- Experience the vibrant flavours and cultures of Asia at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market as the Hawker 88 Night Market returns for its 2025 season. Running every Wednesday evening until 7 May between 5 PM and 10 PM, this five-week festival offers a sensory journey through the bustling street markets of Asia.
- The Melbourne Design Fair is on at MCEC on 8-11 May
- Robots are taking over ACMI for MechaFest on 8-12 May – a weekend festival of classic anime screenings, talks, trivia and cosplay.
- Frankston’s South Side Festival is back for its fourth year, running from 8 to 18 May 2025, and it’s bigger and bolder than ever. This vibrant celebration of art, performance, and community will transform Frankston into a hub of creativity.
- The Bourne Local Mothers Day Market is on at Collins Square on 8 May
- The Melbourne Writers Festival is back from 8-11 May 2025 with a cosmic combination of literary stars.
- The Mothers Day Market in Greensborough is on 10 May
- Immerse yourself in the culture of Latin America at the Chachivaches Latin Market – a two-day cultural festival on 10-11 May. Queen Victoria Market will be drenched in colour with live dance performances and pop-up market stalls.
- Celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 99th Birthday with a very special Q&A screening of Ocean with David Attenborough at the Classic Cinema in Elsternwick on 10 May,hosted by WWF and bespoke guest speakers with Kate Noble, Senior Manager Oceans Policy at WWF-Australia.
- The Colac Psychic and Holistic Market is on 10 May
- The Geelong Baby and Childrens Market is on at the Barwon Valley Activity Centre on 10 May
- The Healesville Festival is on 10 May
- ILLUMIN8: Festival of Light and Peace is happening on Saturday 10 May 2025 at the Great Stupa near Bendigo.
- Victoria’s biggest Jordanian-Australian Cultural Festival, the Olive Tree Festival, is being held at the Mickleham North Community Centre on 11 May.
- The Cruden Farm Mothers Day Market is on in Langwarrin on 11 May
- Circus Rio Carnival is at Sandown Park Hotel in Noble Park until 11 May
- This May, celebrate all things Timothée with ChalaMAY, a career retrospective of one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars with a film for each week of May at Cinema Nova in Carlton.
- Melbourne is set to come alive with the vibrant energy of YIRRAMBOI, the city’s premier First Nations arts festival, as it returns for its fifth iteration until 11 May 2025. This year’s festival, the most ambitious yet, explores four powerful themes—Legacy, Joy, Reclamation, and Akin—through a groundbreaking program of 180 performances and events across 40 venues.
- The 8th Geelong Pride Film Festival will be held until Sunday 11 May 2025 at the Pivotonian Cinema, Village Cinemas Geelong and Platform Arts.
- The Melbourne International Animation Festival is back for its 25th edition until 11 May
- Melton City Libraries’ annual Heritage Festival until 17 May is a celebration of all things historical in the City of Melton.
- The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition on loan from the Natural History Museum London is now on display at the National Wool Museum in Geelong until 18 May.
- Fashion becomes a powerful storyteller in Stitchin’ Stories: Blak & Threadly, the fourth iteration of the Blak Design program hosted by the Koorie Heritage Trust at Fed Square, showcasing the extraordinary work of nine First Peoples designer until 18 May
- The Australian Heritage Festival runs until 18 May and explores the state’s places and spaces, stories, collections and ideas that make us who we are.
- Circus Royale is at Hampton Park until 18 May.
- Until 18 May 2025, Melbourne’s inner west will come alive with the Sleepless Footscray Festival, a dynamic celebration of art, music, and community spirit.
- Until 21 May, the 2025 HSBC German Film Festival presented by Palace, in association with German Films, will showcase the best contemporary German cinema direct from major festivals in Europe plus a selection from its German-speaking neighbours, Austria and Switzerland.
- Enjoy live music and local musicians in venues around Banyule at Chillin’ in Banyule until 25 May.
- The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery is holding its annual Rocky Road Festival until 31 May.
- Back for its 7th year the South African Film Festival runs until 31 May with a bold mix of features documentaries and Oscar-recognised shorts.
- After leaving an indelible mark on Melbourne’s memory, Vincent van Gogh’s vibrant works will return to THE LUME Melbourne until 1 June 2025. Back by popular demand, Van Gogh is an enchanting experience that immerses you in a powerful multisensory symphony of light, colour, sound and aroma.
- The Bald Archy is an Australian art prize, which parodies the prestigious portraiture award, the Archibald Prize is back May 2025. The first chance to see it in Victoria this year is in Mansfield until 1 June.
- Harry Potter: The Exhibition is on at the Fever Exhibition and Experience Centre until 9 June. This immersive showcase brings the beloved Wizarding World to life, featuring authentic props, costumes, and interactive experiences designed to transport visitors straight into the Harry Potter universe.
- Uncover the untold stories of a global icon, Dame Nellie Melba. A Toast to Melbashares rarely seen objects, photographs, and personal treasures from Coombe Yarra Valley, Arts Centre Melbourne and Yarra Ranges Regional Museum—brought together for the first time in this dynamic new exhibition until 29 June.
- Step back in time and experience the grandeur, opulence, and tragic fate of the RMS Titanic like never before. Titanic: A Voyage Through Time, an extraordinary virtual reality (VR) experience opens in Melbourne until 29 June, offering an unparalleled journey aboard the world’s most famous ship.
- Aftershocks – a new exhibition of works by Australian artist Sidney Nolan is at at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum until 29 June.The collection includes 56 works of Nolan’s 1961 paintings of Auschwitz victims and exhibited for the first time his later works depicting the Ravensbruck women’s Holocaust camp.
- Get ready to be mesmerised by the breathtaking beauty of our blue planet at the Ocean Photographer of the Year Exhibition, hosted at Seaworks Williamstown until 6 July.
- An international-exclusive exhibition Frida Kahlo: In her own image is at the Bendigo Art Gallery featuring objects and artworks that have never been seen before in Australia direct from Mexico’s Museo Frida Kahlo until 13 July.
- Blak In-Justice: Incarceration and Resilience highlights Indigenous incarceration in Australia through powerful artworks. Curated by Barkindji artist Kent Morris with Heide Museum of Modern Art until 20 July featuring First Nations artists connecting with culture and country.
- From cattle dogs to lap dogs, divine felines to the black cats of superstition a new exhibition coming to the National Gallery of Victoria called Cats & Dogs, will explore humanity’s deep connection to the beloved companion animals through more than 250 works of art and design. Its on display from until 20 July 2025 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square.
- Floribunda is an intoxicating larger-than-life mashup of floral imagery, design and motif drawn exclusively from the NGV Collection, as curated by David Sequeira. You can see it at Bunjil Place in Narre Warren until 20 July.
- Step into the shadows of Melbourne’s history with Bones & Burial Boxes, a gripping exhibition that uncovers the hidden stories of the city’s most infamous prison burial sites at Pentridge Prison from until 31 August.
- From the runways of Paris to the NGV … Australian fashion legend Martin Grant returns home to Melbourne with the biggest exhibition of his career. Studded with his signature silhouettes and timeless tailoring, this glittering retrospective is not to be missed. Catch it until 26 January 2025 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Exhibition is making its galaxy-first debut at Melbourne Museum until 26 January 2026. This world-first exhibition brings two of the world’s most beloved brands together with renowned LEGO Certified Professional Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught at the controls.
- Get ready to tinker, build, and innovate! Scienceworks is launching its newest hands-on exhibition, Tinkertown, until 7 February 2026, promising to inspire the next generation of engineers, designers, and creators.
What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 5-11 May
By Melbourning
