Melbourne’s outdoor theatre season will return in full shimmer from 24 January to 28 February 2026, with the Australian Shakespeare Company staging Twelfth Night under the stars at the Royal Botanic Gardens. The production will bring one of Shakespeare’s most playful comedies to life in a setting made for moonlit mischief. Twelfth Night follows Viola, who washes ashore after a shipwreck believing her twin brother Sebastian has been lost. Alone in an unfamiliar land, she disguises herself as the young man Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino. Her plan unravels quickly: Viola falls for Orsino, Orsino pines for…
Author: Melbourning
Disco legends Boney M will return to Australia one last time, announcing The Final Curtain Tour for April next year and giving Melbourne fans three chances to farewell one of the genre’s most enduring groups. Led by original member Maizie Williams, the group will perform their biggest hits at The Forum across three consecutive nights on Saturday 4 April, Sunday 5 April and Monday 6 April. The tour promises a full live band and a setlist stacked with era defining singles including Rasputin, Daddy Cool, Sunny, Rivers Of Babylon, Ma Baker, Gotta Go Home and Brown Girl In The Ring.…
Australasia’s only festival dedicated entirely to fulldome cinema will return to the Melbourne Planetarium this summer, bringing with it a global lineup of cutting edge immersive films. The Dome Under Film Festival (DUFF), now in its sixth year, will run from Friday 30 January to Sunday 1 February 2026 and is set to showcase some of the newest and most imaginative works in the fast evolving 360 degree format. The 2026 program spans nine curated sessions across three days, each screening only once and running between 75 and 120 minutes. Audiences can expect a mix of cosmic storytelling, scientific discovery…
More than one million young Victorians will be able to travel for free from 1 January, with the new Youth myki now available to purchase online. The card, released ahead of next year’s network-wide rollout, gives all passengers under 18 free travel across trains, trams and buses. The Youth myki can be ordered through the Transport Victoria website and will be sold at staffed stations from 27 December. Once activated on 1 January, the card will replace the need for paid student passes, removing a significant yearly cost for families. A current annual student pass costs $755. For a family…
Frankston has become the first city in Australia to unveil a fully accessible beach pilot with the launch of its Most Accessible Beach program – setting a new benchmark for coastal inclusion. Delivered by Accessible Beaches Australia in partnership with Frankston City Council, the Frankston Foreshore has been transformed with a suite of accessibility features designed to remove barriers that have kept many people from the water. The pilot includes 70 metres of beach matting that extends to the shoreline, shaded daybeds, five beach wheelchairs, two beach walkers and a hoist to support transfers. The program will be staffed by…
Theatre Works has lifted the curtain on its 2026 season, revealing an ambitious, yearlong program of more than 50 productions that will fill every corner of its St Kilda precinct. While the organisation has also confirmed the planned July 2026 departure of Executive Director Dianne Toulson, her retirement sits in the background of an announcement driven by the scale, diversity and reach of next year’s artistic vision. The 2026 program continues the year round momentum established in 2025, with a mix of new Australian work, reimagined classics, musicals, festivals and experimental performance. Midsumma returns in force with nine productions across…
The Wharf Hotel is kicking off summer with something you won’t find anywhere else in the country. Wharf on Cloud 9 has landed on the Yarra, bringing Australia’s first hot air balloon dining pods to Siddeley Street. They don’t lift off the ground, but they deliver the feeling of escape, thanks to playful design, soft lighting, and cosy seating that turns a simple meal into a small adventure. The pods sit along the waterfront and overlook the river, giving brunches, birthdays, date nights, and lazy summer lunches a fresh twist. Each pod fits up to six people, and you can…
Cyclists in Melbourne’s west now have a quicker and safer trip into the city following the opening of a new 2.5 kilometre veloway linking Footscray to Moonee Ponds Creek. The elevated route, part of the West Gate Tunnel Project, removes six intersections and several busy port access points, giving cyclists a protected off road run straight toward the CBD. Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams announced the opening during VeloDay celebrations, joined by Australian cycling legend Cadel Evans and students from Footscray City Primary School. The veloway will be known as the Dixon Veloway in honour of Victorian cyclist and…
Victoria will take a major step toward a new chapter with First Peoples when Treaty is officially marked at a large-scale public ceremony and concert on Friday 12 December at John Cain Arena. The event, presented by the Victorian Government and the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, will celebrate the formal commencement of Treaty, drawing thousands for an evening of music, dance and cultural performance. At the centre of the ceremony, the Treaty Authority will formally lodge the Treaty on its database. This act signals the beginning of a renewed relationship grounded in respect, truth and shared responsibility between First…
A new drawcard for families is about to land at Chadstone, with Imaginationation set to open on Monday 8 December and reshape how Melbourne does indoor play. The 1,200sqm venue sits within the shopping centre and brings a design-first approach to children’s entertainment, blending architecture, sensory learning and family-friendly hospitality in one purpose-built space. Bookings are now open for sessions inside the playcentre, which has been created for children aged 0 to 7. The layout leans into interactive zones, quiet sensory corners and hands-on learning experiences, all designed to encourage exploration rather than passive play. The focus on high-quality design…
Leftfield will bring their influential electronic sound back to Australia and New Zealand in 2026, marking their first visit in eight years and celebrating an impressive 35 years since the group first emerged from London’s club scene. Melbourne fans will get their moment when the group plays the Royal Botanic Gardens as part of Live in the Gardens on Sunday 8 March. The anniversary tour promises a career-spanning set featuring the tracks that cemented Leftfield’s place in dance music history, including Original, Release the Pressure, Phat Planet, Open Up, Song of Life and Afro Left. Formed in 1988, the group…