One of Australia’s most anticipated art exhibitions is heading to regional Victoria, with Shepparton Art Museum confirmed as the only Victorian venue to host the Archibald Prize 2026. Fresh from its annual showing at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the exhibition will make its first regional tour stop at SAM, giving Victorian audiences their sole chance to see the celebrated portrait prize without leaving the state. The exhibition brings together portraits of well-known cultural figures alongside lesser-known Australians whose stories reflect the breadth of contemporary life. The Archibald Prize has long been a fixture of the national arts…
Author: Melbourning
If you have ever wondered how far a balloon can go, Balloon Story is about to provide the answer on a truly epic scale. The global hit immersive experience made entirely from balloons will float into Melbourne in January 2026, bringing colour, creativity and a serious sense of fun to the city. Making its Australian debut in Melbourne and Sydney, Balloon Story transforms entire worlds using nothing but biodegradable balloons. Every creature, setting and scene is hand-built, inviting visitors to wander through a playful universe where art, storytelling and imagination collide. The Melbourne season will open at the Melbourne Convention…
Melbourne will usher in 2026 with a vast New Year’s Eve program spanning six square kilometres, as fireworks, laser shows and live entertainment transform the city into a giant outdoor celebration zone. The City of Melbourne’s 2025 New Year’s Eve event will feature a midnight rooftop fireworks and laser display across 27 buildings, visible throughout the CBD and beyond. Branded under the theme All That Sparkles, the program invites revellers to dress up, head out early and celebrate what is expected to be the city’s busiest night of the year. Four free, family-friendly Celebration Zones at Flagstaff Gardens, Treasury Gardens,…
As Melbourne slips into tennis season, a different kind of match is set to play out on stage at Theatre Works, with Angus Cameron’s Australian Open returning as part of the Midsumma Festival. Timed to coincide with the city’s annual tennis frenzy, the play centres on Felix’s 31st birthday dinner, where conversation quickly shifts from cake and candles to his boyfriend Lucas’ recent loss to Roger Federer. The evening takes a turn when Felix reveals that he and Lucas plan to maintain their open relationship even if they marry, setting off a chain reaction that transforms a polite family gathering…
January school holidays are set to get a creative upgrade, with Arts Centre Melbourne rolling out a hands-on workshop program designed to get kids and parents learning and making together. Running across the first half of January, the School Holiday Workshops span a wide mix of performing arts and creative skills, offering families a chance to try something new without needing prior experience. From magic and music to dance, theatre and digital storytelling, the program is aimed at keeping curious minds busy during the summer break. Younger participants can step into the world of illusion in The Magic Workshop, running…
A tiny workshop, a single performer and a story that refuses to stay on the page will take centre stage at Arts Centre Melbourne next April, when Trick of the Light Theatre brings its acclaimed production The Bookbinder to The Show Room. Running from 23 to 25 April 2026, the one-man show has built a global following thanks to its inventive storytelling and intimate scale. Set inside a bookbinder’s workshop, the performance begins with an old craftsman reading the story of a former apprentice. From there, the tale unfolds beyond the book itself, transforming the space through pop-up books, puppetry…
Ultra Australia has dropped Phase One of its 2026 lineup, confirming headline sets from The Chainsmokers and DJ Snake as the electronic music festival returns to Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse on Saturday 11 April 2026. The two global dance acts will be joined by a mix of international and genre-spanning DJs and producers across both the Melbourne and Gold Coast events. Alongside the headliners, the first wave of artists includes Darren Styles, MaRLo and Oliver Heldens, bringing a blend of trance, house and festival-ready electronic music to the dancefloor. Melbourne’s edition will feature a few extra names not appearing on the…
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…
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…