- Replay Festival returns all of July at Comedy Republic with a handpicked program of standout shows from the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
- The Langham, Melbourne has partnered with iconic British brand Laura Ashley to launch an exclusive afternoon tea experience at Aria Bar & Lounge, running from 1 July to 14 August 2025.
- It’s Chinese Film Week from 1-4 July, featuring a selection of films ranging from touching family dramas to fantasy epics, this festival is running exclusively in Melbourne at Cinema Nova in Carlton.
- The Spanish Film Festival is on until 2 July.
- WordFest, the City of Monash’s free literature festival, returns until 3 July with a range of exciting authors and speakers like Sharni Layton, Andrew Rule, Emelia Jackson, Jane Bunn, Cath Moore and Jacinta Parsons.
- North Melbourne’s Centenary Match is on Thursday July 3 at Marvel Stadium, commemorating 100 years of North Melbourne in the VFL/AFL!
- Join a NAIDOC Week flag raising and smoking ceremony, followed by a musical performance by John Wayne Parsons at Malvern Town Hall on 3 July.
- Celebrate NAIDOC Week with Clothing The Gaps at their exclusive pop-up at Melbourne Central from 3–9 July.
- Silvers Circus is in Shepparton from 3-20 July.
- The Newport Folk Festival is on Friday 4 July
- Docklands will transform into a radiant winter playground when the Firelight Festival ignites Melbourne’s school holidays from 4-6 July, featuring giant glowing sculptures, a floating light display, and fiery performances across three dazzling nights.
- Cheese lovers and pinot enthusiasts rejoice – Melbourne’s most decadent food and wine experience is back. MOULD x PINOT PALOOZA, the wildly popular fusion of Australia’s premier cheese festival and pinot noir celebration, returns to the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton from 4-5 July.
- The Frost Bites Food Festival is on at the Geelong Showgrounds on 4-5 July.
- Wilson Goes Wild from 4-15 July at Berwick’s Wilson Botanic Park is a playful safari experience perfect for families with children aged 1-10 years. Discover towering life-like animal sculptures set against the stunning backdrop of Basalt Lake’s extinct volcanic landscape.
- Wyndham City will bring the magic of ice skating to Wyndham for the first time this winter with a pop-up ice skating rink in Wyndham Cultural Centre Car Park from 4 – 13 July.
- Get ready to step into a world of wonder as Electric Wonderland transforms Bendigo’s Rosalind Park into a glowing playground of light, colour, and imagination during the winter school holidays from July 4 to July 20, 2025.
- One of Victoria’s most beloved winter events is set to sparkle once again as Sovereign Hill’s spectacular Winter Wonderlights returns from July 4 to 27,promising an even more magical experience with breathtaking new projections and enchanting installations.
- Melbourne’s favorite winter food festival is back with more sizzle than ever! Grazeland’s Winter Wonderland transforms Spotswood into a glowing winter escape from 4–20 July, featuring neon-lit nights, falling snow, and a mouthwatering lineup of seasonal eats.
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls and music at Street Feast in Sale on 5 July
- Join in a special evening of joy, culture, and community to celebrate the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at Enlighten at the Great Stupa of Universal of Compassion near Bendigo on 5 July.
- KidFEST Warrnambool on 5-6 July is an interactive event for kids 2-12, packed with creative activities, music, storytelling, art and hands-on fun.
- The Wama Foundation’s 16-hectare precinct will house Australia’s first National Centre for Environmental Art, alongside the Gariwerd/Grampians Endemic Botanic Garden and Jallukar Native Grasslands will open its doors on July 5, 2025, in Budja Budja/Halls Gap.
- Gather your family and friends and kick off the winter school holidays in style at Fire and Ice at Metung on 5 July – a vibrant celebration held on the Metung Village Green, packed with fun, flavour and fiery entertainment.
- CollectFest is Australia’s first and only festival for all things collectable! Bringing passionate hobbyists all together under one roof, you’ll find everything from sneakers and trading cards to coins, comics and more. The event is on at MCEC on 5-6 July.
- Experience a collision of comedy, clown, acrobatics, skipping, bows and arrows, beauty, muscles, music, flying trapeze, juggling, slapstick, crazy antics and daredevilry by the hand of an eclectic ensemble spanning six decades at Circus Ozon 5-6 July in Ringwood East.
- Welcome to Brunswick’s 5th annual Hot Sauce and Chilli Festival is on 5 July
- The Australian Chocolate Festival is on at Seaworks in Williamstown on 5-6 July,
- The Big Vinyl Dig is on at St Columbs Hall in Hawthorn on 5 July.
- On Saturday 5 July, KAIJU! Beer – the boundary-pushing independent brewery behind this year’s Best Australian Style Lager winner – opens its Huntingdale home for Lager LoveFest, a masterclass celebrating beer’s most underrated style.
- The Wyndham Brickfest LEGO fan event is on at Hoppers Crossing on 5-6 July.
- The Brunswick Community Flea Market is on 5 July.
- Shop for the perfect hand-made gift, entertain the kids and soak up the festive vibes at Fed Square’s Christmas in July market on 5 July.
- Meet coffee roasters and try over 100 kinds of coffees from international and interstate roasters at Melbourne’s Biggest Filter Coffee Tasting Festival on 5-6 July.
- The Australian Sake Festival is on at MCEC on 5-6 July.
- Zambrero South Melbourne is giving away 1000 free burritos on 5 July as part of its grand opening event.
- These winter school holidays, Museums Victoria and partners present Playbound Festival, taking over Melbourne with 16 days of joyful performances from 5-20 July,workshops, exhibitions, crafts, and hands-on activities for kids aged 0-12.
- Knights of Fire is lighting up Ballarat’s Kryal Castle these winter school holidays! Running from Saturday 5 – Sunday 20 July, the program offers an epic line-up of winter wonders and fiery action.
- The Ballarat Winter Festival is set to bring even more warmth and excitement to Victoria’s coldest season when it returns from 5 to 27 July 2025, featuring an impressive new Spiegeltent and a delicious Hot Choc Showdown among its expanded offerings.
- 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.
- The Circus Rio Carnival will be at the JL Murphy Reserve in Port Melbourne until 6 July.
- Celebrate NAIDOC Week at the Melbourne Museum Family Day on 6 July with a Welcome to Country on the Museum Plaza, market stalls, performance, artist talk and family activities.
- Celebrate NAIDOC Week at Dandenong Market on Sunday 6 July. Led by Uncle Mark Brown, this event will be curated by community, for community, with a focus on strength, vision, and legacy.
- The Corner Hotel Record Fair in Richmond is on 6 July
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls and music at Street Feast Traralgon on 6 July.
- There’s a pop-up inflatable playground in Colac from 6-20 July.
- mmerse yourself in a celebration of storytelling in all its forms at Glen Era’s 15th annual Storytelling Festival until 12 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.
- New York-based Australian artist Cj Hendry, renowned for her hyper-realistic drawings and immersive large-scale exhibitions, is returning home to present Lost & Found at Chadstone until July 20.
- The AFL has announced the return of its successful Kids Go Free program for 2025, giving families the chance to enjoy live footy without breaking the bank. Children aged 14 and under can attend matches for free during Rounds 16-19 (26 June – 20 July), perfectly timed with school holidays across Australia.
- Embark on a thrilling journey into the world of dinosaurs with the ultimate outdoor pre-historic experience – DinoFest at Wantirna South until 20 July.
- The South East Winter Festival is Melbourne’s newest family-favourite winter event, transforming the iconic Caribbean Gardens into a non-stop indoor playground of fun, food, and adventure. Running until 20 July 2025, the festival offers an unforgettable school holiday experience.
- Until 20 July, the 2025 edition of the Children’s International Film Festival will explore the best new children’s films from around the globe, a hand-picked selection of stories about cats, monkeys, penguins, bats, goats, tooth fairies and mutant zombie zoo animals, plus a new retelling of the classic Bambi story.
- 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.
- The Casey Winter Arts Festival returns until 20 July
- The Tastes of Greater Geelong running until 20 July will take you on a culinary adventure with events and special menus featuring the best in food, drink and hospitality that the Greater Geelong region proudly has to offer.
- Experience winter in East Gippsland as the region comes alive in a month-long festival of light, food, music, art and culture at the East Gippsland Winter Festivaluntil 20 July.
- Circus Latino is at Sunshine Marketplace until 20 July.
- Eroni’s Circus is at Sunbury until 20 July.
- This winter, Melbourne’s historic Abbotsford Convent transforms into a warm and whimsical pop-up cinema as the Cozy Cinema Club returns until 2 August, 2025. Running Wednesday to Saturday evenings, this immersive experience invites guests to sink into plush bean bags, wrap up in blankets, and enjoy a heartwarming lineup of films designed to bring all the cozy vibes.
- This winter, Elwood’s iconic Riviera Beach Club will undergo a spectacular transformation into Riviera Winter Wonderland – a frosty paradise complete with real ice skating, snow blizzards and private igloos until 3 August 2025.
- See Victoria’s largest lights display, with over 3.3 million dazzling lights and 1000+ light installations illuminating the night sky at Adventure Park Geelong’s Winter Glow Festival until 3 August.
- Elmo’s Circus Dream is at Caulfield Racecourse until 3 August.
- Until 10 August, experience REVERB – an immersive sound and light installation showcasing electro-ambient works paired with site-specific lighting design, resulting in a unique sensory playground that celebrates the quiet magic of Abbotsford Convent after dark.
- This winter, Melbourne’s award-winning immersive light experience – Lightscape – returns and transforms Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne into a mesmerising display of more than 20 brand-new illuminations until 10 August.
- Brett Whiteley Inside the Studio at the Shepparton Art Museum until 10 August is a fascinating insight into the studio practice of one of Australia’s most gifted and revered artists. Drawn from the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Brett Whiteley Studio, this exhibition presents a selection of Brett Whiteley’s works across various media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, collage and ceramics.
- Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits introduces us to Alan Adler (1932 – 2024), who while little known, was the oldest and longest serving photobooth technician in the world, right here in Melbourne. See an exhibition of his test photos at RMIT Gallery until 16 August.
- Melbourne’s much-loved Winter Night Market is returning to Queen Victoria Market in 2025, lighting up Wednesday nights until 27 August 5pm–10pm.
- 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.
- Melbourne’s most elegant after-dark experience returns this winter as NGV Friday Nights transforms the gallery into a vibrant hub of art, music, and indulgence. Until 3 October 2025, visitors can explore the blockbuster French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston exhibition after hours, surrounded by an eclectic soundtrack and luxurious pop-up bars.
- Step into a world of exquisite craftsmanship and timeless elegance with Kimono, a brand-new, NGV-curated exhibition celebrating the enduring allure of Japan’s most iconic garment. Running until 5 October at NGV International, this breathtaking showcase explores the kimono’s profound influence on global art, fashion, and design—from the Edo period to today.
- Works from Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot and more are headed to Melbourne for the NGV’s international-exclusive presentation of the major Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, French Impressionism, until 5 October 2025.
- A groundbreaking international exhibition that explores the connection between society, art, and design through the lens of play is coming to the Incinerator Gallery in Melbourne’s west. The Playground Project is making its much-anticipated southern hemisphere debut until 12 October 2025, bringing a bold new vision of playground design to Australian audiences.
- 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.
- Camouflage is an exhibition running at The Shrine until March 2026. See how nature has inspired military disguise—from animal patterns to clever tricks of deception. Explore real camouflage uniforms, historical objects, and rotating artworks by well-known artists. Follow the evolution of camouflage from the First World War to today and learn how it reflects changing military strategies, culture, and creativity.
What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 30 June-6 July 2025
By Melbourning
City of Melbourne's Firelight Festival
