- Ballarat is once again rolling out the pastry mat for a full month of flaky indulgence. Back for its third year, Ballarat’s Best Pie is fast becoming a winter pilgrimage for pastry lovers, and 2025 is set to be the tastiest yet. Running all through August, the competition sees 36 wildly creative pies, both sweet and savoury, vying for top honours, from classic beef renditions to duck, limoncello and even lion’s mane mushroom.
- Behind the Lines is an annual exhibition of political cartooning on tour from the Museum of Australian Democracy that celebrates the year’s best political cartoons.See it at the Old Treasury Building in Melbourne until 28 August.
- The Leongatha Daffodil and Floral Show is on 28-31 August.
- Catered for music lovers, existing dancers and true beginners, the Snowy Mountain Tango Festival in Corryong is on 29-31 August.
- The Gippsland Caravan, Camping and Leisure Roadshow is on at Lardner Park on 29-31 August.
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls & music at Street Feast Wodonga on 29 August.
- The 2025 Melbourne Home Entertainment Expo is on 29 August.
- The Armenian Film Festival returns to Melbourne from 29-31 August.
- A thousand years of mystery, craftsmanship, and cultural connection come to life as Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard opens at Melbourne Museum from 29 August 2025. Described as “one of the most significant European archaeological discoveries of the century,” the Galloway Hoard offers Australians a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view a dazzling collection of rare Viking Age artefacts – many never seen before outside the United Kingdom.
- The Home Entertainment Expo is on at the Pullman in Albert Park from 29-31 August.
- You’re invited to Spice Fest! A celebration of bold flavours, fiery eats, and epic free Saturday night entertainment at Burwood Brickworks until 30 August.
- Veneto Club in Bulleen presents Salami Festa 2025 on 30-31 August.
- Get ready to ignite your passion for classic cars and custom builds because the Victorian Hot Rod and Street Machine Show is back and better than ever on 30-31 August at the Melbourne Showgrounds
- The Australian Women’s Weekly Health Summit is returning in 2025 at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne on 30 August featuring leading voices in health, wellness and food for a morning of inspiration.
- Celebrate Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day at the Queen Victoria Market on 30-31 August.
- On Saturday 30 August, from 6pm to 9pm, Walking Thomastown invites residents to discover Thomastown in a brand-new glow. Organised by the City of Whittlesea and local partners, this free, family-friendly event transforms familiar streets, parks, and heritage sites into an illuminated open-air art gallery.
- The Victorian Hot Rod and Street Machine Show is on at the Melbourne Showgrounds on 30-31 August.
- The Archibald Prize, Australia’s most prestigious portraiture award, will make a much-anticipated return to the Geelong Gallery from 30 August to 9 November 2025.
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls & music at Street Feast Beechworth on 30 August
- The Bendigo On The Hop beer festival returns on 30 August.
- The Wonthaggi Psychic and Wellbeing Expo is on 30 August.
- Experience Ballarat’s rich multicultural spirit at the Ganesh Festival on 30-31 August. Over two vibrant days, people of all backgrounds come together to honour Lord Ganesh, the symbol of wisdom and new beginnings.
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls & music at Street Feast Echuca on 31 August
- The Bendigo Holistic and Psychic Expo on 31 August.
- Join in a night of food trucks, dessert stalls, boutique retail stalls & music at Street Feast Shepparton on 31 August.
- Welcome to Thornbury’s Garlic Bread Festival is back for its sixth edition on 31 August.
- The Hurstbridge Wattle Festival is back in 2025 on 31 August
- Seeds Communal Garden in Brunswick is hosting its annual Soup Fest on 31 Augustwith hearty seasonal soups are made from locally sourced and community grown produce.
- The Preston Market’s Italian Day Festival returns on 31 August
- The Vegan Winter Market and Vegan Bake Sale is on at Fed Square on 31 August.
- The City of Darebin and Darebin Arts will present their 2025 edition of the FUSE Festival, running from 31 August to 14 September 2025. Across two vibrant weeks, Darebin will come alive with a dynamic mix of live music, cultural celebrations, exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, and immersive art experiences, featuring both free and ticketed events.
- The Merri Community Shed Community Market is on in Coburg on 31 August.
- The Boho Luxe Winter Market is on at Fed Square on 31 August.
- The Berwick Springs Hotel is hosting a Family Fun Day on 31 August.
- There’s a native plant giveaway at Prahran Square on 31 August.
- Tantalise your tastebuds and head to Como House and Garden in South Yarra on 31 August, where the Country Women’s Association Ashburton Branch will be hosting a bake sale – selling a fabulous selection of baked goods, jams, and preserves.
- 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 will become a living laboratory of avant-garde creativity as the Now or Never festival takes over the city until 31 August. The 11-day program features over 140 events across iconic venues, with more than 285 local and international artists pushing boundaries in music, installation art, and futuristic discourse – including 30 world-premiere commissions.
- The Circus Rio Carnival is at the Bendigo Showgrounds until 31 August
- Elmo’s Circus Dream presented by Circus Royale is at Watergardens until 31 August.
- Eroni’s Circus will be at Tarneit until 31 August.
- The Words in Winter Festival will return to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs over two weekends 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.
- The Ballarat International Foto Biennale returns with a blend of curated exhibitions, city-wide pop-ups, workshops, talks, and more — all under the festival’s central theme, Lifeforce until 19 October 2025.
- The 2025 AFLW season is here, spanning 12 rounds over 12 weeks for the first time, followed by four weeks of finals and culminating with the NAB AFLW Grand Final on Saturday, 29 November.
- 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.
- Where does creativity come from? It’s a question as elusive as it is compelling – and one that State Library Victoria explores with profound insight in its captivating new exhibition, Creative Acts: Artists and their inspirations, running until 31 May 2026.
- Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Eucalypts of Hodogaya at the Shrine explores the remarkable collaboration that created the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Yokohama where more than 1,500 Commonwealth soldiers, including Australians, are buried in a garden blending Western and Japanese traditions. It runs until August 2026.
What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 25-31 August 2025
By Melbourning
