I subscribe to all the things so you don’t have to. This is a curated list of what’s been announced over the past week so you can save the date, or swoop on tickets, and also a list of what’s coming up soon if you’re looking to make last-minute plans.
What’s new?
The Melbourne Theatre Company announces its 2024 season
The MTC has announced a lineup of 12 productions that it will be presenting in 2024, from romance to tragedy to comedies: the 2024 season has it all.
First lineup announcement for next year’s Port Fairy Folk Festival
The long running popular event has revealed its first artist line up for 2024 featuring artists from America, Europe and Australia.
Free exhibition of Amy Winehouse photos coming in November
Photographs of the late singer Amy Winehouse as a 19 year old on the cusp of stardom will be presented in a new exhibition that’s coming to Melbourne from 1-5 November. The Amy, Before Frank exhibition features photos captured by renowned photographer Charles Moriarty, who was a long-time friend of Winehouse.
So Frenchy So Chic returns in 2024
Next year’s event boasts an impressive roster of chart-topping bands, including La Femme, the dynamic electric duo Kill The Pain, the soulful Malo, and the mesmerizing Laure Briard. In addition to the musical lineup, there will be a delectable array of culinary delights from renowned establishments such as Frederic, Hotel Gitan, Loulou, and Bouillon L’Entrecôte.
Anticipate an array of exciting new interactive experiences, including wine masterclasses led by expert sommeliers, hands-on ceramic workshops, and a multitude of engaging activities for children (children under 12 attend for free). At Werribee park on Sunday 14 January.
Free tastings of small Yarra Valley winery products in Collingwood
On Thursday nights for the next three weeks, join an evening of complimentary wine tasting in Collingwood with 14 members of the Yarra Valley Smaller Wineries Association.
Into the Valley is a partnership with Into Coffee, that will let you savour the authentic flavours of the Yarra Valley, while you get acquainted with a diverse selection of family-owned, small-batch wineries.
Regurgitator and Pseudo Echo to headline Melton’s Djerriwarrh Festival
Melton City Council’s largest annual festival, Djerriwarrh Festival, will be back on Saturday 11 November 2023 and they’ve just announced this year’s lineup.
Check out Chaddy’s free interactive and immersive art installations these holidays
Visit Dreamweaver – three unique installations and experience mesmerising displays of light, colour, movement, and reflection at Chadstone – the Fashion Capital over the school holidays.
Save the date for these:
- Australians will soon vote in a referendum to decide whether the Voice to Parliament should be enshrined in our Constitution. The City of Melbourne is holding a panel at Melbourne Town Hall called ‘Understanding the Voice to Parliament’ on Thursday 21 September. Hear from a panel of experts and community leaders on what the Voice is, why it’s important and what the outcome of this referendum means for our nation’s future.
- You Am I has announced a new national tour. They’re playing at the Torquay Hotel on Friday 3 November and Monday 6 November at the Prince Bandroom in St Kilda.
- Catch comedian Joel Creasey’s stand up gig at Classic Cinema Elsternwick on Friday 27 October. Joel will also be appearing in a just-announced Christmas show with his best pal Rhys Nicholson called Rhys and Joel’s Family Christmas on 9 December at Thornbury Theatre.
- The Knox Stringybark Festival is a free community event celebrating homegrown creativity, sustainability, education, play and all things local. It’s on 15 October in Rowville.
- Join Jacinta Parsons on 1 October at The Round in Nunawading in a thought-provoking and energising conversation with Claire Halliday for Ageism Awareness Day, as they delve into the pages of Jacinta’s latest book. Through candid discussions, Jacinta and Claire invite the audience to question their perceptions of getting older and re-evaluate the meaning of ageing in a society obsessed with youth.
- Dumpling lovers, rejoice. A new dumpling event – the Downtown Dumpling Market – has been announced over 18 nights from 9-26 November at Birrarung Marr.
What to do?
Never mind the naysayers, Melbourne is not dead! Here’s a round-up of things happening in and around Melbourne this weekend and over the next few weeks:
- The Melbourne Cocktail Festival – a week-long celebration of Melbourne’s bars and nighttime culture – takes place from 18-24 September. This year it includes a Bar Safari with discounted cocktails across Melbourne so you can discover some of the city’s hidden gems.
- Melbourne Royal Show (fomerly Royal Melbourne Show) is on from 21 September to 1 October.
- The critically acclaimed Broadway stage musical production of Winnie the Pooh is headed to the Comedy Theatre from 21 to 24 September.
- Australia’s biggest EV show – the Melbourne Electric Vehicle Show – is headed to Jeff’s Shed from 22-24 September.
- Youth Fest 2023 is on at Queens Park Moonee Ponds on Friday 22 September, featuring live music, free activities, food trucks, market stalls and more.
- The Astronomical Society of Victoria is hosting a public stargazing night at Caulfield Race Course on 22 September.
- Head to Federation Square for the 3rd Chinese Traditional Cultural Festival on 23-24 September, presenting Chinese dance and music performances, traditional Chinese culture shows and Chinese musical instruments.
- The Queen Victoria Market Moon Festival is on 23 and 24 September. This is a free two day celebration of harvest and thanksgiving featuring delicious food, cultural performances, live music and interactive activities for the whole family to enjoy.
- Mont de Lancey in Wandin North is hosting its first Spring Festival on 23 and 24 to September. Explore the gardens and buildings and participate in a range of activities and demonstrations.
- The Driftork X Tuned “Sideways Festival” is on at Calder Park Reaceway on Saturday 23 September,
- The Mellow Art Market featuring more than 80 stalls showcasing creatives is on 23-24 September at Crown promenade.
- The Werribee River Association is hosting its inaugural River FEST on Sunday 24 September. Commemorating World River’s Day, the festival celebrates the Werribee River, the iconic platypus and the communities that call it home.
- Mambo Mania – a series of events where “dance and art collide” is happening at the District Docklands until 29 September.
- Art Lovers Australia’s More is More exhibition celebrates maximalists who love more colour, more texture and more layers. It’s on at their Collingwood Gallery until 30 September.
- Have an out of this world time at the IMAX Spacetember Film Festival, screening a range of space related cult classics on the 7-storey screen from until 30 September.
- ACMI’s winter blockbuster exhibition Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion celebrates women and gender-transcending superstars from more than 120 years of moving image history. You can catch it until 1 October. All tickets are now $10 until it closes.
- Explore 85 acres of flowering cherry trees at the annual Blossom Festival at Cherryhill Orchards until 1 October. There are a range of additional experiences for the cherry lovers, including high teas and wine and dine packages.
- Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature is running at the Melbourne Museum until 8 October.
- The Italian Cultural Institute of Melbourne presents Tools For After, a Festival of Ideas until 10 October bringing the brightest minds in design, architecture and climate science from Italy to Melbourne across multiple venues io celebrate Italian ingenuity through programs of design, architecture, science, food, cinema, and literature, through the mediums of film, visual art, design, workshops, talks, and tasting.
- Shantaram: the Journey from Punishment to Peace is a free immersive exhibition at Pentridge Prison until 15 October. Experience the captivating story of Gregory David Roberts, the renowned author of Shantaram and former inmate who transformed his life from punishment to peace.
- Head up to Silvan for the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival, until 15 October. More than a million flowering spring bulbs are on show. There’s also live entertainment, delicious food and more.
- nightshifts – a contemporary art exhibition that considers the importance of solitude is on display at the Buxton Contemporary Art Museum until 29 October. The exhibition shifts in and out of focus like a dreamscape and features works from the Michael Buxton and University of Melbourne collections alongside new commissions.
- Catch the Archibald Prize Exhibition at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery until 5 November.
- “Smells Like A Song” an improvised musical performed by the Impro Melbourne players who pull an entire musical together out of thin air and audience suggestions. Playing various Friday nights until 10 November.
- The immersive Friends experience is on in Docklands until 26 November. Recreate your favourite scenes and celebrate some of the most iconic moments from the beloved sitcom at this truly unique interactive experience.
- Relics: A New World Rises at the Melbourne Museum runs until 28 January. Set in a future long after humanity’s reign, RELICS tells the story of a world where LEGO® minifigures have risen from the debris to craft intricate civilisations in discarded human artefacts, each one inspired by the object they now call home.
- Moulin Rouge the Musical has returned to the Regent Theatre, running until 24 December. Get your tickets here.
- Consisting of over 850,000 items, a significant portion of the Australian Performing Arts Collection (APAC) is now available to the public via behind-the-scenes tours of the Collections Store, located at Hamer Hall. Tours are on Sundays until 31 December.
- The Castlemaine Art Museum will present an exhibition of the finalists in the 2023 Experimental Print Prize, running until 28 January 2024.
