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?
Twenty One Pilots global tour
Grammy Award winning duo Twenty One Pilots have announced details a massive global world tour, which will bring them to Melbourne this November.
Cat Empire to play with MSO
Legendary Australian band, The Cat Empire, will join forces with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) for a string of electrifying performances featuring their most beloved tunes and exuberant new music at Hamer Hall this August.
Melanie C will be DJing at The Espy in April
Don’t miss out on your chance to see pop royalty at The Espy on 27 April as Melanie C, famously known as “Sporty Spice” from the iconic 1990s pop group The Spice Girls, will DJ a set in the Gershwin Room.
Large animatronic dinosaurs at every Victorian zoo
Victoria’s zoos are being transformed into prehistoric playgrounds with Zoos Victoria’s new Dinos at the Zoo immersive experience providing an unforgettable journey back in time until 14 July.
The Stems 40th anniversary tour
West Australian garage rock legends The Stems are making a triumphant return to the live stage for a series of dates around the country in August for their 40th anniversary. They’ll be playing at The Corner Hotel in Richmond on 24 August.
Watch new Bluey special live in Fed Square
Enjoy the 28-minute Bluey special The Sign live on the Big Screen at Fed Square with your family and furry friends (dogs welcome!) and catch the most anticipated wedding of the year! On 14 April.
CherryFest 2024 at Cherry Bar
CherryFest 2024 is taking place on Saturday 4 May from 2pm to 11pm with 10 acts on the Cherry Stage. You’ll enjoy Gooch Palms, Willie J & The Bad Books, Aardvark, Ben Mastwyk & His Millions, Avalanche, Hot Machine, The Stripp, Persecution Blues, The Shadow Ministers and more…
Ballarat Heritage Festival program announced
Prepare to be amazed and captivated in Ballarat during May, with preparations now in full swing for the 2024 Ballarat Heritage Festival. The 10-day festival will be held from 17-26 May 2024, celebrating Ballarat’s rich heritage, unique stories and vibrant creative community.
Save the date for these
Also just announced:
- Celebrate International Sculpture Day at Montalto on Saturday 27 April 2024, and join John Mitchell (owner of Montalto) and Neil Williams (Creative Director – Sculpture) for a guided tour of Montalto’s inspiring Sculpture Trail.
- After conquering stages across the globe and on the back of their stunning new album The Catalyst, Swedish metal virtuosos AMARANTHE are finally set to embark on their first ever tour of Australia. They’ll play at the Northcote Theatre on 31 August.
- Visit sustainable homes as part of Sustainable House Day on 21 April. Explore inspiring homes, and learn from the people who designed them, built them, and live in them.
- Join fellow bookworms and pop culture experts for a day of adventure, as fantastical characters and amazing stories come together in a celebration of all things quirky at Dandy-Con in Dandenong on 27 April.
- Iconic vocal duo Vika and Linda Bull are performing at The National Theatre in St Kilda for one show only on 30 May.
- 14 choirs will perform across five hours in three atmospheric art galleries in the delightful surrounds of Montsalvat on 5 May. Food trucks and pop up coffee will be available on the day.
- The Crank Up Heritage and Community Festival takes place at the Upper Yarra Museum in Yarra Junction on 6-7 April. This event showcases vintage machinery, vintage cars, live blacksmithing and heritage trades demonstrations, an exciting wood chop competition and working draught horses.
- Celebrate May The Fourth weekend at Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn and Classic Cinemas in Elsternwick as they screen the first six Star Wars films restored in 4K in two bumper marathon presentations, alongside a special one-off screening of The Phantom Menace to celebrate its 25th Anniversary.
- The Hawker 88 Night Market will return to the iconic Queen Vic Market sheds for an exclusive five-week season from 10 April until 8 May showcasing traditional Asian street eats, quirky general merchandise and specially themed weekly entertainment.
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 April Children’s Festival at Skyhigh Mount Dandenong from 2-11 April will give the kids the opportunity to meet animals up close, take part in treasure hunts, enjoy a pony ride, watch the stilt walkers or play mini golf.
- Experience the 29th annual Mayoral Art Exhibition in Ringwood from 2 April to 4 May. This year’s theme is: Tangent. From realism to abstraction or traditional to contemporary (or the reverse), artists are investigating new ideas and directions.
- Heath Franklin’s Chopper Not Here To F*ck Spiders comedy show will be at the Matthew Flinders Hotel in Chadstone on 3 April, the Chelsea Heights Hotel on 4 April and the Commercial Hotel at South Morang on 10 April.
- Melbourne Recital Centre turns into the biggest sound playground in town. With an array of activities, performances, and musical installations, Music Play on 3-4 April is the perfect adventure for mini-music lovers, festival-loving families and friends.
- ‘Women Who Define Art – Art Through Our Eyes’ exhibition brings together the collective experiences of 4 women artists: Maree Brown, Sylvia Kolarik, Julie Slade and Beverley Watts at the Track Gallery in Mount Waverley from 3-13 April.
- The Casey Kids Carnival is on 4 April at the Old Cheese Factory, Berwick
- Meet your favourite Vixens players, see the 2024 dress presentation, hear from players and coaches as they are interviewed on the big stage and get your Vixens merchandise signed at the Melbourne Vixens Fan Day on 4 April at Fed Square.
- With over 30 live performances at 18 participating venues across Banyule, including Greensborough, Heidelberg, Montmorency and Ivanhoe, Chillin’ in Banyule 2024 on from 4-28 April provides opportunity for an impressive line-up of local solo musicians and bands to perform.
- Catch Play School live in concert in Bacchus Marsh on 5 April
- The Soul Night Market is on at Brighton Beach on 5 April.
- Kubik Frankston on 5-20 April is an electrifying fusion of Melbourne’s pulsating music culture and vibrant culinary food trucks, all set against the backdrop of a family-friendly environment with free entry all week and ticketed events on the weekend.
- The Science Gallery’s first Friday Night Social of the season is on 5 April where you can experience their latest exhibition with the backdrop of a live DJ set, performance art, food and drink and more.
- Supanova Comic-Con and Gaming – Australia’s welcoming home of pop culture fandom since 2000 – is back on 6-7 April at the Melbourne Showgrounds
- The Australian Distillers Festival – the best combined spirit tasting event in Australia – is back at the Abbotsford Convent on 6 April with the best craft distillers from around the country!
- The Makers and Shakers market is on at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on 6-7 April.
- The Melbourne International Lute Festival is on at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen on 6-8 April.
- Get set for a family-friendly afternoon of music and live performance next to Footscray Library on Saturday 6 April. Headlined by acclaimed artist Jen Cloher joined by T’HONI, Get a Taste of Creative West will feature an eclectic line up of contemporary music, circus performances, puppet shows and dance.
- Join the celebrations at the Frankston City Indigenous Nursery on its annual open day, on April 6.
- The Mornington Lions Annual Charity Book Fair is happening on 6 April
- Take a twilight flight on the Arthur’s Seat Eagle on Saturday 6 April.
- The ‘That’s Mine’ makers market is on at the Werribee Racecourse on 6 April.
- The Sunbury Witchfest is on 6 April.
- Following a successful tour in the USA and UK, it’s Melbourne’s turn get ready for the Harry Potter: Forbidden Forest adventure on the Mornington Peninsula from 6 April util 19 May when The Briars Community Forest in Mount Martha will turn into a legit dark and magical forest.
- The Frankston Mayor’s Party in the Park is on at Cruden Farm Langwarrin on 7 April
- The Mornington Wedding Expo is on at the Mornington Racecourse on 7 April.
- The School of Sewing and Upcycling is celebrating a year of being at Yewers St in Footscray on 7 April with a day of craft and textiles activities for the whole family.
- Bring your dog to the movies! The Sun Cinema in Yarraville is hosting a doggie day screening for ROBOT DREAMS on Sunday 7 April – a beautifully bittersweet animated film about the friendship between a dog and a robot in New York, nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards.
- Celebrate Greek Day at the Preston Market on 7 April with live entertainment, pop up stalls. food trucks and kids activities.
- World Hat Walk is taking place at Fed Square on 7 April and aims to celebrate the art of millinery and showcase the diverse and creative hat styles from around the world.
- The Crate Digger Record Fair is on at the Corner Hotel in Richmond on 7 April.
- Join in the Mini Beasts Festival and explore the fascinating world of tiny creatures that we share our world with on 7 April at Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave Heights.
- The Yarra Glen Racecourse Craft and Food Market is on 7 April.
- Join in a celebration of Filipinx food, lunch and community in Footscray on 7 April at the launch of Kapamilya, an exhibition by Tagalog artist Eme featuring specially crafted sweet and savoury treats from Kariton Sorbetes and Say Cheese.
- 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 Natureat 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.
- The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has something for every comedy lover with free family entertainment, world-class special events, trail-blazing solo shows and late-night fun – running until 21 April.
- Tesselaar KaBloom Festival of Flowers is returning to the Dandenong Ranges this autumn until 21 April 2024. KaBloom offers visitors the chance to roam through fields of well over three million flowers, enjoy live entertainment and be enchanted by contemporary circus performances.
- Back by popular demand after their smashing Australian debut in 2022, the world-famous Ministry of Crab team is returning for a month-long residency at the stunning Evergreen venue within Crown Melbourne. It’s running on Wednesdays to Sundays until 27 April 2024 and bookings are essential.
- 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.
- ICON – an exhibition of photos by acclaimed photographer Steve McCurry is on at Seaworks in Williamstown until 19 May.
- Cirque du Soleil is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Australia with its critically acclaimed and jaw-dropping production Luzia under the Big Top at Melbourne Showgrounds until 19 May.
- Murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, adultery, treachery… and All That Jazz… so begins the international multi-award-winning musical, Chicago. Catch it at Her Majesty’s Theatre until 26 May.
- 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.
- The Broadway sensation Wicked looks at what happened in the Land of Oz… but from a different angle. See it at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre until 30 June.
- Victoria’s zoos are being transformed into prehistoric playgrounds with Zoos Victoria’s new Dinos at the Zoo immersive experience providing an unforgettable journey back in time until 14 July.
- Melbourne Museum will showcase some of Victoria’s most outstanding VCE and VCE VET design and technology students when Top Designs returns for 2024. The showcase runs until 14 July.
- Celebrating culture, nostalgia, and the pursuit of happiness, the Immigration Museum’s expansive exhibition Joy features seven Victorian-based artists showcasing their interpretations of joy through immersive installations, until 29 August.
