Max your summer in Melbourne

Get your wands at the ready, because Melbourne is set to play host to the Australian premiere of Harry Potter: The Exhibition. This behind-the-scenes extravaganza will leave Potterheads spellbound, and features interactive recreations of famous film scenes, props and costumes from the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a multimedia experience featuring the Whomping Willow, dementors, the Marauder's Map and the chance to conjure a Patronus charm. Budding witches and wizards will be sorted into Hogwarts houses and earn points as they explore the exhibition – it could be through a potions class, predicting the future à la Professor Trelawney in Divination or defeating a boggart in Defence Against the Dark Arts. There will also be opportunities to practice spell casting and Quidditch skills, plus win golden snitch medallions to become a model student. Each experience comes with plenty of photo ops and, of course, magical interactive moments. There's even a recreation of the Great Hall for visitors to enjoy in all its splendour, complete with floating candles.  This official Harry Potter exhibition is part of a global tour, previously selling out in cities like Boston and Madrid. It will be apparating into Melbourne on April 4, with tickets on sale now. You can find out more about this enchanting experience via the website.  Looking for more family-friendly things to do? Here's our guide to the best activities for kids in Melbourne. 

This beloved First Nations event is back for its fifth iteration, with the 2025 program – the festival's most ambitious to date – exploring the powerful anchors of legacy, joy, reclamation and akin. 'Yirramboi', which translates to 'tomorrow' in the local languages of the Boonwurrung and Woi-wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nations, will take over Melbourne (Naarm) from May 1-11.  This main hive of activity for this year’s festival will centre around the Uncle Jack Charles event space – named after the late Aboriginal actor, activist and great arts Elder. Located in the Malthouse Theatre and Chunky Move, the space will be transformed by installations and performances, including five world premieres and two international works. The festival platforms expressions of culture, identity, unity and truth – and encourages the breaking away from preconceived ideas of First Nations 'art' via experimental practices.  Some of the program highlights include Holding Space, a deeply moving exhibition that invites audiences to reflect on resilience and the enduring ties that bind people to place; The Black Woman of Gippsland, a thrilling theatrical exploration of Victoria's dark past; and banj ba walert: water and possum, a world premiere led by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Vicki Nicholson-Brown and Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung woman Stacie Piper that reawakens and renews the cultural practice of possum skin drumming.  And don't miss the bottomless drag brunch at Mabu Mabu...

From May 2 to 4, the Buddha's Day and Multicultural Festival, will be lighting up Melbourne's CBD. The annual three-day event celebrates the birth of Buddha and the multi-faith community. This year, the festival will take place at Golden Square – the Lonsdale Street car park that doubles as an exciting event space. Expect a huge line-up of traditional ceremonies, concerts, transformative digital activations, art, live music and immersive experiences. On the first night, visitors will be treated to the exciting Light It Up Opening Ceremony featuring performances from the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne and traditional Buddhist ceremonies. The event will culminate in an epic animated light projection that brings the iconic five-storey Bodhi Tree mural on Lonsdale Street to life with dazzling visuals.  Throughout the rest of the event you can visit the Lumbini Garden (home to giant-sized sculptures), which replicates the garden where Buddha was born and provides a calming oasis for prayer and mindful relaxation. Nearby is the Mindfulness Forest filled with illuminated columns for visitors to colour their way to calmness.  On the main stage, there'll be multicultural performances from a variety of different groups, featuring everything from K-Pop to Sri Lankan traditional dances. And for the kids, there'll be a special area with plenty of fun activities like face painting, origami and learning Chinese calligraphy, as well as puppet show performances.  The festival is free...

May the 4th is a special date for any Star Wars fan, but this year it'll be one to remember. A brand-new Lego Star Wars exhibition is making its world premiere, and it won't be in a galaxy far, far away but right here in Melbourne.  Lego Star Wars: the Exhibition at Melbourne Museum comes from revered Lego genius Ryan 'Brickman' McNaught, who's back with his latest mind-boggling project of massive Star Wars brick creations – some standing at a whopping four metres tall.  There'll be Lego replicas of many of the iconic characters, fan favourite scenes, spacecraft and more, from both the classic films and newer releases. Plus, the exhibition will include interactive brick-based activities inclusive of all ages.  While there's still some time to wait for the exhibition opening, building has already begun, and it's expected it'll take more than 25,000 hours to finish and use a wild 8 million Lego bricks. One of the most monumental creations is a three-metre-tall red X-wing spacecraft, made of an astonishing 64,759 bricks, taking 382 hours to build.  "Fans will be blown away by the scale of the experience," Brickman says. "Building these iconic scenes and characters in Lego Star Wars form is an extremely complex task – taking the humble Lego brick and using it by the millions to translate into Star Wars builds and models at an epic scale the world has never seen before.  "My team and I are super excited to launch this mind-blowing experience right here in Melbourne. My inner...

Get your wands at the ready, because Melbourne is set to play host to the Australian premiere of Harry Potter: The Exhibition. This behind-the-scenes extravaganza will leave Potterheads spellbound, and features interactive recreations of famous film scenes, props and costumes from the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a multimedia experience featuring the Whomping Willow, dementors, the Marauder's Map and the chance to conjure a Patronus charm. Budding witches and wizards will be sorted into Hogwarts houses and earn points as they explore the exhibition – it could be through a potions class, predicting the future à la Professor Trelawney in Divination or defeating a boggart in Defence Against the Dark Arts. There will also be opportunities to practice spell casting and Quidditch skills, plus win golden snitch medallions to become a model student. Each experience comes with plenty of photo ops and, of course, magical interactive moments. There's even a recreation of the Great Hall for visitors to enjoy in all its splendour, complete with floating candles.  This official Harry Potter exhibition is part of a global tour, previously selling out in cities like Boston and Madrid. It will be apparating into Melbourne on April 4, with tickets on sale now. You can find out more about this enchanting experience via the website.  Looking for more family-friendly things to do? Here's our guide to the best activities for kids in Melbourne. 

Effervescence enthusiasts and bubbles buffs, it's time to whip out your flutes. A popular festival entirely dedicated to sparkling wine and Champers is returning to Melbourne this year, and yes, we'd like a top up, please. Melbourne first hosted the Bubbles Festival in 2017, and since 2021 it’s cemented itself as a national festival, with this year’s shindig landing in a swanky new venue overlooking the Yarra and city skyline. Gather your fellow bubble-loving friends: the event is taking place on May 3 at Rivers Edge Events. Sparkling wines from Victorian producers will be showcased at The Bubbles Festival, as will bubbles from across Australia, and international sparkling wines including Champagne. Each ticket includes a two-hour tasting session where you’ll enjoy more than ten types of sparkling in a Riedel Champagne tasting glass, and get to meet and chat to the growers and producers. Plus, tasty canapés will be available to pair with your glasses. There's even an option to bump up your experience to VIP, offering you priority access with a private tasting of a special cuvee prior to doors opening and a Riedel Extreme Champagne glass twin pack (valued at $85). A small portion of every VIP upgrade ticket is donated to the Dine with Heart program with Sacred Heart Mission for Melbourne. Whether you’re a fizz connoisseur or looking for something fun to do with a fellow wine-loving pal, it's sure to be a luxe day out. Tickets to the fizz fest start at $129 per person, plus...

Nestled in the foothills of surrounding mountain ranges, the Grampians Grape Escape is taking over the beloved regional town of Halls Gap with a weekend-long program of world-class wines, gourmet food and live music.  It all kicks off with a 'feel-good Friday' session before the festival fully opens on Saturday, a night celebrating local music talent from with a line-up of all homegrown bands like The Settlement and No Mistake. The weekend program will feature more than 90 exhibitors, including wineries, food trucks, creators and makers. There will be cooking demonstrations and masterclasses by guest chefs like MasterChef Australia favourites Dani Venn and Justine Schofield, plus a wine auction (with funds raised to be put back into the local community) and tastings from more than 30 local wineries and entertainment. If you're bringing the kiddos along, there will be plenty of activities to keep them going including rock climbing, herb and flower planting, and more. And you'll be able to shop up a storm with stalls showcasing everything from candles and jewellery to art and condiments. After the region was devastated by severe bushfires over summer, this event is the perfect way to support the local community and its small businesses to recover with a much-needed economic boost.  There are a variety of ticketing options available now (including single and multi-day passes), and you can find out more at the Grampians Grape Escape website.  Exploring the Grampians? Check...

Whether you’re yet to grace restaurateur Chris Lucas’ opulent Society with a visit or you’re a die-hard dinnertime loyalist, it’s well worth a look in for a weekend lunch. From Friday to Sunday in the afternoons, the swish restaurant is hosting the Society Social, an extravagant multi-course affair featuring a generous array of savoury dishes and a roving dessert trolley to dazzle you at the end.  The offering was inspired by Lucas’ recent adventures in Paris and New York, cities where palatial dining rooms reign supreme and lunch is a social occasion in and of itself. Expect a fine dining experience but with a casual, unstuffy air and minus the enormous price tag (it costs just $77 per person for your choice of two courses or $99 if you opt for a third). You’ll start with artisanal housemade bread and butter and a rainbow of market-fresh crudité hand-picked daily from local farms. Opt for a crisp disc of radish dunked into taramasalata or a tree-like cauliflower bud smothered with smoked eggplant or crème fraiche. Repeat and relish the lavish assortment of textures and flavours before easing into your meal with one of Society’s signature drinks – or a bottle of Champers to make it a long and lazy one.  If you’ve got your eye on another varietal, just ask for the beverage director Loic Avril and his team of sommeliers, one of which will assist you in selecting the perfect drop from the impressive 10,000-bottle cellar. A selection of Society’s cult favourite snacks follow,...

This beloved First Nations event is back for its fifth iteration, with the 2025 program – the festival's most ambitious to date – exploring the powerful anchors of legacy, joy, reclamation and akin. 'Yirramboi', which translates to 'tomorrow' in the local languages of the Boonwurrung and Woi-wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nations, will take over Melbourne (Naarm) from May 1-11.  This main hive of activity for this year’s festival will centre around the Uncle Jack Charles event space – named after the late Aboriginal actor, activist and great arts Elder. Located in the Malthouse Theatre and Chunky Move, the space will be transformed by installations and performances, including five world premieres and two international works. The festival platforms expressions of culture, identity, unity and truth – and encourages the breaking away from preconceived ideas of First Nations 'art' via experimental practices.  Some of the program highlights include Holding Space, a deeply moving exhibition that invites audiences to reflect on resilience and the enduring ties that bind people to place; The Black Woman of Gippsland, a thrilling theatrical exploration of Victoria's dark past; and banj ba walert: water and possum, a world premiere led by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Vicki Nicholson-Brown and Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung woman Stacie Piper that reawakens and renews the cultural practice of possum skin drumming.  And don't miss the bottomless drag brunch at Mabu Mabu...