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

Dates

1 Dec - 31 Dec

Discover things to do in Melbourne in December, from a wonderland of free Christmas events to exhibitions, attractions and places to visit.

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.

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.

Federation square on a sunny day overlooking Flinders Station and the city skyline

What's free in Melbourne this month

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

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.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
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The Story of the Moving Image

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

Novelty wind-up chattering teeth against a yellow background.
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Basement Comedy Club: Weekend Showcase

Bringing you the biggest names and best comedians in the country, and beyond.

Australian Aboriginal political activist Robbie Thorpe, holding a microphone in front of the Aboriginal flag.
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Library Cinema at narrm ngarrgu

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

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.

Four rows of people sitting smiling and laughing.
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Kings of Comedy: Underground, Uncensored, Unrivalled

Enjoy stand-up comedy from future stars and celebrity guest headliners.

A group of smiling participants in a studio workshop setting, holding glass-domed terrariums.
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Serene Terrarium: Workshop for Beginners

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

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

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

Four cabaret performers surrounded by pink and yellow feather fans.
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Cabaret Ridiculous

An hour of variety entertainment that’s as unpredictable as it is unforgettable.

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

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

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

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

Two people on a stage giving each other a high five, one also holding a microphone.
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Comedy at the Coopers Inn

A comedy club featuring the best local, interstate and international stand-up comedians.

Three people seated around a wooden table, each reading a paperback novel.
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English Learners' Book Club

A place where English learners connect to discuss books and share ideas.

Musicians performing on stage with guitar and double bass.

Ramble Tamble: Xmas Show

The four-piece band set Bird's alight with their tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival.

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

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

Person standing in an exhibition gallery with digital and sculptural displays.
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EMERGENCE[Y]

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

Violinists playing as part of a seated orchestra.

Meet @ the Market: Session 3

A concert of profound feeling: from grief to hope and joy, paired with custom cocktails.

A still from a film showing a family celebrating around a woman sitting in front of a birthday cake.
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Matinees at ACMI Cinemas

Celebrate cinema at a sensible hour with ACMI's thoughtfully curated line-up of films.

Diners seated at a restaurant table on a floating river cruise, with plates of food in front of them and the water of the Yarra River in the background.
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Spirit of Melbourne Lunch Cruise

Cruise the Yarra River in elegance and comfort and savour your meal on a two-hour lunch cruise.

Cruise boat on Yarra River with buildings and bridge.
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Ports and Docklands Cruise

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

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.

People walking past stencil artwork of cats on a white wall in a Melbourne laneway.
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Art, History, Food and Wine Tour

The perfect introduction to Melbourne – street art, curious tales, wine tasting and tapas.

A choral singer in black with other members of the choir behind her.
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Handel's Messiah

Join the MSO and an all-Australian cast for Handel’s Messiah – a Christmas tradition.

Portrait of a woman with her face painted blue and embellished with gold stars, wearing a colourful, fan-like headdress.
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Passage: The Art of Atong Atem

NGV presents the first-ever major solo exhibition of contemporary artist Atong Atem.

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

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

The feet of two people on a walking tour, standing on a tiled floor.
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East Melbourne Walking Tours

Take a guided walking tour of East Melbourne to discover secrets and hear untold stories.

An orchestra dressed in red suits playing on a stage that is decorated in festive and seasonal Christmas decorations.

Christmas Melodies

Join in the seasonal celebration of a Morning Melodies Christmas concert.

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.
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Songbirds

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

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

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

A close up image of a brass instrument.

Academy End of Year Showcase

Young musicians celebrate the end of their Academy year, performing a program of chamber music.

A child wearing a plastic coat, squirting paint with a paintgun at a pink canvas on a wall splattered with paint.
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Melbourne Paint Lab Art Workshop

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

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

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

A group of people with eyes closed, sitting cross legged on the floor practicing meditation.
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Heartfulness Meditation and Wellness

Learn to relax, meditate and live stress-free with a simple heart-based meditation practice.

A large group of people all holding ukeleles as they pose for a photo in a white-walled room.
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Strum and Sing

Join this ukelele community, whether you're a seasoned pro or have never held a uke in your life.

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

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

Group of runners in the Botanical Gardens at the Tan, listening to a speaker.
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Free Fun Run Time Trial at The Tan

Whether you’re chasing a PB, keen for a casual jog or just fancy a scenic walk.

People dressed as characters from Fawlty Towers, with Basil strangling Manuel as Sybil talks on the phone.
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Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience

The global sensation returns with a fully immersive dining experience.

Selection of cassette tapees with handmade covers.
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Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations

A stirring exhibition exploring romantic love through the State Library's extraordinary archive.

A young boy in a red woolen jumper looking scared with his hands to his cheeks, two bad men looking through the window behind him.
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Home Alone in Concert

Experience the beloved comedy classic with John Williams' charming score performed live by the MSO.

People watching a fireworks display over the City of Melbourne from a boat on the Yarra River.

New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise

Celebrate in style with an all-inclusive harbour and river cruise departing Docklands.

Black and white photograph from the 1960s of model, Twiggy, wearing a mini-dress at the Melbourne Cup.
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Swinging 60s

This exhibition looks at what it was like to live in Victoria during the 1960s.

A tour guide wearing a pink t-shirt, talking to a couple on a walking tour about the mural art on the wall behind him.
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Melbourne: An Insider's Walk

Uncover Melbourne's many layers with an artist guide – stories, street art, coffee and baked treats.

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

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

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.
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Body Worlds: The Anatomy of Happiness

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

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

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

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

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

Selection of market goods including packets of teas and biscuits.
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Kensington Market

An eclectic mix of homewares, culinary treats, ceramics, sustainable goods and visual art.

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

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

Market stallholder with her puppet toys, beside the Yarra River in the CBD.
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The Sunday Market at Southgate

Explore the Sunday Market at Southgate and meet the makers.

Hand holding a brush over marbled pattern in a water bath.
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Water Marbling Workshop

Learn the art of water marbling and apply it to textiles.

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

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

A couple on stage kissing in front of a red cursive sign saying L'amour.
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Encore!

See 50 objects, from 50 years in one collection.

View of Melbourne skyscrapers from Yarra River.
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Parks and Gardens Cruise

Enjoy a one-hour cruise on the relaxing River Gardens sightseeing tour.

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

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

See all events in December

Discover more

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.

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 night tennis match at Rod Laver Arena.

Major events

From the Australian Open to the Melbourne Cup, major events take centre stage throughout the year.

Young child, in front of an artsy background, looking up at something.

Family and kids

Find things to do with the kids, from family-friendly events to fun attractions and workshops.