- FOMO Cinemas in East Brunswick is hosting Ani-May – a full month of the finest animated feature films to the big screen throughout May.
- Elmo’s Circus Dream will be at Cragieburn from 1-17 May.
- Whisky Live is back at the St Kilda Town Hall from 1-2 May delivering a guided journey through flavour, craft and history where whisky enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike come together to indulge in fine whiskies from around the world.
- Eroni’s Circus will be in Yarra Glen from 1-3 May.
- Save the date for Maroondah Night Run! Come dressed in your brightest activewear for a 5km run or walk through Ringwood Golf course on 1 May.
- The Koroit Irish Festival is on 1-3 May.
- From 1-10 May 2026 the first Ballarat Craft and Design Week is being rolled out – a precinct-wide program that leans into making, storytelling and creative exchange.
- Head to the stunning Grampians National Park, Gariwerd, for a sensational celebration of wine, food, and music, as Grampians Grape Escape returns from 1-3 May
- The Stawell Holistic and Psychic Expo is on 2 May
- The Bendigo Witches Fair is on 2 May.
- Bendigo’s much-loved, annual winegrowers festival returns on 2 May 2026, with a brand new name – the Grape Day Out – and exciting new additions.
- The Wangaratta Multicultural Food and Art Festival is on 2 May.
- ALWAYS LIVE is set to bring its Victorian Vibes series to the coastal town of Lorne on 2 May, following a strong opening event in Ballarat that drew thousands of visitors and transformed the city centre into a live music hub.
- The VCE and Careers Expo 2026 is on at MCEC on 30 April – 2 May.
- The Brunswick Urban Wine Walk is on 2 May
- ArcFest is a celebration of tabletop gaming, miniature painting, and hobby culture — bringing together gamers, painters, artists, vendors, and the wider community under one roof. Its on at Sandown Racecourse on 2-3 May.
- One of the most vibrant and family-friendly celebrations of the year — Melton Eid Fest 2026 – will be held on 2-3 May.
- Experience the pinnacle of Australian automotive culture at Meguiar’s MotorEx, returning to the Melbourne Showgrounds on 2-3 May 2026.
- The 2026 Melbourne Knife Show is on at the Kensington Town Hall on 2-3 May
- The Melbourne Suitcase Rummage is on at the Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre on 2 May.
- The 2026 Newport Jazz Festival is on 2-3 May.
- The One Fine Day Wedding Expo is on at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on 2 May.
- Love Athletica is opening its studio doors, offering free classes across Melbourne to celebrate World Pilates Day on Saturday 2 May.
- Take your pooch along to the Kryal Castle Medieval Mutts weekend in Ballarat on 2-3 May.
- The Yarragon Book Fair is on 2-3 May.
- Step into a living, breathing celebration of power, history and ingenuity at the Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally on 2 May – now recognised as one of the largest steam engine events in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The Great Trentham Spudfest is on 2-3 May.
- The Bright Autumn Festival running until 3 May is a ten day celebration of the wonderful autumn colours and autumn produce of the valleys of Victoria’s Alpine High Country.
- The Creators Collective Makers Market is on at Lardner Park in Warragul on 3 May.
- The Geelong Wedding Expo is on 3 May.
- The Boho Luxe Market returns to Fed Square for its Mother’s Day edition on 3 May.
- The Mornington Wedding Expo is on 3 May
- The 2026 Yarra Valley Wool and Handicrafts Show is on in Mooroolbark on 3 May
- The Kalorama Chestnut Festival is on 3 May
- The Mornington Running Festival is on 3 May
- The Round She Goes Vintage and Pre-loved Fashion Market is on at Coburg Town Hall on 3 May.
- The Thornbury Bowls Record Fair is on 3 May
- Werribee’s Wyndham Park will light up again this autumn as the LIT festival returns until 3 May with a new program of large-scale installations, projections and interactive works spread across the space.
- The National Gallery of Victoria will be transformed into a kaleidoscope of colour, creativity and movement with Let’s Party! Fashion for Kids: Designed by Danielle Brustman, a free interactive exhibition opening at NGV International from until 3 May 2026.
- The Mt Eliza Psychic and Wellbeing Expo is on 3 May.
- The Second Drop Fashion Market is on in Seaford on 3 May.
- The Melbourne Comic and Toy Market is on 3 May.
- The Moonee Ponds Coin Fair is on 3 May.
- The AAADA Antiques and Art Fair Melbourne, Victoria’s premier antique and art fair, runs until 3 May 2025 at Malvern Town Hall.
- The Glenroy Festival is on 3 May.
- From the Gold Rush era to the Satellite City, the City of Melton has a rich history that’s ripe for rediscovery. Explore the best of its stories at the Heritage Festivaluntil 9 May with exciting lineup of free activities, workshops, and more.
- The Stratford Shakespeare Festival runs until 10 May.
- The 9th Geelong Pride Film Festival runs until Sunday 10th May 2026 at the Pivotonian Cinema, Platform Arts, Geelong Arts Centre and Village Cinemas Geelong.
- Set to captivate curious audiences with its panoramic celebration of new and provocative films that dare to venture beyond the cinematic norm, Fantastic Film Festival Australia returns until 15 May at Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn, Thornbury Picture House and Brunswick Picture House.
- Silvers Circus will be in Geelong until 17 May.
- The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, now in its sixty-first year and on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, is at the National Wool Museum in Geelong until 17 May, featuring some of the most exceptional nature photography taken today from across the globe.
- 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.
- Ghosts, monsters and martial arts collide on ACMI’s big screen in a bold program of Hong Kong horror cinema that’s running until 18 May.
- A globally acclaimed light and sound experience Eonarium: Enlightenment is bringing a vivid reimagining of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons to the Immigration Museum until 31 May.
- A new exhibition at WAMA in the Grampians is inviting visitors to look down, slow down and rethink what’s happening beneath their feet. Entanglements with Fungi: Life, Death and Renewal opens at the National Centre for Environmental Art until 1 June, drawing together multidisciplinary artists to explore the strange and vital world of the fungal kingdom.
- Bubble Planet: An Immersive Experience runs until 29 June – transforming the Fever Exhibition and Experience Centre in Brunswick into a playful universe filled with light, colour and giant bubbles, inviting visitors to explore more than 10 imaginative rooms designed to spark curiosity and creativity.
- Premiering at ACMI until 12 July 2026, Play School: Come and Play!invites pre-schoolers and their grown-ups behind the scenes of the iconic show, revealing how an episode of Play School is made today.
- Step into a prehistoric world as more than 60 animatronic dinosaurs arrive across three local zoos for a special seasonal event. Dinos at the Zoo will run until Sunday 12 July at Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary, spanning both the Easter and winter school holiday periods.
- After drawing almost 140,000 visitors in Brisbane and Perth, BODY WORLDS: The Anatomy of Happiness is heading to Melbourne for a limited season at The District Docklands until 29 July. Created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of plastination, and curated by physician and designer Dr. Angelina Whalley, the exhibition explores the human body through the lens of emotion, health and wellbeing.
- A landmark international fashion exhibition is heading to Melbourne’s south east, with The Offbeat Sari set to make its Australian debut at Bunjil Place Gallery until early August. Developed by London’s Design Museum and conceived and curated by Priya Khanchandani, the exhibition brings together 54 groundbreaking saris loaned from leading designers and studios across India.
- 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.
- Shane Warne’s legacy will take centre stage at a major exhibition presented by the Melbourne Cricket Club of the late cricket icon’s most prized personal items at the Australian Sports Museum until 9 August 2026. WARNE: Treasures of a Legend will feature 48 pieces from his career, offering rare access to objects that shaped one of Australia’s most celebrated sporting stories.
- Melbourne Museum will open ROME: Empire, Power, People until Sunday 25 October 2026.The Melbourne-exclusive exhibition will bring more than 150 objects from two of Italy’s leading museums to Australia for the first time, offering an in-depth look at the rise and rule of one of history’s most influential civilisations.
- Colour at Scienceworks in Spotswood is a vibrant, hands-on exhibition exploring the surprising science behind how we see the world, running until 26 January 2027.
What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 27 April – 3 May 2026
By Melbourning
