- Uncover the hidden stories behind some of The Shrine of Remembrence’s most intriguing objects in a special gallery tour as part of the Australian Heritage Festival on 12-18 May.
- Join the stars of the current production of Jesus Christ Superstar for a special musical event at Chapel Off Chapel on Monday 12 May – the performers will tell their stories and perform the songs that changed their lives. roceeds go to support the Australian Children’s Music Foundation’s music programs for disadvantaged children and youth around Australia.
- The Northside Vegan Vegout is on at Welcome to Thornbury on 14 May.
- This winter, Fed Square is bringing a taste of the French Alps to Melbourne with Fondue Chalet, a cozy and immersive dining experience running from 15 May to 22 June 2025.
- Featuring a dazzling showcase of 100 elegant and avant-garde contemporary lights, furniture designed for neurodivergent audiences and leading designers and brands from across the country, Australia’s premier design festival Melbourne Design Week returns from 15 – 25 May 2025 offering a vital platform for creatives to showcase boundary-pushing work and test new ideas.
- The Melbourne Art Book Fair from 15-25 May brings together local and international publishers, artists, and designers, fostering an exchange of ideas and collaboration between industry professionals and printed matter enthusiasts alike.
- The Mildura Field Days return on 16-17 May
- The Ballarat Antique Fair is on 16-18 May
- The Ballarat Heritage Festival is back from 16-25 May.
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls & music at Street Feast Wangaratta on 16 May
- Pinot Affair on 16-18 May is the ultimate celebration of Geelong’s family-owned wineries and their finest Pinot Noir.
- The Great Ocean Road Running Festival is back 17-18 May
- La Fiera festival returns to Myrtleford on 17-18 May 2025. This is a celebration of Myrtleford’s Italian heritage and culture featuring a range of events at various locations and businesses.
- The 2025 Bass Coast Yoga Festival in Inverloch on 17-18 May offers a holistic experience designed to nourish your mind, body, and soul.
- The Mount Beauty Running Festival is on Saturday 17 May
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls & music at Street Feast Yarrawonga on 17 May
- Experience a day of exceptional wine, food, and live music on 17 May at the Rochford Harvest Festival in the Yarra Valley
- The MeatShare Festival is a one-of-a-kind food experience at Queen Victoria Market on 17-18 May bringing together meat lovers, top vendors, chefs, and food enthusiasts to celebrate the best of premium meat and local produce.
- The Northcote Urban Wine Walk is on Saturday 17 May.
- The Blacksmiths Festival is returning for its 6th year in Footscray on 17 May.
- The Melbourne Design Week Film Festival on 17-25 May will explore the impact of architecture and design through the moving image and its power to innovate, inspire and affect change.
- Melbourne’s Annual Wedding Expo is on at the Melbourne Showgrounds on 18 May.
- I Wore It Once market is a curated, high quality pre-loved fashion market at the Peninsula Community Theatre, 91 Wilsons Road Mornington on 18 May.
- The Lilydale Psychic and Wellbeing Expo is on 18 May
- Gather your botanica-loving friends and family: the Botanica Festival, the National Trust of Australia’s annual celebration of the natural environment, sustainability and gardening, is returning on Sunday 18 May at the iconic Rippon Lea Estate.
- Crate Digger Record Fair returns to Richmond’s Corner Hotel on Sunday 18 May.
- Join the Lido Cinema in Hawthorn for the Grand Final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest live on the big screen from the St. Jakobshalle, Basel on Sunday 18 May.
- Our Stories: Unearthed is a free one-day event at historic Mount Martha House on Sunday, 18 May. Discover hidden stories, connect with the Mornington Peninsula’s heritage and inspire future preservation.
- After two decades, Melbourne’s iconic Rialto Run Up is back! On Sunday, May 18 2025, fitness enthusiasts, charity supporters, and stair-climbing fanatics will conquer 1,240 steps across 54 floors of the Rialto Building—all to raise vital funds for Giant Steps, a specialist school supporting autistic children and young adults with complex needs.
- The Revive preloved markets return to the Barwon Heads Hall on 18 May.
- Frankston’s South Side Festival is back for its fourth year, running until 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 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: 12-18 May
By Melbourning
