Melbourne Rare Book Week returns in 2025 with an extraordinary lineup of events, exhibitions, and lectures that celebrate the fascinating world of rare and collectible books. Since its inception in 2012 as the world’s first dedicated rare book week, the beloved event has grown into an international drawcard, attracting bibliophiles, scholars, and collectors from around the globe. Running from 24 July to 2 August, this year’s program features 43 free events hosted across Melbourne in collaboration with Victoria’s leading cultural institutions. Highlights include thought-provoking lectures and panel discussions on a wide range of topics—from significant women in the natural sciences and the English Civil War to the history…
Author: Melbourning
Melbourne Museum is turning childhood dreams into reality with its new Museum Sleepover series – extraordinary after-hours adventures where guests can spend the night among dinosaurs, starships, and museum treasures. Designed for both adults and families, these premium sleepovers offer torchlit tours, exclusive exhibition access, and the unforgettable experience of sleeping beneath towering dinosaur skeletons on luxurious Ecosa mattresses. Adults can relive the magic of school excursions with a sophisticated twist. The evening begins with a welcome drink before taking an exclusive torchlight tour of Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs. Guests will then enjoy private access to Lego® Star Wars™: The Exhibition, followed by…
International cricketers from four nations will descend on Mildura in September for the 2025 Spirit of Cricket Festivale tournament. Now in its second year, the event will feature Over 50 and Over 55 cricketers from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada who will represent their countries from 14 – 24 September while the second week 25 – 30 September will see 8 Over 50s T20 franchises compete for $25,000 in prize money. Event founder Anthony Telfer said the tournament would offer a veritable feast of cricket for local spectators while putting Mildura on the international stage. “Each country is sending over…
This winter, the NGV International becomes a vibrant playground of environmental discovery with Plans for the Planet: Olaf Breuning for Kids, a free exhibition opening 6 June. Swiss artist Olaf Breuning invites young visitors and families to explore nature through interactive art, blending playful installations with meaningful conversations about sustainability. Born in Switzerland in 1970, Breuning is a globally exhibited artist working across sculpture, photography, and video. His work has been shown at the Palais de Tokyo, MoMA, and the Centre Pompidou, and was featured in the NGV Triennial in 2017. Now based in New York, he continues to blend humor…
Melbourne’s $12.6 billion Metro Tunnel Project is ramping up this winter, with the first full-day trial of operations set to shake up the city’s rail network on Saturday, 21 June. For the first time, trains on the Sunbury, Cranbourne, and Pakenham lines will run through the new tunnels—forcing passengers to swap services at Footscray and Caulfield while crews finalise works at the two underground CBD stations. The trial will push the tunnel’s new systems to the limit, with more trains running than on a typical Saturday. Digital displays and announcements will simulate future timetables, but commuters should brace for confusion—station…
The Red Hot Summer Tour is back for 2025 and will electrify Ballarat, the Yarra Valley and Mornington with a series of performances headlined by the iconic Crowded House. Fronted by Neil Finn and Nick Seymour, the band returns to the national stage following their acclaimed 2024 album, Gravity Stairs. The tour boasts a stellar lineup alongside Crowded House, including Angus & Julia Stone, The Church, Mark Seymour with Vika & Linda and The Waifs. Each artist brings their unique sound, promising a diverse musical experience for attendees. The Red Hot Summer Tour pre-sales, including Ticketmaster and ANZ Circle member access, begin on…
This list will be updated as more June events are announced so check back regularly. Events running throughout June: What’s on in and around Melbourne 1-8 June 2025 What’s on in and around Melbourne 9-15 June 2025 What’s on in and around Melbourne 16-22 June 2025 What’s on in and around Melbourne 23-30 June 2025 What’s on in regional Victoria 1-30 June 2025
The Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne has reopened with 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art – a landmark exhibition launching during Reconciliation Week that celebrates the enduring brilliance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Curated by Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AO, Senior Curator Judith Ryan AM, and Associate Curator Shanysa McConville, the exhibition traces Indigenous artistic traditions from ancient creation to contemporary masterpieces, challenging the delayed recognition of First Nations art within Australia’s cultural narrative. “The ironic title refers to the belated acceptance of Indigenous art into the fine art canon,” said Professor Langton. “This…
The Queenscliff Music Festival is set to light up Victoria’s Bellarine Coast again this November with an electrifying mix of homegrown heroes and international stars. The first announcement of the 2025 lineup was dropped today, promising a weekend of rock, blues, country, pop, hip-hop, folk, and indie, with headliners including festival favourites The Cat Empire, ARIA-winning singer-songwriter Thelma Plum, and American surf-rock legend Donavon Frankenreiter. Joining them are beloved Aussie acts The Waifs, King Stingray, the recently reunited Little Birdy, and punk icons Cosmic Psychos. Other acts include the Pierce Brothers, Didirri & Rowena Wise, Squid Nebula, and a host…
Melbourne is about to become a portal to the ancient world when Rituals: Gifts for the Gods opens on May 30 – the first global exhibition born from a historic partnership between Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Australia’s Hellenic Museum. This extraordinary collection of 119 sacred artefacts, many leaving Greek soil for the first time, reveals humanity’s timeless quest to connect with the divine through objects that have witnessed three millennia of prayers, offerings and Olympic glory. From a 7,800-year-old Neolithic figurine to inscribed Linear B tablets and Spartan lead votives, each piece tells a story of mortal yearning. Visitors will encounter…
The piano bar anthems and stadium-filling hits of Billy Joel are about to get a magnificent makeover when Piano Man: The Music of Billy Joel hits Hamer Hall this November. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will join Australia’s finest vocal talents to reinvent Joel’s catalogue with sweeping orchestral arrangements that promise to make familiar songs feel brand new. Following its triumphant Adelaide premiere, the two-night concert event on 15-15 November will feature show-stopping performances by musical theatre heavyweights including Phil Burton (Human Nature), Alinta Chidzey (Moulin Rouge!), genre-blending singer Jess Hitchcock, and Josh Piterman (Phantom of the Opera). Director Mark Sutcliffe and conductor…