Parkville - What's On Melbourne

Parkville is bursting at the seams with cultural attractions. Spend a day in this leafy area watching the AFLW at Ikon Park, exploring the Melbourne Zoo or admiring Royal Park's wetlands.

Best events around Parkville

The silhouettes of two people looking at an Indigenous art installation of gum leaves on the wall.

Among the Gums

Spend your Saturday among the gum trees for a sensory afternoon of art, making and conversation.

An oil painting depicting two identical women standing side-by-side in a furnished interior room.

13 Aug – 12 Nov

Listening Practice

Join for an hour of calm inspired by Japan’s listening café tradition.

An artwork that features discarded electronic components resembling a robotic creature, part of an exhibition at Science Gallery.

Friday Night Social: Wild Circuits

Enjoy Science Gallery Melbourne’s free Friday night parties with their latest exhibition.

Two young adults observing a sculpture in a gallery space with digital and scupltural displays.

EMERGENCE[Y]

An exhibition exploring how adaptation in a world of flux unfolds in every layer of life.

A group of mostly men of varied ages, posing in their athletic wear, in front of a soccer goalie net at an outdoor oval.

Social Soccer

Get active and play local community social soccer, hosted in Parkville.

A hand drawing with a yellow marker, amongst colourful drawings of cell pathways on a black surface.

Grow a Drawing with Briony Barr

Magnify the micro in this drop-in drawing activity with visual artist Briony Barr.

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 modern building featuring a ground-floor arcade with large, smooth, light-colored concrete arches and glass entryways, contrasted by a dark, wavy, organic-shaped facade on the upper levels, with green plants and purple flowers in the foreground.

Textiles and Modernist Architecture: A Proximate Relation

Explore the idea that textiles are integral to architecture.

People gathered in an exhibition space with displays.

Deaf Art Science Festival

A free festival for young people, families, members and allies of the deaf community.

A black and white photograph of stacked basic grocery items, as art.

Recovering Art

A creative exploration of the development of art therapy since the 1940s.

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.

Ngarn Wa'ngal: Art of the Gum Tree

Discover how the iconic gum tree has inspired centuries of Australian art and culture.

Researcher in white gown and blue gloves, working within a specialised biosafety cabinet in a laboratory setting.

Stem Cell Lightning Talks

Hear about big ideas in stem cell science shaping the future of medicine.

Three people with wooden pegs on a chessboard behind them.

Approaching Peace and Conflict Through a Global South Lens

Discover new perspectives on peace, conflict, and justice from the Global South.

Black and white image of architect Enrico Taglietti, sitting at his studio desk, surrounded by books and papers.

Taglietti: Life in Design

Celebrating architect Enrico Taglietti, whose humanist designs shaped Australia.

A smiling man with brown hair, identified as Thomas Roulet, dressed in a navy blazer over a light blue shirt and a red bow tie.

Public Lecture: Will the Future of Work be Ethical?

A lecture on the impact of AI on how, why and whether we will work tomorrow.

Close up of the face of George Megalogenis; a middle-aged man with short dark hair, dark eyes and a serious gaze.

Writers in RESIDENCE: George Megalogenis

Hear from legendary political journalist George Megalogenis over a meal at RESIDENCE at the Potter.

A lone person standing at the far end of a vast room dotted with lights, looking out a wide window towards an external brick facade.

Architecture for Empowerment

Showcasing the shortlisted and winning projects from the 2023-25 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

A person looking at botanical illustrations on a desk with a brochure tucked under his arm.

Flora, Fauna and TIGRR: The Past and Future of Biology

Visit three unique School of BioSciences teaching and research spaces.

A stack of four vintage books.

Re-imag(in)ing History with Digital Humanities

Explore the fascinating world of Chinese–English translators in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Portrait of an Indigenous woman surrounded by a border made up of close up images of a woman's eyes and mouth while screaming.

Wake in Fright

In a ferocious solo performance, Zahra Newman returns to the twisted heart of Wake in Fright.

Parkville attractions

Koala in a gum tree at Melbourne Zoo.

Melbourne Zoo

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

Stadium support structure and trees at Ikon Park.

Ikon Park

This historic ground is the training base of the Carlton Football Club.

Lake and trees at Royal Park.

Royal Park

Public park offering an array of recreational and sporting facilities.

A tall brick building with people outside and a large detailed entrance.

Science Gallery Melbourne

A free gallery where arts and science collide.

Two people in black in a gallery space looking at artefacts under glass cases.

The Potter Museum of Art

The Potter has supported generations of artists, curators, writers and academics for over 50 years.

People entering the museum arched entrance under leafy trees.

Grainger Museum

An autobiographical museum of acclaimed musician and composer Percy Grainger.

Historic brick building building at entrance to Melbourne General Cemetery.

Melbourne General Cemetery

Melbourne's most iconic and historically significant cemetery.

Exterior of Parkville Tennis Club showing wall, signage, gate, a fenced tennis court and trees in the background.

Parkville Tennis Club

Small, friendly tennis club on Royal Parade with three synthetic clay courts available for hire.

Red clay tennis courts in foreground with Royal Park Tennis Club and large green trees in the background.

Royal Park Tennis Club

One of the largest community tennis facilities in the state, with a history that goes back to 1889.

Aerial view of the outside courts of the State Netball and Hockey Centre and surrounding parkland.

Melbourne Sports Centres - Parkville

Victoria’s leading netball and hockey facility.

Two large pod-like steel sculptures in parkland.

Fruition

A distinctive artwork by Matthew Harding, at the gateway to Royal Park.

Where to eat and drink in Parkville

A selection of Chinese food, including a peking duck, displayed on traditional Chinese platters on a table.

Moja Duck Restaurant and Bar

The Peking Duck specialists with a whole range of Chinese cuisine and unique flavours.

A person brushing the tops of uncooked pies with a pastry brush.

Naughtons Hotel

Historic pub providing warm hospitality, quality drinks and farm-to-table dining.

Exterior of the St ALi coffee kiosk at University of Melbourne showing people walking and cycling past a curved brick structure that has a takeaway window counter.

ST. ALi Canteen

Specialty coffee with on the go food offerings perfect for Melbourne University students and staff.

Axil Coffee

Located in Tin Alley, and serving great coffee and food.

Two large folded over crepes, one with melted chocolate and fresh strawberries, the other with chocolate and marshmallows.

Carte Crepes

Takeaway crepes and artisan coffee from a little hut on the Melbourne Uni campus.

Two people walking past a serving window of a cafe in a black building.

Kintsugi Coffee

Kintsugi Coffee is the premier coffee and pastry spot in the Melbourne University precinct.

Frothed milk pored into a cup of coffee to create latte art.

STREAT

Social enterprise cafe in Parkville, helping disadvantaged young people.

Box of chocolates.

The Chocolate Box

A gourmet chocolate store located in the retail precinct of the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Server selecting food from a metal tray of hot dishes including Asian noodles and fried meat.

Alleyway Kitchen UOM

Perfect for a quick and delicious takeaway or a satisfying traditional Chinese meal.

Glass cup of black coffee.

House of Cards Espresso

At Melbourne Uni, House of Cards is a small cafe that dreams big, donating profits to charities.