Another busy week is ahead. There’s lots you can get involved in of you’re looking for stuff to do. The 2024 Melbourne Fringe Festival continues, as does Melbourne International Games Week.
- Victorians aged 60 and over have plenty to explore at this year’s Victorian Seniors Festival, with eight days of free public transport from 6 to 13 October.
- Off the back of a sold-out run of her play Julia, screenwriter and playwright Joanna Murray-Smith is presenting the 2024 Stephen Murray-Smith Memorial Lecture at the State Library on 8 October and will examine what it means to create in today’s climate.
- The Box Hill Institute is holding a Careers Expo on 8 October.
- Five years in the making, the inaugural Melbourne Sculpture Biennale is taking place at the Villa Alba Museum in Kew, from 9-13 October.
- From 10 to 20 October, So Soiree returns to Prahran with a stellar line-up of comedy, cabaret, burlesque, circus and more inside the Ukiyo Circus Tent in Grattan Gardens.
- The Big Games Night Out at Fed Square on 10 October promises to be a massive celebration of gaming culture, featuring a spectacle experience of projections and performance, epic displays of cosplay fashion and free gaming.
- The Czech and Slovak Film Festival returns to Melbourne from 10-20 October with an incredible selection of films.
- The Italian Sportsclub of Werribee’s annual homemade salami competition is on 10 October.
- Its World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10 October and Cannoleria Carlton wants to give locals a little something to smile about with 200 free mini cannoli being given away from 11am.
- The Port Fairy Spring Music Festival is on 11-13 October.
- The Finders Keepers Melbourne Design Market is back at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on 11-13 October.
- The Shepparton Show is on 11-12 October.
- The Wangaratta Show is on 11-12 October.
- Share a meal with Virginia Trioli and hear about her lifelong love of good food, good company and living life ‘with a side dish of joy’ at Montalto in Red Hill South on 11 October.
- Fire-lit landscapes, unique light installations and smoky food will be at the heart of Sovereign Hill‘s new after-dark Food, Fire and Light Festival in Ballarat from 11-19 October.
- The Bendigo Pop Culture & Collectables Expo – the biggest of its kind in regional Victoria – is on at Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showgrounds on 11-12 October.
- The From Picture to Page and Beyond Scrapbooking Fair is happening at Sandown Racecourse on 11-12 October.
- Australia’s largest gaming festival, PAX, is back at MCEC from 11-13 October
- Monsterfest – a celebration of all that is weird and wonderful in the international cult cinema palette – horror, science fiction, fantasy, dark drama, black comedy, animation and more is on at Cinema Nova in Carlton from 12-22 October.
- The 138th Kaniva Show is on 12 October
- The Camperdown Show is on 12 October.
- The Zinda Multicultural Festival is all about multicultural music, food and art in Bendigo. It’s on 12 October at Garden For The FUture in White Hills.
- Medieval to Metal: The Art and Evolution of the Guitar makes its way to the Art Gallery of Ballarat from 12 October 2024 to 2 February 2025. In this Australian exclusive, experience 40 guitars on loan from the National Guitar Museum (USA), alongside more than 100 spectacular works of art,
- Back for its 19th year, Bridge Road Brewers’ famous celebration of Bavarian bier culture – Beechworth Oktoberfest – returns in 2024 on 12 October.
- Unmatched Threads is holding a pre-loved children’s clothing event at Yinnar near Morwell on 12 October.
- The Horsham Spring Garden Festival is on in the Horsham Botanic Gardens on 12-13 October.
- The Urban Cocktail Trail is heading to Richmond on 12 October for an incredible afternoon of bar-hopping and cocktail sipping.
- Witchfest Sunbury is on 12 October.
- Explore the Shrine Reserve on a 90-minute guided tour with an expert on 12 October, who will reveal the original intentions behind the landscaping and how it has evolved over the past 90 years.
- The Flemington Multicultural Festival takes place on Saturday 12 October.
- Immerse yourself in the world of botanicals with gin tastings, meet-and-greets with distillers, and a vibrant plant market at Welcome to Brunswick’s Botanical Festival on 12 October.
- Durga Puja 2024 – The Festival of Festivals is on 12 October in Ardeer, featuring cultural programs, tradition, rituals, food, Pandal, entertainment, excitement, light sound, food stalls, trinket stalls, friendly competitions, kids corner, selfie booth and lots more.
- Experience the vibrant spirit of Ugandan culture with dinner, live music, cultural performances and more at the Uganda Independence Day Gala in St Albans on 12 October.
- Street Feast is back at Dandenong Market on 12 October – the last one for 2024 where Melbourne’s best street food trucks serve up flavours from all around the world.
- Shedfest Yarra Valley invites you to meander and explore the hidden gems of the Yarra Valley with two days of wine tasting, live music, delicious bites and stunning scenery across 14 family-run wineries on 12-13 October
- Discover the captivating story of Melbourne’s iconic Arts Centre, at a limited-edition tour of the architectural, art and interior design highlights of Melbourne’s Theatres Building as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations. The tours will take place from 12 October to 9 November 2024.
- The Kevin Heinze Grow Spring Celebration is on Saturday 12 October in Doncaster. Enjoy a gardening workshop, nursery and plant sale, pot decorating, art and PhotoVoice exhibitions and a scavenger hunt for the kids.
- The 2024 Sunbury Agricultural Show is on Saturday 12 October.
- The Whittlesea Uke Muster is on 12 October.
- The Rotundone Road Shiraz Music Event at Warrak on 12 October is a celebration of all things wine, food and music.
- The Melbourne Meccano Exhibition is behind held in Gardenvale on 12 October
- Join in Oktoberfest in the Catani Gardens at St Kilda on 12 October.
- The Burwood Village shopping precinct in Camberwell is holding a family fun day – October Fest on 12 October.
- Tongala Eats and Beats is taking place on 13 October.
- The Box Hill Record Fair is on at the Box Hill Town Hall on Sunday 13 October.
- I Wore It Once is a high quality, curated pre-loved fashion market in Mornington on 13 October.
- Colour Frenzy in East Geelong on 13 October promises a vibrant and fun-filled day for everyone! Experience five colour stations, a foam station filled with bubbles, and exciting new inflatable crawl obstacles.
- The Morwell Psychic and Wellbeing Expo is on 13 October.
- Australia’s greatest Halal foodie experience – the Halal Food Carnival – returns to Melbourne on 13 October in Epping.
- The Mandurang Valley Festival is on 13 October.
- The Geelong Bridal Expo is on at the Geelong West Town Hall on 13 October
- There’s a clothing swap event in Emerald on 13 October
- The NGV’s hugely popular Indian Community Day will return on Sunday 13 October 2024, featuring Bollywood dancing, dhol drumming and DJ sets from 11am to 5pm.
- Portarlington’s free annual Hooked on Bellarine festival will return to the Portarlington foreshore on Sunday 13 October, set to delight seafood lovers and recreational fishers alike.
- The Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival is set for another record-breaking year as it returns to Australia’s sporting capital on Sunday, 13 October.
- Arts Centre Melbourne and Arts Access Victoria have present Melbourne’s ground-breaking Disability-led arts initiative Alter State, taking place across the city until 13 October.
- Melbourne International Games Week is back for its 10th year running until 13 October.
- Circus Royale is at Fountain Gate in Narre Warren until 13 October.
- Silvers Circus is at the Burvale Hotel in Nunawading until 13 October.
- The Other Film Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a program championing Deaf and Disabled-led and authored work. The festival is part of Alter State and runs until 16 October at ACMI.
- The Fringe Flavours Night Market is home to incredible food, unique specialty shopping, and spectacular live entertainment. Partnering with Melbourne Fringe Festival, this event is happening every Wednesday night 5pm to 10pm until 16 October, at Queen Victoria Market
- The Melbourne Fringe Festival continues with events across the city from 1-20 October.
- Celebrate mental health and wellbeing with Art of the Minds during National Mental Health Week on the Surf Coast until 23 October.
- Chadstone is hosting a special pop-up Hello Kitty Cafe until 27 October to celebrate 50 years of everyone’s favourite feline.
- Check out Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition showcasing a collection of more than 200 real-life images, unique in the way that they exude the charming and eccentric aesthetic of acclaimed film director, Wes Anderson.
- A free exhibition at ACMI celebrating the world conquering video game Untitled Goose Game – which was made locally in Victoria will run until 16 February 2025.