- An exhibition celebrating the past 50 years of NAIDOC Week poster designs is being held in Ringwood from 25 May to 19 July.
- There’s a career expo at the Caribbean Gardens in Scoresby on 26 May.
- Join Elders, community members and the City of Whittlesea to honour and respect the Stolen Generations with a commiseration ceremony featuring a guest speaker, a minute’s silence and the annual Sorry Walk in South Morang on 26 May.
- City Hall in Geelong will be illuminated nightly with projections nightly from 6pm to 11pm from 26th May until 4 June celebrating Reconciliation Week.
- The Ballarat Ageing Well Expo is on 26 May.
- The Chaffey Festival from 27 to 31 May is a celebration of Mildura’s history, commemorating Mildura Day and embracing the diverse narratives that shape the region. The festival promises an enriching week filled with historical insights and community spirit.
- Latrobe City Council will host a community flag-raising ceremony and celebrationin Morwell on Wednesday 27 May 2026 to mark National Reconciliation Week.
- National Reconciliation Week is on 27 May to 3 June with plenty of events around Melbourne and regional Victoria.
- RISING is a festival of new art, performance and music, in the heart of Naarm/Melbourne. It returns for 2026 on 27 May to 9 June.
- The City of Casey is hosting a culturally safe and welcoming event designed to create connection, reflection, and engagement for everyone for Reconciliation Week at Bunjil Place on 27 May.
- Celebrate the beginning of National Reconciliation Week with an evening of culture, connection and community at the Glen Eira Council Gardens in Caulfield on 27 May.
- Join the City of Monash for a National Reconciliation Week celebratory event in Glen Waverley on 27 May. Take part in a traditional Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, and hear stories shared by First Nations Elders and participate in a host of cultural activities.
- Enjoy a Welcome to country and smoking ceremony, a performance by All Together Choir and family-friendly activities to mark Reconciliation Week at the Cardinia Cultural Centre in Pakenham on 27 May.
- Celebrate National Reconciliation Week with Mullum Market at Ringwood Town Square on 28 May featuring First Peoples arts and Culture stalls, food and performances
- Join the City of Stonnington on 28 May at Malvern Town Hall and learn about Victoria’s Treaty. Delivered in partnership with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, this engaging, free session will explore what Treaty means for our shared future.
- Reconciliation Week in Moorabool will begin with a Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony and Flag Raising Ceremony on Thursday 28 May at 3:30pm at The Village Green, Bacchus Marsh.
- The Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show is on at MCEC between 29-31 May.
- The Bendigo Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Road Show is on 29-31 May.
- SENSE-ational Aireys from 29 May to 28 June is a new festival designed for visitors and tourists to stop and enjoy what Aireys Inlet has on offer with a program of over 40 events over five weekends.
- The 2026 Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles are on at Bells Beach on 29-30 May.
- Geek Expo arrives in Albury–Wodonga on 30 May with a one-day celebration of pop culture, creativity, and fandom.
- The 2nd Southern Rail Trail Running Festival is back on 30 May in Welshpool.
- The Austin 7 Club Inc presents Historic Winton. It’s Australia’s largest and most popular historic motorsport event, held at Winton Motor Raceway near Benalla on 30-31 May.
- The One Fine Baby Melbourne Baby Expo is on at the Royal Exhibition Building on 30-31 May.
- The Yarra Ranges Volunteer Expo is on in Lilydale on 30 May.
- The Spanish Language Fiesta on 30 May is a free vibrant festival celebrating Spanish-speaking cultures with music, dance, food and community at Federation Square.
- Step into a world of creativity, connection and unforgettable stories at the People of Passion International Film Festival. Held at Melbourne’s ACMI cinemas over one day on 30 May, this feel-good festival celebrates fresh voices and inspiring films from all over the globe.
- The Secret World of Food at Prahran Market on 30-31 May is a FREE playful, interactive experience that helps kids (and their families) connect the dots between farm, market, kitchen and compost.
- The Museum of Australian Photography in Wheelers Hill is holding its inaugural Photography Fair – a fundraising event that supports artists and the museum – on 30 and 31 May.
- First Nations community and allies are invited to Willum Warrain Gathering Place in Hastings to respectfully engage and participate in their annual reconciliation families and allies’ day on 30 May,
- The Queen Victoria Market Record Fair is on 30 May.
- The Mordialloc Record Fair is on 31 May.
- The Lilydale Psychic and Wellbeing Expo is on 31 May
- The Wallan Holistic and Psychic Expo is on 31 May.
- This annual Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service at The Shrine on 31 May pays tribute to the vital contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service personnel have made—and continue to make—to the Australian Defence Force.
- Silvers Circus will be in Gisborne until 31 May.
- The Ballarat Cabaret Festival is on until -31 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.
- Reconciliation in the Park on 31 May – held in the heart of Djilang/Geelong at Johnstone Park – is a free, family-friendly gathering that invites community to walk alongside one another, grounded in truth, Culture, and connection.
- FOMO Cinemas in East Brunswick is hosting Ani-May – a full month of the finest animated feature films to the big screen throughout 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.
- A slice of the French Alps is heading back to the city, with Fondue Chalet returning to Federation Square for a seven-week winter run until 27 June
- 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 is getting a deep dive into vinyl, sound and music culture, with RISING and ACMI unveiling The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, at ACMI. Running throughout this year’s RISING event and extended until 31 August, the large scale exhibition explores how vinyl and music have shaped art, fashion, film and social movements.
- Spanning nearly a century of artistic innovation, Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) brings together 37 exceptional paintings and sculptures from the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, never before shown in Australia, that capture the radical shifts in art from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. The exhibition runs until 20 September.
- 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: 25-31 May 2026
By Melbourning
