The Best Events and Festivals in Melbourne

• The Australian Open – experience some world-class tennis in a world-class city! International players descend on Melbourne and even the heats are a sight to behold.
  
  

• Why not head out of the city in February and visit one of the surrounding areas. We love the Great Ocean Road, Murray Alpine and High Country.

• Formula 1 Grand Prix – get ready for noise! Screams of excitement, squealing tires and after parties that go well into the night.
• Melbourne Food and Wine Festival – this festival has been running for 25 years and now boasts over 300 events across the state. These include long lunches, outdoor barbeques, rooftop parties and access to the best chefs and wine makers in the country.
• Melbourne Fashion Festival – be part of the frow (front row for the uninitiated) with bloggers and influencers galore at this week-long festival. You can buy tickets to your favourite designer shows and if you’re a budding fashionista there are also workshops and events that take you behind the scenes of the industry.
  
  
  
  

• Melbourne International Comedy Festival – get ready to laugh as comedians from all around the world hit Melbourne.

• Melbourne is home to some of the best theatre in Australia, with many international shows hitting the city before starting their tours around the country. Try Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, showing in May 2019.

• White Night Melbourne – It’s been announced that this 1 day all night festival (7pm- 7am) is being turned into a winter festival in 2019, running over 3 days. No dates have been announced yet, but previous years have been a celebration of creativity with artists, performances and the whole city lit up.
• Melbourne International Jazz Festival – jazz lovers, get ready! A whole festival dedicated to tunes hits Melbourne in June.
  
  
  

• Open House Melbourne – if you’ve always wanted to get inside some of Melbourne’s most iconic homes and venues, this is your chance. Not only are some of these destinations open to the public but you can also enjoy workshops, public talks and debates on what it takes to build a liveable city.

• Melbourne Writers Festival – budding writers and literature lovers can hear from some of their favourite authors, take workshops on how to improve their prose and immerse themselves in the wonderful world of books.

• AFL Grand Final – now this is one you need to book well in advance! The city books out as Victorians are crazy about their AFL! If you can’t get tickets to the big game, head to a neighbourhood pub and join the festivities.

• Melbourne Festival – Melbourne becomes even more creative, packed with music and dance performances, art displays, photography exhibitions and shows.
  
  

• Melbourne Cup Carnival – the city’s namesake race is more than just one Tuesday in November. Dress in your best and head to the race track, or watch the race on the big screens at one of the city’s many pubs.
  
  

• Boxing Day Test – Cricket fanatics can recover from Christmas celebrations with the annual game. Instead of watching in front of the TV this year, why not head to the city that hosts?
  
  

Our Top Picks For Melbourne & Suburbs