- Join Scienceworks for Little Kids Day: Caring for Country on 3 August and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day with storytelling, crafts and STEM-inspired play for children aged 0–5 and their grown-ups.
- To celebrate turning 50, Dandee Donuts at Dandenong Market will host a week of giveaways from Tuesday 4 August to Sunday 9 August.
- The Mallee Machinery Field Days are on 5-6 August.
- The Melbourne International Film Festival returns from 6-23 August.
- The Melbourne Outdoor Living & Caravan Expo is on at Caribbean Park in Scoresby on 7-9 August.
- Eroni’s Circus is in Numurkah from 7-9 August.
- The 2026 National Alpaca Show is on at the Bendigo Showgrounds on 7-9 August.
- Bolivian National Day celebrations are being held in Brunswick East on 8 August.
- The West Talks Death: A “Dying To Know” Day Expo is on in Maribyrnong on 8 August.
- The Belgrave Record Fair is on at Sooki Lounge on 8 August.
- The Swiss Festival 2026 is on at Seaworks in Williamstown on 8 August.
- Celebrate Jamaica’s 64th Independence Day with an afternoon and evening full of culture, music, food, and family fun in Moorabbin on 8 August.
- The 2026 Melbourne Spartan Event – Spartan Race is a competitive obstacle race series, with events spanning America, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Athletes run, climb, crawl and push through custom-built obstacles designed to test strength, endurance and mental grit across varying distances and difficulty levels. It’s on at Werribee Racecourse on 8-9 August.
- The Art Gallery of Ballarat is set to host the globally renowned World Press Photo exhibition for the first time from 8 August to 20 September at the historic Ballarat Mining Exchange, the exhibition marks the first time Victorians have been able to experience the showcase locally in more than 10 years.
- Silvers Circus will be in Shepparton until 9 August.
- Caravan Sounds brings a one-of-a-kind experience to the Chapel Street precinct– a custom-built caravan sound system, a professional DJ and a playlist designed to keep the weekend going. Kicking off in Windsor on Sunday 9 August, popping up in Windsor Plaza – conveniently located just outside Windsor Station.
- The Mini Folks Baby and Children’s Market is on in Macleod on 9 August.
- The RMIT Makers Market is on in Brunswick on 9 August.
- The Vintage and Modern Toy Fair is on at the Melbourne Showgrounds on 9 August.
- The Australian Catholic University’s Melbourne campus open day is on 9 August.
- RMIT University’s Brunswick and City campus open day is on 9 August.
- The Sacred Mist Witches Market is on in Beaconsfield on 9 August.
- The Pakenham Wedding Expo is on 9 August.
- The Berwick Half Marathon is on 9 August.
- La Trobe University’s Shepparton campus open day is on 9 August.
- Federation University’s Gippsland Open Day is on 9 August.
- The Shepparton Holistic and Psychic Expo is on 9 August.
- The Gippsland Wedding Expo is on at Lardner Park in Warragul on 9 August.
- There’s a pre-loved fashion market pop-up at the Bendigo Showgrounds on 9 August.
- Ballarat is once again rolling out the pastry mat for a full month of flaky indulgence. Back for its fourth year, with Ballarat’s Best Pie running until 31 August where you can take your pick from 30 savoury and sweet pies at some of the city’s top cafes, restaurants, bakeries and pubs.
- Until 31 August 2026, the Catchment to Coast exhibition will be on display at Cardinia Cultural Centre, exploring the flow on effect of water across the shire.
- 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.
- Melbourne’s winter nights are set to sparkle as National Gallery of Victoria unveils the return of NGV Friday Nights alongside the highly anticipated 2026 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces: CARTIER exhibition. Running every Friday until 2 October at NGV International, the after-hours series will combine late-night exhibition access with live music, film screenings, French-inspired food and immersive performances inspired by the world of Cartier.
- A dazzling world-exclusive Cartier exhibition will run at the National Gallery of Victoria until 4 October featuring more than 300 jewels, tiaras, necklaces, brooches, timepieces and design drawings, making the exhibition the largest presentation of the legendary jewellery house ever staged in Australia.
- In a landmark moment for its 130th year, Geelong Gallery, in partnership with Art Exhibitions Australia and ACPA Advising Curating Producing Art, is proud to present Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel, Art Dealer Among the Artists, the most ambitious international exhibition in the Gallery’s history, running until 11 October.
- 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.
- A thought-provoking new exhibition EMERGENCE[Y] at Science Gallery Melbournebrings together artists, researchers, and designers to examine how humanity might adapt to a rapidly changing planet until 5 December 2026.
- 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.
- Home is Football: Belonging in Australian Soccer at the Immigration Museum until 27 January 2027 explores how the world game has shaped identity, migration and community across Australia. Featuring stories from Ange Postecoglou, Lydia Williams and grassroots players, the exhibition celebrates football’s power to connect people both on and off the pitch.
- 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 March 2027/. 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.
- World of the Book returns until 17 May 2027 – State Library Victoria’s largest ever tribute to women writers, alongside hundreds of extraordinary Australian and international works from the State Collection. Now in its 21st year, this beloved exhibition brings together more than 400 rare, remarkable and historically significant items from c. 2000 BCE to today, many on public display for the first time.
What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 3-9 August 2026
By Melbourning
Swiss Festival, Seaworks
