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?
Pearl Jam coming to Melbourne this November
In support of their upcoming album Dark Matter, Pearl Jam will head out on a world tour this year, hitting nine countries and 25 cities – including Melbourne where they will play at Marvel Stadium on 16 November.
The Kooks return to Australia
Following an exhilarating sold-out run in 2022, beloved Brighton indie band, The Kooks, are returning to Australia by popular demand and will play at the Palais Theatre St Kilda on 30 April.
Blak & Bright literary festival 2024 program announced
The Naarm-based Black & Bright First Nations Literary Festival is a four-day tshowcase celebratingthe diverse expressions of First Nations writers and covers all genres from oral stories to epic novels and plays to poetry. The 2024 program for 14-17 March is now out.
Moomba’s 70th anniversary
Beloved Australian entertainers, Emma Memma (Emma Watkins) and Pete Helliar, have been crowned as the 2024 Moomba Monarchs, helping Melbourne celebrate 70 years of the iconic festival when it returns this Labor Day long weekend in March.
The Tea Party touring in June
Iconic Canadian rockers The Tea Party are heading back to Australia this June for the first time since 2019, bringing their [TRIPtych] 25 tour to our shores. The tour will bring them to Melbourne on 20 June 2024 where they’ll play at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda.
Pixar Film Fest brings three pandemic-release films to the big screen for the first time
Three Pixar films that went straight to streaming on Disney+ during the pandemic are getting a limited cinematic release for the Pixar Film Fest hitting cinemas in February and March.
Port Phillip Mussel and Jazz Festival returns
The much-anticipated Port Phillip Mussel & Jazz Festival is back, returning to the South Melbourne Market on the Labour Day long weekend, Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March 2024 with the full program announced.
See The Terminator accompanied by a live orchestra
Melbourne’s Hamer Hall is set to host a spectacular event featuring James Cameron’s timeless sci-fi masterpiece, The Terminator, accompanied by a live rendition of Brad Fiedel’s unforgettable synthesizer-led score from 3-5 May 2024.
Save the date for these
Also just announced:
- 50 years ago, from 1972-1975, a small patch of land between Sunbury and Diggers Rest hosted Australia’s biggest music festival at the time – Sunbury Pop Festival. Save the date for Saturday 13 April when Sunbury ’24 – a 50th anniversary commemoration will take place. More information including tickets, lineup, activities and more coming soon!
- Enjoy a hugely entertaining access-all-areas conversation with former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner, star of Drive to Survive, spanning a decade inside Formula 1. At the Arts Centre on 20 March.
- Marcia Hines is touring her 50th anniversary concert tour, Still Shining in the latter half of 2024 – and she’s taking it to a whole bunch of places across regional Victoria
- Join Readings at Cinema Nova Carlton on 26 March to hear award-winning writer and journalist, Louise Milligan, in conversation to discuss her thriller Pheasants Nest.
- Aussie rock band The Angels are playing some one-off shows later this year to celebrate their 50th anniversary. You can catch them at The Prince Bandroom in St Kilda on Friday 28 June and The Croxton Bandroom in Thornbury on Saturday 29 June.
- Deborah Francis-White, The Guilty Feminist has announced tour dates for her live podcast featuring a different lineup of incredible guests. She’ll be at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on 25 May,
- Renowned singer-songwriter Clare Bowditch is playing at Bayside City Council’s Live and Local event at Balcombe Park, Beaumaris on Sunday 17 March.
- The Night Cat is holding a Taylor Swift Tortured Poets Department release party when her new album drops on 19 April.
- Tickets are now on sale to the Bell Shakespeare Company’s production of King Lear at the Arts Centre Melbourne 25 July to 11 August.
- Five-time ARIA award-winning artist Katie Noonan joins the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and members of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra at Hamer Hall for one night only on 30 May.
- Elvis: An American Trilogy is back at The Palms at Crown on 3-4 October.
- Bunjil Place’s annual Global Flavour Feast is on 9 March – a day/night global food event bringing together the City of Casey’s most beloved food trucks, serving up a mouth watering array of our local cultural flavours.
- Catch comedian Paul McDermott at the Brunswick Ballroom on 4-5 April.
- International human rights barrister and TV’s ‘Hypothetical’ presenter Geoffrey Robertson AO, KC will grapple with the state of Australia and the world today during a provocative, insightful, witty, engaging evening, live on stage in Geelong and Melbourne in May.
- Jimmy Barnes is bringing his “Hell of a Time” tour to Frankston, Warragul and Shepparton in June.
- On Sunday 25 February, mosques across Melbourne and regional Victoria will welcome all Victorians as part of this year’s Mosque Open Day.
- Banyule Council’s pet and sustainability-focused Eco Festival 2024 is being held at Petrie Park in Montmorency on 17 March.
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:
- From Monday February 19 – Friday February 23 between 5pm and 7pm, Drive Live at the Collingwood Yards will see two acts performing daily – LIVE, and direct to you via the PBS airwaves. Bookings essential if you want to be in the audience.
- The Victorian Caravan, Camping and Touring Supershow 2024 is on at the Melbourne Showgrounds on 21-25 February.
- Gaytimes – the camping festival of your big gay dreams – is on at Gembrook from 22-25 February.
- The Melbourne Art Fair is on 22-25 February.
- Oscar Animated Shorts are a special release of the 2024 Oscar nominated short films and are available to watch on the big screen for a limited time from 22 February at Cinema Nova in Carlton.
- The free 2024 Eltham Jazz, Food and Wine Festival takes place on 23-24 February.
- The second Flinders Fringe Festival will be held over the weekend of 23-24 February featuring local artists, businesses and venues from across the Mornington Peninsula.
- Head to Cinema Nova in Carlton for the Science Fiction Film Festival from 23-25 February.
- Moorabbin Music + Arts — a new annual festival of music, art, culture and community – is on 23-25 February.
- More than 90 potters will be displaying their work at the Warrandyte Pottery Expo on 24-25 February.
- The Antipodes Lonsdale Street Greek Festival is on 24 and 25 February.
- The Melbourne Fashion Festival is on from 24 February – 9 March.
- The Moonee Valley Festival is on Saturday 24 February.
- See colourful dahlias on display at the 2024 State Dahlia Show in Mount Waverley on 24-25 February.
- The 2024 Berwick Show is on at Akoonah Park on 24-25 February.
- The Pregnancy, Babies and Childrens Expo is on at MCEC on 24-25 February.
- The Eynesbury Comedy Festival is on Saturday 24 February.
- One of the City of Yarra’s much-loved cultural events, the Johnston Street Fiesta welcomes you back to celebrate Hispanic and Latin American culture in the heart of Fitzroy on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February.
- Two of Melbourne’s most popular and long-running markets – The Rose St. Artists’ Market and Queen Victoria Market – will combine to provide a platform for emerging fashion designers as part of Melbourne Fashion Week on 24 February.
- Celebrate summer with a night of free live music under the stars at Carnegie’s Packer Park on 24 February headlined by the ARIA winning 25-piece Ska Orchestra.
- The 91 Vintage Market is on at The Line in Footscray on 24 February.
- Art By Twilight is on for one night only on 24 February will treat guests to a relaxed evening at Heide with an opportunity to explore the current exhibitions and enjoy food, drinks, live music and more.
- Taking over the magnificent Abbotsford Convent across 5 stages the Daybreak Festival on 24 February aims to connect with the heritage and history of the space while celebrating and showcasing music and art from local and abroad.
- There’s a Blink 182 ice skating night at iceHQ in Reservoir on 24 February.
- The Melbourne Lunar New Year Dragon Boat Festival is on in Docklands on Sunday 25 February.
- The 2024 Teddy Bears Picnic is on at Ripponlea Estate, Elsternwick, on Sunday 25 February.
- The Mornington Bridal Expo is on at the Peninsula Community Theatre on 25 February
- The Clayton Festival is on Sunday 25 February.
- The Community Food Aid Festival is on at Eltham’s Edendale Farm on 25 February.
- The St Kilda Bowls Club Record Fair is on 25 February.
- The Greater Dandenong Sustainability Festival returns to the Dandenong Market on Sunday 25 February 2024.
- Honour the contribution of war animals who have given their loyalty and their lives at the Shrine’s War Animal Day Last Post Service on 25 February.
- Saxophonist and singer Wilbur Wilde will celebrate fifty years of musicianship at Montsalvat in Eltham on 25 February with his performance ‘Blowout’.
- Join in the Old Treasury Building public tour on 25 February see areas of the building inaccessible to the general public, including the Executive Council Chamber.
- Immerse yourself in Korean culture at the Seoul Sunday Market at EziStreat in North Melbourne on 25 February.
- The Koorie Heritage Trust’s 11th Koorie Art Show is on until 25 February.
- There’s a Black Star Pastry pop-up at Westfield Doncaster until 25 February
- Fed Square’s Summer at the Square program features a curated program of film and music – with something new each night of the week until 29 February.
- The Summer Sunset series is on at the Royal Botanic Gardens with a free concert every Sunday until 3 March.
- The Europa! Europa! Film Festival is on until 11 March.
- The iconic Rock ‘N’ Roll musical The Rocky Horror Show is back and stars Australian superstar Jason Donovan as he reprises his role of Frank N Furter for the 2024 season. At the Athenaeum until 17 March.
- Joan Lindsay’s My Day of Days exhibition runs until 30 March, exploring her personal connection to St Valentines Day at the National Trust Property Mulberry Hill.
- NGV Triennial 2023 is a powerful snapshot of the world today, captured through the work of over 100 artists, designers, and collectives at the forefront of global contemporary practice. Until 7 April.
- Tim Minchin’s Groundhog Day: The Musical is playing at the Princess Theatre until 7 April.
- Catch the immersive digital experience Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature at ACMI until 14 April.
- Spanning more than 50,000 square metres, the Blue Lotus Water Garden is a seasonal garden at Yarra Junction containing over 40 different ponds, lakes and water features. You can see it this year until 14 April.
- Pentridge Prison’s exhibition Crime Time TV is a fascinating and nostalgic journey through the history of Australian crime television, running until 14 April.
- Take a majestic 360-degree audio visual journey and explore iconic landscapes and connect with mesmerising animals from around the world at the BBC Earth Experience, on until 28 April.
- See more than 200 artefacts from the Titanic at the Melbourne Museum’s Titanic: The Artefacts Exhibition, running until 30 April.
- The Science Gallery at the University of Melbourne’s exhibition – NOT NATURAL – explores our increasing ability to control nature and the plethora of possibilities and ethical dilemmas that come with that power. Running until 29 June.
