- The Melbourne Magic Festival is coming back for 2026 with shows all over Melbourne from 29 June to 11 July.
- Marvel Stadium is the place to be throughout July with sport fans invited to settle in for a blockbuster two months of International sport with NBA Finals and World Cup games beamed live onto the Marvel Super Screen in Stadium Square.
- Running every Wednesday from 1 to 29 July, Queen Victoria Market’s Christmas in July series will swap traditional winter vibes for a full festive makeover, complete with giant walk-in snow globes, live ice sculpting, sparkling decorations and roaming Christmas-themed performers.
- Family Fiesta is back at MPAC at Monash University in Clayton from 1-4 July, inviting children aged 0–12 and their families to step into the forest and discover a world of wonder.
- Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation is celebrating 50 Years of Deadly with a NAIDOC Week event at St Kilda Town Hall on 2 July.
- Collins Square is hosting its winter market on 2 July.
- Melbourne Winter Fest at Morris Moor in Moorabbin on 2-5 July Melbourne’s ultimate indoor winter school holiday event!
- The Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey has a circus festival until 3 July.
- The Mould cheese festival will be at MCEC on 3-5 July.
- Firelight – Melbourne’s epic winter festival – will return to Docklands with fiery installations, live music, pop-up foodie feasts and more from 3-5 July.
- The Island Whale Festival is taking place at various venues across Phillip Island on 3-4 July.
- Celebrate the launch of the Outside Gallery at Galada Community Centre with a vibrant evening of creativity and connection at Aurora After Dark in Epping on 3 July.
- There’s a toy swap and toy hospital event in Box Hil on 3 July.
- Fashion Thrift Society – Australia and the UK’s biggest vintage, pre-loved and small business fashion market – is back at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on 4 July.
- The Melbourne Sake Festival is on at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on 4-5 July.
- PBC Expo – Australia’s largest baby expo – is headed to MCEC on 4-5 July.
- Celebrate 50 years of 3CR Community Radio at the Collingwood Town Hall on 4 July
- Novotel Glen Waverley proudly presents the Bombay Food Festival 2026 on 4 July
- The Aussie Winter Carnival is on at Werribee Racecourse on 4-5 July
- The 6th annual Hot Sauce and Chilli Festival is on at Welcome to Brunswick on 4 July
- Crafty Creatures at the Park on July 4 and 11 at Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick promises to be a relaxed evening surrounded by glowing animal installations, live reptiles and the sounds of the Australian bush.
- The Hologram Zoo in Ringwood is holding its first birthday celebrations on 4-5 July.
- Diamond Valley Railway’s Winter Light Spectacular on 4 July will journey through the bushland of Eltham Lower Park, lit by the light shows, passing signals and locomotive headlights – a unique and spectacular sight which only occurs in winter.
- AAMI Park and Federation Square will again host public watch parties for the Socceroos next game against Egypt in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to kick off at 4am on Saturday 4 July. The first 10,000 fans through the gates at AAMI Park will score a free hot breakfast.
- World of the Book returns from Saturday 4 July to 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.
- The Portland Holistic and Psychic Expo is on 4 July
- Balloons Over Mildura from 4-12 July is a spectacular nine-day hot air balloon festival filling Mildura’s iconic big skies with colour and excitement.
- On 4 July, the Piccadilly Winter Night Market brings food, design and live tunes to Little Creatures Brewery in Geelong.
- KidFEST Warrnambool on 4-6 July is an interactive event for kids 2-12, packed with creative activities, music, storytelling, art and hands-on fun.
- Alpacafest is on in Noorat on 4 July.
- The 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival returns until 5 July, unveiling a rich mix of contemporary stories from across Spain and Latin America.
- The Glen Eira Storytelling Festival returns until Sunday 5 July.
- The Melbourne Tartan Day Parade is on 5 July.
- There’s a record fair at Bay Hotel in Mornington on 5 July
- Valley Sounds music festival returns until 5 July 2026 at venues across Moonee Valley.
- The 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival returns until 5 July, unveiling a rich mix of contemporary stories from across Spain and Latin America.
- The Glen Eira Storytelling Festival returns until Sunday 5 July.
- Celebrate NAIDOC Week 2026 at the Melbourne Museum’s Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre with a Family Day on Sunday 5 July.
- The Childrens International Film Festival returns to the Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn until 10 July.
- There’s a pop-up inflatable playground in Colac until 10 July.
- Discover a glowing winter wonderland of snow, lights, fire and ice at Winter Glow at Adventure Park in Geelong until 12 July.
- Chadstone is launching a brand new month long festival that will transform the shopping centre after dark with immersive art, dining experiences, music and community events. Running until Sunday 12 July, Light to Night will take over the entire precinct, encouraging visitors to linger well beyond shopping hours with a program designed around art, food and nightlife.
- 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.
- An enchanting sound and light show, Electric Wonderland at Bendigo’s Rosalind Park until 12 July delivers interactive exhibits, immersive light installations and magical projections using the latest in audio visual technology.
- Winter Wonderland at Skyline Melbourne brings the magic of the season to life — with hourly snowfalls, giant Ferris wheel rides, and delicious treats until 12 July,
- Until 19 July experience the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament live on the Bunjil Place Outdoor Screen. Settle in under the open sky, watch world‑class football on the big screen and enjoy the atmosphere as fans gather to cheer, celebrate and share the action.
- Eroni’s Circus is in Wodonga until 19 July.
- Embrace the chill with the return of the popular Ballarat Winter Festival until 19 July.
- Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill comes alive with stunning light projections, music, wintry treats, and a magical winter glow at Winter Wonderlights until 19 July
- The East Gippsland Winter Festival runs until 19 July.
- FROSTED – A Winter Spectacular is in Narre Warren until 19 July, transforming the colder months into a glowing, family-friendly escape. The heated big top set up opposite Westfield Fountain Gate will become a fully immersive winter wonderland designed with younger kids in mind.
- Iconic Brunswick Street café Mario’s is marking four decades in Melbourne with a major new exhibition bringing together 40 of Australia’s leading contemporary artists. Running until 20 July, 40 Artists – 40 Years will transform the walls of Marios into a multi generational survey of the artists who have shaped, challenged and passed through the venue since it first began hosting exhibitions in 1988.
- In Bloom tells the story of a garden coming alive after sunset — a hidden nocturnal world where native flora, pollinators and natural ecosystems glow with colour, movement and life. Inspired by the beauty and biodiversity of Geelong Botanic Gardens, guests’ journey through immersive environments influenced by blooming landscapes, native wildflowers, shifting seasons and creatures such as the iconic Blue Banded Bee. See it until 26 July.
- 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.
- The Linden New Art Postcard Show running until 1 August is a winter classic in St Kilda. Now in its 36th year, the exhibition brings together up to 1,000 postcard sized artworks by artists from across Australia.
- Lightscape – Melbourne’s favourite winter tradition is returning to Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne until 2 August. Expect brand-new large-scale installations by leading Australian and international artists, trail-side treats and a mesmerising world of colour, music and light beneath the night sky.
- 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’s iconic Winter Night Market is making its return to Queen Victoria Market this winter, bringing fire pits, street food, live music and late-night shopping back to the city every Wednesday night until 26 August.
- 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.
What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 29 June to 5 July 2026
By Melbourning
Melbourne Magic Festival
