- Melbourne Rare Book Week is on from 23 July to 1 August.
- From 23 July to 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.
- The Echuca Moama Winter Blues Festival is on 23-25 July
- The cult-favourite bakery Brooki’s Cookies will take over Westfield Geelong from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 26 July, giving locals their first opportunity to purchase Brooki’s sought-after baked treats without travelling interstate.
- Winton Festival of Speed celebrates the golden eras of Australian motorsport, bringing together a remarkable collection of historically significant race cars at Winton Motor Raceway near Benalla on 23-26 July.
- There’s a Christmas in July night market at Akoonah Park in Berwick on 24 July
- The Open House Melbourne Weekend will run from 24-26 July. The festival, themed “Generous City,” features over 180 free architect-led tours, talks, and open-access experiences.
- Snowfest Gippsland on 24 July will see the centre of Warragul transformed into a winter playground with snow-filled activities for kids of all ages.
- The Bright Winter Festival is on 24 July – 1 August.
- Nocturne: Healesville After Dark sees the town come to life after dark with extended hours, cosy in-store activations, tastings and winter specials on 24 July.
- The Bendigo Indoor Antiques and Collectibles Fair is on 25-26 July
- The Bendigo Witches Market is on 25 July.
- The Ageing Well Expo is on in Healesville on 25 July.
- The 5th annual Leaps and Bounds Record Fair is on at the Collingwood Town Hall on 25 July.
- Olivine Place in Donnybrook will be lit up with large-scale light projections, transforming Olivine into a glowing wonderland on 25 July.
- The Christmas in July Market is on at Fed Square on 25 July
- The Coburg Makers Market is on 25-26 July.
- Celebrate Christmas in July at Brentford Square Shopping Centre on 25 July.
- Denmark House once again opens its doors for its much-loved Christmas Winter Bazaar on 25 July, a festive day filled with Danish hygge, seasonal treats, and a warm community atmosphere in the heart of Melbourne
- The Croydon Holistic and Psychic Expo is on 26 July
- The My Big Fat Greek Festival in St Albans is on 26 July
- Join in a free, family-friendly event to contribute to the environment by planting 3,500 indigenous trees, shrubs, and ground covers at Lewis Park, Wantirna South on 26 July.
- The Swinburne University Open Day is on 26 July.
- The City of Casey is aiming to plant 5000 new trees and plants in Cranbourne West on Sunday 26 July as part of National Tree Planting Day, and the Casey community is invited to join in the fun.
- Join the City of Maribyrnong in planting 6,000 native ground covers and shrubs on Sunday 26 July for National Tree Day at Braybrook Park.
- Browse an incredible selection from 30+ vendors, showcasing their finest wool coats, fur jackets, unique treasures, and collectible vintage pieces at East Brunswick Village’s Winter Vintage Market on 26 July.
- Join Frankston City Council at Overport Park for a fun morning of planting, community connection and fresh air on 26 July.
- The St Andrews Show And Shine is on 26 July.
- Join the Yarra Ranges Council at Everard Reserve in Healesville on 26 July as part of National Tree Day as they plant grasses, groundcovers, shrubs and trees.
- Running until Sunday 26 July, the Leaps and Bounds Music Festival will spread across Fitzroy, Collingwood, Abbotsford and Richmond, transforming pubs, bars, DIY spaces and local venues into hubs for live music, pop-ups, broadcasts, record fairs and one-off collaborations.
- 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.
- Running every Wednesday until 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.
- 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.
- Running until 2 August at Palace Cinemas the Nordic Film Festival will showcase new films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, including award winners, festival favourites and highly anticipated releases from some of the region’s most celebrated filmmakers.
- The Noojee and Neerim Truffle Festival until 2 Augustwill celebrate West Gippsland’s French black truffles and the region’s growing reputation for cool-climate produce.
- 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.
- 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: 20 to 26 July 2026
By Melbourning
Open House Melbourne 2026
