Newsletter #974 What's On Melbourne |
What's On Melbourne Newsletter
Tuesday 26th August 2025 - Monday 1st September 2025
Featured This Week
Affordable Art Fair
Ballarat International Foto Biennale
Boho Luxe Market
Cirque Du Soleil | Corteo
Hearth Festival
Hurstbridge Wattle Festival
Italian Day Festival @ Preston Market
Magic Show: Impossible Occurrences
Melbourne Day
Now Or Never Festival
Red Nose Day
StereoNET Hi-Fi & AV Show
Taste of Indonesia
Victorian Hot Rod & Street Machine Show
Warm Up This Winter with a Cosy Cruise on the Yarra
Wine & Wildlife @ Healesville Sanctuary
Stay safe - Be kind - Be Melbourne
Celebrate 190 years of marvellous
Melbourne Day
Saturday 30th August 2025 marks 190 years since the city of Melbourne was founded - the day the first European settlers landed on the north bank of the Yarra River from the schooner Enterprize in 1835.
Cirque du Soleil returns with its most unique production CORTEO
Cirque Du Soleil | Corteo
Friday 22nd August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025 @ John Cain Arena
Corteo which means cortege in Italian is a joyous procession a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the artist with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.
The largest show of its type held in Australasia
StereoNET Hi-Fi & AV Show
Friday 29th August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025 @ Pullman & Mercure Melbourne Albert Park
Showcasing a broad range of Consumer Electronics from the largest screens to the smallest accessories smarthome and integration products connected lifestyle tech and of course Hi-Fi Home Cinema Headphones and entertainment products.
Come and experience the world's best brands in hi-fi streaming vinyl and turntables.
Join us for a day of fun on our 21st birthday
Hurstbridge Wattle Festival
Sunday 31st August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025 @
Market stalls, kids rides, camels, live music and of course the Steam Train will be there too. The Hurstbridge Wattle Festival is a significant cultural event for Melburnians that has its roots firmly planted in our early rail history.
Dine Sip & Soak in the views along the Yarra All Winter Long!
Warm Up This Winter with a Cosy Cruise on the Yarra
Step aboard the Spirit of Melbourne and experience the city like never before from the warmth of our heated indoor dining deck.
Whether you're planning a romantic night out a weekend catch-up or simply want to treat yourself we've got the perfect cruise for every occasion:
- Brunch Cruise
- Lunch Cruise
- Dinner Cruise
Magic & Illusion - Dinner & Show
Impossible Occurrences
Mind-blowing magic right before your eyes. Every Friday night witness miracles up close with award-winning magician Luke Hocking at Melbourne's #1 magic & illusion show at the 5 Star Marriott Hotel.
the much-loved Italian Day Festival will once again transform the iconic northside market into a vibrant celebration of Italian culture cuisine and community
Italian Day Festival
Sunday 31st August 2025 @ Preston Market
The free family-friendly festa promises a full day of live music dancing traditional eats and local pop-ups - with something for everyone to enjoy.
Affordable Art Fair is excited to return to Australia's cultural capital Melbourne for it's fifth edition
Affordable Art Fair
Friday 29th August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025 @ Royal Exhibition Building
Showcasing a selection of galleries from across Australia the fair will feature a mixture of emerging to established artists. Whether you're a lover of landscapes smitten with sculpture or an adorer of abstracts we're sure you'll find something to suit your taste space and spend!
11th Ballarat International Foto Biennale: Lifeforce
Ballarat International Foto Biennale
23 August - 19 October 2025 @ Ballarat
The Ballarat International Foto Biennale is an internationally significant photographic arts festival activating the city of Ballarat and enriching the cultural landscape of Victoria and Australia every two years.
Ballarat's Best Pie is back for round three this winter
Ballarat's Best Pie
1st - 31st August 2025
Take your pick from 36 savoury and sweet showstoppers at some of Ballarat's top bakeries cafes restaurants and bars. Ballarat's Best Pie is all about celebrating the brilliantly unexpected - which is how we describe Ballarat - and we encouraged our chefs to have a little fun with their creations.
Boho Luxe Market have the best curated selection of makers and designers.
Boho Luxe Market
Sunday 31st August 2025 @ Fed Square
Shop our luxe bohemian market and see the work of some of Melbourne's most talented jewellers, fashion designers, illustrators, artists and makers.
Is it a utopia a dystopia or something entirely unexpected? Does 2025 resemble the visions imagined a century ago? And what in turn will 2050 look like?
Now Or Never Festival
Thursday 21st August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025 @
Challenging conventional boundaries Now or Never asks us to imagine new realities prompting us to consider the real illusions that define our perceptions of what lies ahead. What do we envision when we think of the future.
Red Nose Day raises vital funds to support Australian families affected by sudden infant death syndrome
Red Nose Day
Thursday 28th August 2025
We invite Australian's everywhere to get silly for a serious cause to raise much needed funds to help stop little lives being cut short and support grieving families.
Step right up and experience the magic of Elmo's Circus Dream
Elmo's Circus Dream Under the Big Top
8th - 31st August 2025 @ Watergardens Shopping Centre - Taylors Lakes
Experience thrilling daredevil acts dazzling clowns and incredible circus artistry alongside your favourite Sesame Street characters including Abby Cookie Monster Grover as well as Bert & Ernie!
Enjoy tastings from Yarra Valley's finest producers
Wine & Wildlife
Saturday 30th August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025 @ Healesville Sanctuary
Wander around the Sanctuary while you taste delicious drops from some of the region's most prestigious producers. Grab a spot in the huge teepees and warm up by the open fires while listening to live acoustic music.
With FREE entry you're only required to come hungry and ready for a good time
Winter Night Market
Wednesday night - last on 27 August 2025 @ Queen Victoria Market
Wrap up warm and embrace the winter chill as the Market's sheds and laneways come alive with the inviting aromas of delicious food; the sounds of live local musicians; and the vivid spectacle of quirky roving performers promising a fun and not-to-be-missed night for all.
Melbourne Winter Masterpieces
French Impressionism
From the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Daily until 5th October 2025 @ National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
Drawn from Boston Museum of Fine Arts' rich collection of Impressionist masterworks French Impressionism presents more than 100 paintings by key figures including Claude Monet Pierre-Auguste Renoir Edgar Degas Camille Pissarro Edouard Manet Mary Cassatt Berthe Morisot Paul Signac and Alfred Sisley. Audiences will have the opportunity to experience the hallmarks of Impressionism: distinctive brushwork vivid use of colour innovative viewpoints and depictions of subjects and places dear to the artists.
NGV Friday Nights: French Impressionism
Every Friday night until 3 October 2025 - 6-10pm
Your Friday Nights ticket includes unlimited entry to the French Impressionism exhibition from 6-10pm as well as live music performances.
A rich mix of workshops and events led by talented artists makers and creatives sharing skills stories and inspiration
Hearth Festival
Friday 29th August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025
Join us for three days of creativity connection and community celebration in local venues throughout Eltham, Montmorency, Briar Hill and Hurstbridge.
Dive into an immersive hands-on journey through the galaxy's first LEGO Star Wars exhibition
LEGO Star Wars: The Exhibition
Daily @ Melbourne Museum
Over eight million LEGO bricks will transform Melbourne Museum into a tribute to George Lucas's beloved space saga.
Ignite your passion for classic cars and custom builds..
Victorian Hot Rod & Street Machine Show
Saturday 30th August 2025 - Sunday 31st August 2025 @ Melbourne Showgrounds
Come and marvel at an awesome display of over 300 hot rods American and Australian muscle cars and classics custom builds drag cars drag boats speedway cars and a sprinkling of custom motorcycles on 34 Club stands and 50 individual displays.
Chocolate lovers the Hot Chocolate Festival is turning winter into one giant gooey chocolate-fueled adventure
Hot Chocolate Festival
1st - 31st August 2025
Across the Mornington Peninsula Great Ocean Road and Yarra Valley Chocolateries August is all about steaming mugs wild flavours and sugar-fuelled happiness.
Live musical experience by candlelight
Candlelight Concerts
Our Picks
Candlelight: A Tribute To Coldplay
Candlelight: A Tribute To Metallica
Candlelight: A Tribute To Taylor Swift
Candlelight: Coldplay vs. Ed Sheeran
Candlelight: Timeless Composers
Candlelight: Tribute To QUEEN vs ABBA
Candlelight: Vivaldi Four Seasons
The Jazz Room: A Journey to the Heart of New Orleans
The Jazz Room: A Journey to the Heart of New Orleans
Witness Mein's intricate and mesmerising works this winter
Annemieke Mein: Nature Revealed
Until 30th August 2025 @ Whitehorse Artspace
Annemieke Mein OAM is one of Australia's most popular artists known for her exquisitely-made and incredibly detailed textile art that represents local fauna and flora.
Performing Arts
The new girl in town is making heads spin. You've got to move fast when you're 16 going on 70.
Kimberly Akimbo: A Musical
Shows until 30th August 2025 @ Playhouse Theatre
Kimberly Akimbo is the musical that took Broadway by storm. It won countless hearts and raked in five Tony awards including Best Musical with music by Jeanine Tesori the brilliant mind behind the critically acclaimed Fun Home. This Australian premiere directed by four-time Helpmann Award-winner Mitchell Butel and starring Marina Prior Casey Donovan and Christie Whelan Browne brims with infectious energy and tunes that soar.
With its high-energy dance numbers soulful storytelling and unforgettable music In The Heights is a must-see theatrical event.
In The Heights | The Musical
Shows until Saturday 6th September 2025 - extended @ Comedy Theatre
In The Heights tells the story of a tight-knit community on the cusp of significant change. Full of hopes and aspirations some are about to embark on an incredible journey of love and ambition while others are faced with some of the biggest challenges of their lives including what it means to be "home".
A grown-up musical for the whole family
Annie
Shows until 8th November 2025 @ Princess Theatre
It's one of the most awarded and loved musicals of all time. With its iconic score featuring classics like: It's the Hard-Knock Life Easy Street and Tomorrow Annie is truly a timeless musical masterpiece.
The eight-time Tony Award-nominated musical will play a limited season exclusively in Melbourne
Beetlejuice The Musical
Shows until Thursday 11th September 2025 @ Regent Theatre
BEETLEJUICE is funnier more irreverent more reckless and frankly more repellent than ever in this original musical based on Tim Burton's dearly beloved film.
Performing Arts
Shows & Musicals
Check out the rest of the shows plays and musicals playing now and coming soon to Melbourne..
Make the most of Melbourne
Even more things to see hear and do this week
There's just too much happening to squeeze it all into this week's newsletter! Make sure to check out the full lineup of events online so you don't miss out on anything exciting. Check out More on this week..
Heads Up.. coming soon!
Coming in September
The most Tony Award-winning new musical of the season
MJ - The Michael Jackson Musical
9th September 2025 - 14th December 2025 @ Her Majesty's Theatre
He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Now Michael Jackson's unique and unparalleled artistry is startin' somethin' in Melbourne in the multiple Tony Award-winning MJ the Musical.
Coming in October
An Epic Cinematic Journey with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
MSO: Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga Concert Experience
Thursday 16th October 2025 - Saturday 18th October 2025 @ Hamer Hall
It's time for fans - new and old - to assemble and relive every iconic moment from this defining canon of films all accompanied by the MSO.
Sponsored Partner
Rated No #1 gift for husbands fathers and boyfriends
V8 Race Car Driving | Hot Laps
11th + 12th October 2025 @ Sandown
Get the blood pumping as you blast around Sandown Raceway in the driver's seat of a V8 race car!
A highly skilled instructor will be seated beside you giving you live tuition through a headset as you tackle the circuit reaching speeds of up to 200km/h.
Bookings: redballoon.com.au
Heads Up..
Aquadonut BBQ Boat Hire @ Docklands
Ballet of Lights: Peter Pan in a Sparkling Show
Behind the Lines: 2024 Political Cartoons
High Cheese Experience at Westin Melbourne
Melbourne's BEST High Tea's
Museum Of Desire: A Modern Art Museum
Reset 2025: FedSquare Sustainability Festival
Skyline Melbourne Ferris Wheel @ South Wharf
Titanic: A Voyage Through Time
Walking Thomastown
Weekend Markets
Melbourne's biggest list of weekend markets.
Akoonah Park Market
Bayswater Makers' Market
Belmont Sunday Market
Boho Luxe Winter Wanderlust Market
Carisbrook Town Hall Market | Last Sunday
CERES Makers & Flea Market
Daylesford Sunday Market
Essendon North Craft Market
Kangaroo Flat Market | Bendigo
Laverton Rubble & Riches Market
Makers Market at The District
Millgrove Market - 5th Sunday
Oakleigh Rotary Sunday Market
St Andrews Market
Tunstall Square Community Market
Regular Weekend Markets - Saturday Sunday 5th & Last Saturday 5th & Last Sunday of the month
- Showing every market on this weekend.
Newsletter Central
What's On Melbourne Newsletter | #974
Straight to your inbox every Tuesday
❊ Web Links ❊
➼ www.onlymelbourne.com.au❊ Also See... ❊
➼ Newsletter #973 What's On Melbourne
➼ Newsletter #975 What's On Melbourne
Trending HOT
Make the most of your weekend in Melbourne with these fabulous events. No city does it better than Melbourne, so get out and discover the very best shows, festivals, ..
Update Page
