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?
Just announced: Groundhog Day the Musical headed to Melb in 2024
Tim Minchin’s blockbuster musical Groundhog Day The Musical is set to make its Australian premiere at Melbourne’s iconic Princess Theatre in January 2024, where it will run for an exclusive season.
This is the first time the production will have been staged outside of London and New York. Melbourne will be the first Australian city to host the musical, following a record-breaking season in London earlier this year.
Summer Camp Festival lineup revealed
Summer Camp festival is created by the queer community for the community and legendary allies. It’s a safe space of love and celebration where everyone is welcome – no matter your preference or pronouns. It’s on at the St Kilda Marina on 2 December.
See Taylor Swift’s Eras concert on the silver screen
If you missed out on nabbing tickets to see Tay Tay at the MCG in February, you still have the chance to see the concert… at the cinema. Melbourne will be getting The Eras Tour concert film when it is released in cinemas worldwide on 13 October.
A Fromage Affair at the South Melbourne Market
Explore South Melbourne Market’s sights, sounds and smells on a self-guided tour between 18-28 October -stopping along the way to sample dishes featuring the market’s incredible range of cheeses from its delis, restaurants and traders. Bookings are essential.
Save the date for Kylie and Dannii Day at the Camberwell Sunday Market
The Camberwell Sunday market will be celebrating the Minogue sisters, Kylie and Dannii, on Sunday 29 October, and their connection to Camberwell. There will be live entertainment, music, lip-sync performances, trivia, a fashion parade, photo wall and more- including.a performance by Melbourne’s most famous Kylie impersonator, Millie Minogue.
Save the date for these:
- NLE Choppa is coming to The Forum in Melbourne on 9 January 2024.
- Join one of our most celebrated raconteurs, Matt Preston, as he turns his gaze inwards and spins his own tale in this exclusive launch event in celebration of Big Mouth, a rock’n’roll memoir of life, death and growing up with the occasional scandal. He’ll be joined onstage by ABC Melbourne’s Jacinta Parsons at the Brunswick Ballroom on 8 November.
- Grinspoon frontman Phil Jamieson is embarking on a solo tour in 2024. He’ll be playing the following dates in Victoria: Wednesday 31 January – Beechworth, Thursday 1 February – Castlemaine, Friday 2 February – St Kilda, Saturday 3 February – Geelong, Sunday 4 February – Rye, Thursday 8 February – Frankston, Friday 9 February – Sunbury.
- The Queensberry Cup is a street festival and a celebration of the diverse communities of North Melbourne and West Melbourne. On Saturday 22 October, Errol and Queensberry Streets are closed to traffic and turned over to a range of good times, including billy cart races, the Famous Village Dog Show, food and drink, live performance and much more.
- ARIA Award winning hildren’s artist, Teeny Tiny Stevies are returning to the stage – they’ve just announced performances at the brand new Whitehorse performing arts centre, The Round, in January 2024.
- Tickets are now on sale for the Jewish International Film Festival with screenings at the Lido Cinema in Hawthorn and Classic Cinemas in Elsternwick from 23 October – 6 December.
- Every Wednesday throughout October and November at the Immigration Museum, you can discover the means to unwind, revitalise, and enhance your overall well-being through the practice of meditative sound baths as part of its Wellbeing Within program.
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:
- Australia’s largest gaming festival, PAX Australia, is on at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 6-8 October. https://www.mcec.com.au/whats-on/2023/10/pax-australia
- Melton comes alive for a mesmerising celebration of art and culture at Reimagine Melton on 6-7 October. Showcasing a mix of performance, music and visual arts, this two night event transforms the heart of Melton Town Centre into a vibrant hub of creativity and family entertainment.
- Be Bold Festival in St Albans is a celebration of the diverse multicultural community on 7 October. Featuring special family friendly events including performences, art, music, dance, creative workshops, childrens activities and more.
- Grapevine Gathering is returning to Victoria, offering a ripe blend of top-shelf music, fine local produce and grape times among the vines. It’s on at Coldstream on7 October.
- Join Thomas the Tank Engine for a day full of colourful adventures at The Bellarine Railway on 7-8 October.
- Head to Dal Zotto Wines at Whitfield in the high country on 7 October for the Victorian Salami Festival.
- Monster Jam – the world’s larger than life motorsport – featuring 12,000 pound trucks tearing up the dirt with massive stunts is on at AAMI Park on Saturday 7 October.
- The Bonsai Society of Victoria is having an exhibition at the Box Hill Town Hall on 7-8 October that showcases a broad range of traditional Japanese styles as well as contemporary approaches to bonsai art. Sales of bonsai, plants, imported and local bonsai pots, tools, wire and all bonsai accessories.
- Toast to the Coast – Geelong’s one day wine festival – is back on 7 October.
- The Pier Festival – the queer music festival – is on Saturday 7 October at the SeaWorks Maritime Precinct in Williamstown. Featuring queer music, artists, bands, DJs, entertainment, food trucks and more.
- There’s a pop-up ping pong event on all weekend on 7-8 October at Grazeland and Spotswood for table tennis players of all abilities.
- Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature is running at the Melbourne Museum until 8 October.
- Join Australian and international influencers, businesses and industry until 8 October for Melbourne International Games Week 2023 – Asia Pacific’s largest digital games celebration.
- The Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors’ 114th Annual ExhibitionChanging Perspectives will be on at the Frater, McCubbin and Hammond Galleries is on until 9 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.
- The skies above the Birrarung come alive with Sky Symphony, an extraordinary sound and light installation from 11-15 October.
- The Melbourne Dog Lover’s Festival is on at Jeff’s Shed from 13 to 15 October.
- The Finders Keepers Melbourne/Naarm Spring/Summer markets are on at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton from 13 to 15 October
- The Pregnancy, Babies and Childrens Expo is on at Jeff’s Shed from 13 to 15 October
- The Beaumaris Modernist Festival is being held on 13-15 October
- Catch Disney Princess – the Concert live on stage on Saturday 14 October, performed by Broadway stars, at the Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
- The community of Rochester is preparing for ROCHELLA – an epic day of live music, food, family fun and more in the name of recovery and resilience. At the Rochester Recreation Reserve on Saturday 14 October.
- Australian Mushrooms and The Australian Mushroom Growers’ Association will be hosting their first Mushroom Festival at Queen Victoria Market on 14-15 October.
- The Melbourne Meccano Club’s annual exhibition showcasing the work of its members is on Saturday 14 October in Gardenvale.
- Meander through the hidden gems of the Yarra Valley with two days of wine-tasting, live music, delicious bites and stunning scenery over a dozen participating family-run wineries at the Yarra Valley Smaller Wineries Shed Fest, on 14 and 15 October.
- Enjoy a rare insight into the private creative spaces of local artists at the Banyule Open Studios on 14-15 October. Art forms on display include installation, performance, video, photography, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery, drawing, painting, printmaking, mosaics, textile and fibre art.
- There will be a melting pot culinary flavours to sample as the Dandenong Market holds its Street Feast event on Saturday 14 October and carefully curates Melbourne’s finest street food traders, creating a mouthwatering medley of tastes, flavours, aromas, and cultures.
- The Whitehorse Spring Festival is on Sunday 15 October. The theme for the festival this year is “Let’s Play” and celebrates the community coming together and having fun through play.
- Australia’s premier marathon festival – the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival – is on 15 October.
- 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.
- Banyule’s annual “Breakfast with the Birds” is on 15 October, featuring a guided walk with bird sighting, breakfast and refreshments. Breakfast with the Birds Tickets, Sun 15/10/2023 at 7:00 am | Eventbrite
- 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.
- The Chinese Museum presents Dusk Till Dawn – 14 Nights at the Museum as part of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Suitable for young and old, including families looking to experience Chinese culture – it runs until 15 October.
- The 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival runs until 22 October with three massive weeks of comedy, cabaret, theatre and more from independent artists.
- 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.
- A series of five exciting free fashion displays will be popping up around the city until 29 October, creating a buzz in the lead up to and during Melbourne Fashion Week.
- 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.
- Elvis: A Musical Revolution is on at the Athenaeum Theatre until 26 November, celebrating the life and music of Elvis Presley and featuring more than 40 iconic songs.
- Mamma Mia the musical featuring 22 of ABBA’s greatest has opened at the Princess Theatre and runs until 3 December
- 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.
- 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.
