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Unmissable Events That Make Melbourne Come Alive
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items From world-class sport to indie arts, here’s your curated guide to Melbourne’s most loved annual events.
Sections
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January - Tennis & Culture
February - Music & Beaches
March - Food Wine & more!
June - Theatre, music & more
July - Take a tour
August - Film & Arts
January - Tennis & Culture
12.01.2026 to 01.02.2026 - The Grand Slam tennis spectacle at Melbourne Park draws global stars and festival vibes across Federation Square.
Australian Open Tennis
Midsumma is Australia's premier queer arts and cultural organisation, bringing together a diverse mix of LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, communities and audiences.
Midsumma Festival
February - Music & Beaches
St Kilda Festival is known as Australia’s largest community festival – a celebration of community spirit, Australian talent, and the beautiful St Kilda foreshore. Since the first St Kilda Festival in 1980, this well-loved annual summer celebration ha...
St Kilda Festival
March - Food Wine & more!
5th - 8th March. Start your engines! The Formula 1 Grand Prix has an 11th team debuting at Albert Park in 2026!
Australian Grand Prix
March 6 - 9 2026. The iconic Moomba Festival welcomes people into the city annually on the Labour Day long weekend in March, to experience the traditions and fun of Melbourne’s longest-running and largest community festival.
Moomba Festival
25th March - 19th April 2026. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, alongside Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal's Just for Laughs. Held annually in Melbourne, Australia’s comedy ca...
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Founded in 1993, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival has grown from a modest offering of 12 events to an internationally recognised program of more than 400 events across the breadth of Melbourne, as well as satellite events around the state of Vi...
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
June - Theatre, music & more
RISING is a festival of new art, music, and performance, in the heart of Naarm/Melbourne.
RISING: Melbourne 04 — 15 June 2025
20th June - 10th August. Step into a world of wonder as the all-new Lightscape 2025 returns to Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne this winter. New sights. New sounds. A whole new journey. Whether it’s your first visit or a returning tradition, Lightscape 2025 promises an unforg...
Lightscape
French Impressionism is a major exhibition developed by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria. The exhibition charts the trajectory of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in late nineteenth-century Fra...
French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® 2025 | NGV
30th June - 9th August - Mother Play - A musical. Fresh from its 2024 Broadway triumph, where it earned four Tony nominations and won two Drama Desk Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award, it’s time for Melbourne audiences to be treated to this captivating drama starring Sigrid Thornton.
Melbourne Theatre Company
The Winter Night Market returns every Wednesday from June 4 – August 27, 5pm to 10pm. Get cosy and embrace Melbourne’s winter in the most iconic way! Wander our sheds and laneways sipping on mulled wine or a spiced milo, as the market comes alive wit...
Winter Night Market | Queen Victoria Market
July - Take a tour
Across Melbourne, every building, street and public place tells a unique story. Shaped by its transformation over time and the diverse communities that live here, the city is more than its bricks and mortar—the city is about people and place. The sto...
Open House Melbourne
August - Film & Arts
MIFF’s history significantly contributes to Melbourne’s standing as a cultural city. With its ongoing commitment to the collective festival experience being open to all, MIFF has contributed to community and connectedness in Melbourne. Audiences come...
Melbourne International Film Festival
September - The Arts & the Football
Melbourne Fringe democratises the arts. We have a vision of cultural democracy – empowering anyone to realise their right to creative expression. We champion discovery and experimentation, supporting the development and presentation of artworks by, w...
Melbourne Fringe
Held on the last Saturday in September. Get ready for the pinnacle of Australian sport—the 2025 Toyota AFL Grand Final, set to electrify the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
AFL Grand Final
October - The Catwalk & a run.
20th - 26th October 2025. Catwalks and events showcasing Australian designers and runway shows.
Melbourne Fashion Week Returns 2025
Be a part of Australia’s premier marathon and race alongside marathon legends. Circle around Albert Park Lake, Flinders Street Station, pass the St Kilda beach foreshore and cross the finish line at the MCG to cheers from supporters, family and frien...
Race Day - Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival
November - Day off for a horse race!
Held on the first Tuesday in November annually, a public holiday is called for the race. The world over is enraptured by one race, the race that stops a nation.
Official Site | Victoria Racing Club