What's happening in Melbourne
The best things to do this week
This stunning festival of flowers is on now in the Dandenong Ranges
See the latest styles, discover your next artist and get inked at this three-day tattoo festival
A free photo exhibition of real-life Disney princesses is now showing at Fed Square
Celebrate the tastes and traditions of Europe at the Vic Market's newest nocturnal event
Melbourne's biggest book lovers have moved to the vibrant Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne's biggest food truck festival returns to Birrarung Marr this April
Praise ABBA! The homegrown hit is here and it's not at all terrible
Catch some of the best writers in conversation on a range of topics from American prisons to language to feminism at the Wheeler Centre
The latest news
Competitions and announcements
Progress – A Festival of Ideas is a series of talks, music, theatre and performance that runs for two weeks at Monash Clayton campus, May 16-26. The theme of the festival is of course ‘progress’ and will interrogate that word in various ways. Events range from Fleur Kilpatrick’s climate change play Whale to all-star comedy night Smokestack featuring Tom Ballard and Zoë Coombs-Marr; a concert of protest songs to Archie Roach on stage with Paul Grabowsky; and cabaret to jazz. Talks cover feminism, technology and creativity, an interview with Iranian refugee, journalist and writer Behrouz Boochani live from Manus Island via video link, and the mysterious ‘wheel of bias’ that prevents human progress. Time Out has ten coveted double passes that will get you into 19 events in Progress – A Festival of Ideas, including all of the above. Yes, you read that right – win one of these babies and you and a friend had better cancel all your engagements for a fortnight, as you’re going to be very busy, stimulated and entertained. To win, enter below by Wednesday, May 8. Enter here
Everyone in Australia has heard of Chadstone – The Fashion Capital. The shopping, food and entertainment destination doesn’t do anything by half – when Chadstone does something it does it big. So when the precinct teams up with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this April, you can be sure the entire complex will be shaking with big belly laughs. Festival de Luxe is part of Chadstone’s four-week entertainment series landing on Saturday, April 6. Like the rest of Melbourne, Chadstone is ready to split its sides with laughter when Melbourne International Comedy Festival rolls into town – but not everyone can travel into the city to get their giggle on. That is why Chadstone’s Festival de Luxe is bringing the laughs closer to residents in the city’s southeastern suburbs. The month-long laugh-stravaganza will bring down the house with a top-notch line-up of comedians from around Australia. For the first time, the Comedy Festival Showcase (April 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21) will be setting up shop in the Parlour at Chadstone for Festival de Luxe. Every weekend from April 6 to 21 guests can laugh till they cry, with the showcase on at 5.30pm on Saturdays and 3pm on Sundays. The show is hosted by the hilarious Dave Callan (as well as other special guest hosts), and you can expect to get giddy with some of the country’s top rib-tickling comedians. Little laughers are catered for too, with sketch, circus and musical comedy. Almost every day over the school holidays kids will be t
Collingwood’s backstreets are home to Rupert on Rupert, an eyeball-wooing bar and restaurant graced with high ceilings, light-drenched interiors and a mini forest’s worth of pot plants and trees. Ric Corinaldi and his wife Mali opened Rupert in 2015 and have since made it synonymous with cool cocktails, kicked-back Sunday sessions and many bespoke weddings. It makes sense as soon as you enter the big, heavy glass door that separates Rupert from its namesake Collingwood sidestreet. This place is so pretty it deserves a Hollywood screen test. Think big, brown Chesterfield couches paired with finely crafted wooden tables, an atrium-style roof and rooms flooded with greenery. Out the back, there are two custom-made fireplaces which come in handy when winter rears its very chilly head. There's also a sexy cocktail lounge out the back which is perfect for private dinner parties or events. Now, if you can tear yourself away from the interiors, you'll be able to settle down for a cheeky drink or even a full-blown meal as Rupert is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Be sure to check the venue's website or Instagram in the lead up to a visit as they may be closed for private events. Even on a weekday, this light, bright and pared-back restaurant is buzzing. Head chef Samuel Wilson has put together a menu that’s made for sharing – but there are a couple bigger dishes you’ll want to hog all to yourself. Charcoaled ricotta gnocchi is saddled with butternut pumpkin an
Time Out Melbourne magazine is now completely free. While newsagencies will no longer stock the quarterly magazine, you can pick up a copy at selected cafés, shops, entertainment venues and hotels around the city. In addition, friendly Time Out helpers will be handing out copies at major city train stations on the day of publication. You can pick up a copy of our Bar Awards issue on Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8 at Flinders Street Station Flagstaff Station Parliament Station
The best of Melbourne
Wondering what to do in Melbourne? Take a look at our ultimate bucket list: 50 fun things to do in Melbourne, plus what makes the city great, from the food to the festivals and everything in between.
If you're looking for a break from the inner-city grid, there's no better cure than a day trip from Melbourne.
Behold, our eat-and-destroy list – a guide to Melbourne's best restaurants, from fine dining to cheap eats
Expert tips for exploring the city's best attractions for zero dollars
Book in for the best Melbourne shows with our guide to new and upcoming theatre in Melbourne. Our theatre critics recommend the best shows to see right now, as well as the most exciting upcoming shows in Melbourne. For more Melbourne theatre information, check out our latest reviews and our guide to scoring cheap theatre tickets.
From world-beating cocktail lounges to down-and-divey saloons, here's everywhere worth drinking in Melbourne
When you think Melbourne, some of the words that come to mind surely must be 'coffee', 'laneways' and 'street art'. Street art covers almost every nook and cranny of our creative, colourful city, but there are more highly concentrated clusters than others. These are the street art hotspots that any self-respecting 'grammer should be snapping: the city's ten best street mural hotspots, in all their spray-painted laneway glory. Continue your art journey through Melbourne at these free galleries, or purchase your very own piece of art at one of these weird and wonderful shops.
Melbourne area guides
The heart of the city, home to Chinatown and some of Melbourne's best restaurants and arts institutions.
Inventive bars, geek girl boutiques and envelope-pushing eateries. Plus live music institutions.
Whether you are after great eats, a night out or a film at a Victorian-era cinema, Elsternwick is a great place to find yourself.
We should err on the side of caution when describing Williamstown as “greater Melbourne”. Not only will the locals love to tell you it’s only 20 minutes to the city (and no tolls!), but there’s a beach that’s accessible via public transport, a gorgeous pier to stroll down and stunning views towards the city and across Port Phillip Bay. As Melbourne's first seaport, Williamstown has swiftly developed into a trendy seaside suburb with a village feel. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants, you can hop on a bike and circle the water’s edge, or just find a quiet spot to sit and think about all the things you still have left to do. Looking for more fun in the west? Check out our guides to Footscray and Yarraville while you're here.
Exceptional Italian food, gelato and coffee, plus an excellent museum and theatre.
Kensington has northwest charm in spades: there are wide, tree-lined streets, plenty of public transport and green spaces aplenty.
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There are long weekends, and then there’s the Easter long weekend: four days to kick back, and the promise of chocolate eggs into the bargain. Many Melbournites will take the opportunity to leave town for a short break, but if you’re staying in the city there are plenty of festive-themed events taking place in bars and pubs across town. Thursday night parties will lead the charge into Good Friday, and there are bottomless brunches, Easter cocktails and pizza specials over the entire public holiday. Roasts are a popular option for family get-togethers on Easter Sunday, and most of them include Easter egg hunts for the kids (book Sunday lunches online to avoid disappointment). So get cracking!
Warm up your funny bones and get ready to laugh till you cry Melbourne. Festival de Luxe has returned to Chadstone – The Fashion Capital for the month of April delivering side-splitting comedy, awe-inspiring acrobatics and eye-widening performances. This year the festival has teamed up with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to bring some incredibly funny comedians to the southeastern suburbs. We love a laugh, so we went along to the first day of the festival and found out exactly what you need to experience at this year’s Festival de Luxe.
In Melbourne, most locals can hardly wait for summer to end each year. No, it’s not that they’re fed up with the hot weather – it’s because the end of summer each year means one thing: the start of the footy season. Because the return of the AFL (and NRL if that’s your thing) isn’t just about the games. Oh no. It’s also about the atmosphere – the ability to bond over a few drinks with a couple of strangers before a match or commiserate with other fans after a loss. And for locals, Transport Bar epitomises all that’s good about the footy season with free-flowing beers, pub food and friendly crowds. The appeal of Transport isn’t just its location. To be fair, the location is a big drawcard for fans headed to the MCG, with Transport right next to Flinders Street Station and only a 15-minute walk to the ‘G (ten if you’re really keen). You can even catch a tram from Transport to Marvel Stadium in Docklands for free (catch the number 75 or 35 from Flinders Street). But the bar has also won over fans from all sporting codes for its impressive list of beers, wines and cocktails that help make match day just that little bit better. We challenge any beer lover not to find something they like at Transport Bar. The venue rocks 15 beers on tap (including Furphy, Little Creatures and Guinness) as well as a huge number of bottled beers from Melbourne and around the world. Prefer a vino before the big match? Transport has six different wines on tap and a whole lot more by the bottle. And f
Theatrical storytelling, with all its heightened, fictitious elements, relies on a suspension of disbelief. It’s all the more necessary in a farce, with its exaggerated situations unravelling in deliciously ludicrous measure. Bell Shakespeare’s take on French playwright Molière’s The Miser hits such delightful and superficially pleasing notes with its uniquely thrumming rhyming gait, as it opens up on a 17th century social and familial circle. At the centre of this circle is stingy skinflint Harpagon (John Bell), but he isn’t just any ordinary money-hoarder: he’s a butt-sniffing, nose-picking Scrooge-type so depressingly frugal that he puts the miser in miserable. He cares more for the 10,000 gold crowns in a tightly screwed money pot in his garden than he does about his children, Cleante (Damien Strouthos) and Elise (Harriet Gordon-Anderson). So it’s not exactly a surprise that he misses a key piece of personal, important news: both of them are in love – Cleante with Mariane (Elizabeth Nabben), and Elise with Harpagon’s own servant, Valère (Jessica Tovey). The problem with their lovers? They’re not exactly to Harpagon’s economic standards – and Cleante and Elise must then conceal their planned betrothals. What plays out is a mismatch of cheeky scenarios filled in with dramatic irony, as Harpagon reveals his plans to marry Mariane for himself, and meanwhile setting up Elise to marry the old, wealthy widow Signor Anselm (Sean O’Shea). This is Australian writer Justin Fleming
Inviting riverside pub the Wharf Hotel has answered everyone’s prayers — they have taken the concept of bottomless brunch (where you would usually get sugary drinks and indulgent treats which definitely don’t pass for breakfast) and have flipped it on its head with healthier low-sugar cocktails so you can treat yourself without the calories. Every Saturday afternoon from 2pm-4pm, grab a few mates and settle yourself on the garden deck where for $49, you will be served up unlimited jugs of cocktails with a healthy twist — they are made with a ‘shrub’ starter (a mixture of fruit, vinegar, and sugar). The shrub syrup is used as the base for some tempting tipples, especially when you know they contain less sugar than the bevvies usually found in your typical Saturday sesh. There are currently some pretty enticing cocktails on offer, like tequila, watermelon and basil, or Bacardi, mint and cucumber. Also looking good are the dark rum and spiced pineapple or a Vodka and berry bliss option, and you’ll be able to enjoy any and all of them with a healthy grazing platter to share between you and your mates. Flavours will change seasonally, and you’ll have to book ahead in order to snag yourself some prime real-estate on the banks of the Yarra for a couple of hours. To check out the details on the Wharf Hotel's website and book a table click here.
Something special is going on at Garden State Hotel for a limited time only until Sunday April 28. Schweppes are taking over the venue with Bar Schweppes, a month-long pop-up celebrating their new range of Signature Series Mixers and craft soft drinks. They have teamed up with three of the country’s best industry talents to create the first range of mixers advised on by professional bartenders in Australia. Enter: Charlie Ainsbury, the former co-owner of This Must Be the Place in Sydney; Jess Arnott, top three in Masterchef Australia 2015 and ex-Chula in Sydney; and Chris Hysted, three-time Australian Bartender of the Year. This gang have helped to come up with some elevated and versatile mixers that will appear in these sensational cocktails at $15 a pop, as well as at Dan Murphy’s stores nationwide. Photograph: Supplied Blossom and Tonic This cocktail uses Schweppes Signature Series Bright Tonic, which is made during a 12-month process and less bitter on the palate than your average tonic with the addition of orange oil, lemon oil and Javanese cinchona bark (which adds the necessary quinine to make tonic water). The tonic is then added to gin, blanco vermouth and elderflower cordial, and the whole thing is topped with lemongrass and baby’s breath to deliver a refreshing and citrusy kick to the classic G&T. This one is a perfect starter to ease your way into the rest of the list. Photograph: Supplied La Vida Collins A Tom Collins that switches out gin for white rum,
Melbourne’s inner-north Collingwood has seen gentrification over the last 20 years, bringing in inventive bars, boutiques and envelope-pushing eateries of every description. It’s still a little grungy, and it’s still known for its live music. In Sydney, Redfern has a deep-rooted history of Indigenous culture, as well as an industrial past, that’s now home to exciting new bars, creative community hubs and historically significant street art. We think you’ll like it. Redfern is only one stop away from Central Station, or a 20-minute walk.
Queenstown really packs a lot in. Not only is it the largest ski resort in New Zealand – during the peak season the picturesque Southern Alps are dotted with snow bunnies like kiwifruit on giant white pavlovas – it’s also the home of bungy jumping and all manner of heart-stopping adventure activities. Food and wine lovers are well catered for, too.
Progress – A Festival of Ideas is a series of talks, music, theatre and performance that runs for two weeks at Monash Clayton campus, May 16-26. And you have the opportunity to win double passes to 19 events throughout the festival. The theme of the festival is ‘progress’ and will interrogate that word in various ways. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll think as the festival showcases some of Australia’s best creative talent across a series of comedy shows, theatre performances, talks and gigs. Events range from Fleur Kilpatrick’s climate change play Whale to all-star comedy night Smokestack featuring Tom Ballard and Zoë Coombs-Marr. Music shows include a concert of protest songs, Archie Roach on stage with Paul Grabowsky, plus cabaret and jazz. Talks cover feminism, technology and creativity, an interview with Iranian refugee, journalist and writer Behrouz Boochani live from Manus Island via video link, and the mysterious ‘wheel of bias’ that prevents human progress. Time Out has ten coveted double passes that will get you into 19 events in Progress – A Festival of Ideas, including all of the above. Yes, you read that right – win one of these babies and you and a friend had better cancel all your engagements for a fortnight, as you’re going to experience two weeks of inspiring music, theatre and ideas at Monash University. To win, enter below by Wednesday, May 8. Enter here
Trinket Bar on Flinders Lane is launching a delicious weekend lunch special. Starting May 4, you will be able to indulge in an endless amount of doughy goodness and bottomless sweet tipples. They may be bottomless but Trinket aren’t skimping on the pizza quality with seasonal produce woodfired on sourdough bases and inventive menu combinations. There are thirteen different options to choose from, with toppings like bresaola with fresh chilli, parmesan and carpaccio, or prawns with zucchini, anchovies and mozza. For a zingy vegetarian option try the smoked eggplant, squash, salsa verde and goats cheese. Browse ahead of time and check out the full menu on their website. Match your pizza with four bottomless cocktails available over the two-hour period. Try a frozen Bellini, a Trinket Spritz, with pineapple tepache, Amaro Nonino, cherry and Prosecco, an Americano with Campari and sweet Vermouth, or a Bicicletta with Campari and white wine. The bottomless pizza and cocktails special is only $49pp and available between 12.30 and 2.30pm on the weekends. So, whether you’re celebrating something special, or just coming in off a shopping day around the CBD, Trinket Bar is ready for you with endless pizza and delicious cocktails in hand.