

NBL: Melbourne United v South East Melbourne Phoenix

Melbourne United face the the South East Melbourne Phoenix for Round 21 of the NBL season.

A National Basketball League match underway inside John Cain Arena at Melbourne Park, with an indoor court and spectators watching from the stadium seats.

NBL: Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United play Illawarra Hawks in the Grassroots Game of Round 5 of NBL27.

A giant blow up Sherrin football in a park.

AFL fan's guide to the footy in Melbourne

Find the best spots to watch the footy and grab a feed before the game.

A National Basketball League match underway inside John Cain Arena at Melbourne Park, with an indoor court and spectators watching from the stadium seats.

NBL: Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United play the Illawarra Hawks during Round 21 of NBL27.

Person playing minigolf in an indoor venue.
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Putt and Sip Melbourne

A day of mini golf and secret bars in the heart of the city.

Discover more

Christmas tree and decorations at Fed Square at night.
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What's on in December

Things to do in Melbourne in December, from free events to exhibitions and places to visit.

Large crowd of people watching a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
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What's on in January

Things to do in Melbourne in January, from free events to exhibitions and places to visit.

Crowd of people seated on the grass watching the Moonlight Cinema in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
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What's on in February

Things to do in Melbourne in February, from free events to exhibitions and places to visit.

A Ferris wheel lit up with LED lights at night.
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What's on in March

Things to do in Melbourne in March, from free events to exhibitions and places to visit.