Max your summer in Melbourne

Wednesday nights in Melbourne are known for one thing and one thing only: Queen Victoria Market’s legendary Night Market. With the summer night market officially finished for the season, Queen Vic has announced it will be bringing back its insanely popular Asian night market to tide you over until the warmer months return. The Hawker 88 Night Market brings Asian tastes, sights and sounds to Queen Vic’s sheds. Running every Wednesday night from April 10 until May 8, a tasty variety of stalls and trucks will be set up to sell authentic street food direct from China, India, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia and Japan. The line-up of vendors this year includes crispy Korean popcorn chicken from Lui Boss; charcoal Filipino skewers from Hoy Pinoy; pad Thai and sticky mango rice from Sabb Der; grilled momo from Nepal Dining Room; and authentic okonomiyaki from Okinami. Across the five-week stint there will also be lion dancing, traditional cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, taiko drumming, eating competitions (where you can chow down on durian, dumplings and skewers), DJ sets and an epic full moon party. There will also be plenty of specialty retail stalls selling weird and wonderful wares. For more info on the event, check out the website. Craving a bargain feed? These are the 50 best cheap eats in Melbourne. Thirsty? Hit up Melbourne's 50 best bars.

Attention, sweet tooths: Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie are bringing back the annual Rocky Road Festival this May. It’s predicted that over a whopping 100,000 handmade blocks will be churned out across the 31 days, from a base recipe that’s every rocky road lover’s match made in heaven: fluffy housemade marshmallow and smoother-than-satin couverture chocolate. Sample something new, get your hands on made-to-order 1kg blocks or try a gourmet rocky road-infused creation at an interactive tasting session. How does a rocky road hot chocolate sound? The European chocolatiers plan to rock your palate with 31 distinct festival flavours, yet to be announced. Last year's flavours included Oriental Brittle, Caramel Mudcake, Turkish Toblerone, Strawberry Margarita, Honeycomb Macadamia, Tahitian Lime and Chilli, and much more. This year, the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie are also promising Rocky Road-inspired pastries, ice creams, sundaes, waffles and coffee.  Those with the unfortunate dual diagnosis of an intolerance and a sweet tooth are in luck. Vegan and gluten-free creations will be available for tasting across the three chocolateries so nobody needs to miss out. Could it get any sweeter?  Click through to the website here for more information. Those who can’t venture out to the Yarra Valley, Surf Coast and Mornington Peninsula this year can get their fill of the festival’s chocolates straight to their door thanks

Calling all insomniacs with a penchant for round-the-clock revelry: Sleepless Footscray Festival is returning for a third edition this May. This festival of public art, music and unexpected activations will bring dormant laneways and forgotten indoor spaces to life, transforming them into inviting nightscapes.  The heart of vibrant Footscray will play host to a series of adventurous events celebrating the world-class diversity and creativity coming out of Melbourne’s Inner West. Running from May 4-19, the festival will consist of an eclectic line-up including music, film screenings, art installations, theatre and more.   For lovers of offbeat cinema, the Melbourne Nocturnal Film Festival will bring the weirdest and most wonderful local shorts to Footscray’s Bluestone Church Arts Space for three days.  For those aiming for auditory delights, the Melbourne Trap Orchestra will play a high-energy greatest hits set at Kindred Studios. Over at Footscray Records, Cowpunk band Goatlaw and post-punk disco groovers Carpal Tunnel will play for one night only. If it’s a musical journey you’re after, Astra Choir will literally transport you from the chambers of commerce to the halls of higher powers.  Festival artistic director Troy Rainbow says Sleepless will give Melburnians an opportunity to support the arts during a difficult time for the live entertainment industry. “By making Sleepless as accessible as possible, we’re giving music and arts lovers the opportunity to support the incr

For most of us, Lego is a nostalgic hobby from bygone childhood years, but there are an exceptional few who took these tiny building blocks from a fun pastime to the next level. Lego artist Nathan Sawaya is one of these talented individuals who is showcasing his fascinating sculptures with a new exhibition that has to be seen to be believed.  The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience exhibition features more than 100 contemporary artworks, all crafted using more than one million Lego bricks to make large-scale, life-like creations.  After a sold-out season back in 2011, it's returning to our city as part of a huge world tour with brand new pieces, having already visited 100 cities across 24 countries. Sawaya is the only person in the world who has the double title of Lego Master Model Builder and Lego Certified Professional. Whoa.  Some of the works showcased in the exhibition include a giant version of Sawaya's most famous sculpture, 'Yellow', which stands at more than six feet tall, plus an installation with 250 kinetic Lego skulls, a piece called 'Infinity Rainbow' that features seven life-sized sculptures, the 30-foot long 'Big Swimmer', dazzling 360-degree digital projections and lots more. The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience opens on April 14 at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Tickets go on sale on March 21 at 7pm, and you can sign up for the waitlist here. Find out more about the exhibition at the website.  Looking for more things to do? Check out our guide to what's

Calling all bookworms, literature lovers and BookTok obsessives: the Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) line-up has just been unveiled. This year’s program reads like a list of the crème de la crème of the 2024 literary world, featuring New York Times best-selling authors, Pulitzer and Booker Prize standouts, festival first-timers and MWF exclusives. The festival will spread big bookish energy across the city and surrounds via a week of workshops, talks, events and panels, running from May 6-12. This time around, the central theme of the program is 'Ghosts' – which invites attendees to ponder ghosts in the machine, ghostly characters, ghostwriters and stories that endure to haunt us.  Much-loved Tom Lake author Ann Patchett will venture Down Under from the US for the first time in ten years. She’ll join forces with Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss) to talk about their discarded (or almost discarded) manuscripts.  Japanese author turned global star Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s debut novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold sold more than a million copies, and now he’s on the way to Melbourne to discuss his ultra-popular works.  After winning the coveted Booker Prize last year, Irish novelist Paul Lynch will also be on deck to talk about Prophet Song, his tale of dystopian Dublin.  Plenty of stellar local writers will treat festivalgoers to their takes on their craft, including Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe, unflinching journalist David Marr and legendary novelist, essayist and playwright Christos T

Working in a secret lab, scientists at Victoria's main four zoos have discovered a way to clone dinosaur DNA, found inside mosquitoes trapped in amber. They've filled in the missing sequences using frog DNA to create moving, roaring dinosaurs, which you can see until July throughout the zoos. What could possibly go wrong? OK, we might have got a little bit over-excited about the prospect of dinosaurs at the zoo. These dinosaurs are large-scale models of these ancient beasts, but they will be roaming around at Healesville, Werribee, Kyabram and Melbourne zoos once again. If you're lucky, you might see a keeper waking a sleeping dinosaur, or come face to face with a moving prehistoric creature. At Melbourne Zoo, keen explorers can explore the Dino Trail and embark on an adventure into The Lost Wild tunnels and unearth hidden fossils, while enjoying dino-themed treats or tackling a scavenger hunt. Or at Werribee Zoo, become a palaentologist and go on a dino dig to excavate fossils or navigate volcanoes and lava streams. There will be daily activities and plenty of dino facts to learn, with each of the four zoos offering slightly different experiences and activities.  All four dino experiences are running from now until July 14 and the cost is included in zoo admission. Opening hours vary slightly for each zoo. For more information, visit the Zoos Victoria website. So go on and make a visit, before they go extinct again.  Looking for more things to do? Here's a guide to what's o

If the names Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James get your attention, then listen up – because there's a new attraction coming to Melbourne that you're going to love.  The NBA Exhibition, the official fan experience endorsed by the famous basketball assocation, will bounce into our city on April 3. Showcasing the lifestyle, culture and rich history of the NBA over 20 themed sections, the exhibition includes heaps of interactive activities, virtual reality experiences, and even the chance to pose for a photo with a replica of the heralded Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, the prize awarded to the winner of each NBA final.  Test your b-ball skills, go for a slam dunk or see how you measure up to some of the NBA's biggest stars. Plus, snap a pic in the augmented reality photo booth with your fave player and marvel at the collection of more than 50 rare and autographed NBA memorabilia, like jerseys and sneakers worn by some of the legends of the game. There's also a gallery of original NBA-themed artwork by Australian and First Nations artists and a section in the exhibition dedicated to Aussie NBA players. This exhibition is essentially heaven for an NBA fan.  If this exhibition sounds like it's just as good as scoring a three-pointer then grab your tickets here. To find out more, check out the website.  Looking for more things to do in Melbourne? Check out this guide to what's on this week.

When you're looking for Japanese fine dining, it doesn't get much more luxe than Nobu. The internationally acclaimed restaurant chain, which started in New York in 1994, has become known as the go-to eatery for celebrities across the globe. Luckily for Melburnians, Nobu opened up on the Crown Riverwalk in 2015, and it's been delighting locals with its expansive and creative menu ever since. You can't really go wrong by booking in and trying whatever strikes your fancy as, despite its glamourous reputation, it's a restaurant that welcomes this sort of spontaneity. But if you want to make sure you're getting the best signature dishes that Nobu has to offer, do yourself a favour and book in for the limited Petaluma x Nobu dinner experience. Partnering with Petaluma, a leading Australian winery based in the Adelaide Hills, Nobu has put together a seven-course omakase menu with wine pairings handpicked by winemaker Ben Thoman for their delicacy and character.  For $170 per person (plus $60 for an optional wine pairing), you'll get a taste of the salmon tartare with caviar, wasabi and yuzu salad, fresh nigiri selection, beef tenderloin and truffle amazu with crispy onion, and of course, the famous black cod miso. The cod has been a signature on chef Nobu's menu since his stint in Alaska in 1977, and no trip to Nobu is complete without a serving of the buttery, succulent fish. To cap off your meal, dessert is a Japanese take on a cappucino, infused with whisky.  This exclusive dinin

It's that time of year again in Melbourne, when raclette cheese suppers start popping up all over town. The Euro apres-ski delicacy is best drizzled over a plate of hearty delights, and that's exactly what you can indulge in if you pop into Handpicked Wines' urban cellar door in the CBD this chilly season. The chef will circulate the room, pouring melted raclette straight from the wheel onto your plate of potato, confit mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, cornichons and rocket. It's $20 a head, or for a bit extra, you can dial your dish up a notch with the finest prosciutto, jamón, serrano or salumi.  The cellar door’s array of regionally expressive wines are available to pair with your raclette supper, so if you like the sound of a spot of vino opt for the Handpicked Wine Maker's Flight. You'll get to taste some top drops from Australia's finest regions, including the Yarra Valley, Margaret River and Coonawarra, plus the Pyrenees in Europe.  The raclette suppers will run every Wednesday and Thursday night until the end of winter. Go here to book a ticket, though walk-ins are also welcome.  Think wine and cheese are a match made in heaven? Check out Melbourne's best spots to enjoy this pairing. Looking for somewhere to kick on afterwards? Here's a round-up of our favourite cocktail bars right now.

Attention, sweet tooths: Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie are bringing back the annual Rocky Road Festival this May. It’s predicted that over a whopping 100,000 handmade blocks will be churned out across the 31 days, from a base recipe that’s every rocky road lover’s match made in heaven: fluffy housemade marshmallow and smoother-than-satin couverture chocolate. Sample something new, get your hands on made-to-order 1kg blocks or try a gourmet rocky road-infused creation at an interactive tasting session. How does a rocky road hot chocolate sound? The European chocolatiers plan to rock your palate with 31 distinct festival flavours, yet to be announced. Last year's flavours included Oriental Brittle, Caramel Mudcake, Turkish Toblerone, Strawberry Margarita, Honeycomb Macadamia, Tahitian Lime and Chilli, and much more. This year, the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie are also promising Rocky Road-inspired pastries, ice creams, sundaes, waffles and coffee.  Those with the unfortunate dual diagnosis of an intolerance and a sweet tooth are in luck. Vegan and gluten-free creations will be available for tasting across the three chocolateries so nobody needs to miss out. Could it get any sweeter?  Click through to the website here for more information. Those who can’t venture out to the Yarra Valley, Surf Coast and Mornington Peninsula this year can get their fill of the festival’s chocolates straight to their door thanks

Calling all insomniacs with a penchant for round-the-clock revelry: Sleepless Footscray Festival is returning for a third edition this May. This festival of public art, music and unexpected activations will bring dormant laneways and forgotten indoor spaces to life, transforming them into inviting nightscapes.  The heart of vibrant Footscray will play host to a series of adventurous events celebrating the world-class diversity and creativity coming out of Melbourne’s Inner West. Running from May 4-19, the festival will consist of an eclectic line-up including music, film screenings, art installations, theatre and more.   For lovers of offbeat cinema, the Melbourne Nocturnal Film Festival will bring the weirdest and most wonderful local shorts to Footscray’s Bluestone Church Arts Space for three days.  For those aiming for auditory delights, the Melbourne Trap Orchestra will play a high-energy greatest hits set at Kindred Studios. Over at Footscray Records, Cowpunk band Goatlaw and post-punk disco groovers Carpal Tunnel will play for one night only. If it’s a musical journey you’re after, Astra Choir will literally transport you from the chambers of commerce to the halls of higher powers.  Festival artistic director Troy Rainbow says Sleepless will give Melburnians an opportunity to support the arts during a difficult time for the live entertainment industry. “By making Sleepless as accessible as possible, we’re giving music and arts lovers the opportunity to support the incr

For most of us, Lego is a nostalgic hobby from bygone childhood years, but there are an exceptional few who took these tiny building blocks from a fun pastime to the next level. Lego artist Nathan Sawaya is one of these talented individuals who is showcasing his fascinating sculptures with a new exhibition that has to be seen to be believed.  The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience exhibition features more than 100 contemporary artworks, all crafted using more than one million Lego bricks to make large-scale, life-like creations.  After a sold-out season back in 2011, it's returning to our city as part of a huge world tour with brand new pieces, having already visited 100 cities across 24 countries. Sawaya is the only person in the world who has the double title of Lego Master Model Builder and Lego Certified Professional. Whoa.  Some of the works showcased in the exhibition include a giant version of Sawaya's most famous sculpture, 'Yellow', which stands at more than six feet tall, plus an installation with 250 kinetic Lego skulls, a piece called 'Infinity Rainbow' that features seven life-sized sculptures, the 30-foot long 'Big Swimmer', dazzling 360-degree digital projections and lots more. The Art of the Brick Immersive Experience opens on April 14 at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Tickets go on sale on March 21 at 7pm, and you can sign up for the waitlist here. Find out more about the exhibition at the website.  Looking for more things to do? Check out our guide to what's

Calling all bookworms, literature lovers and BookTok obsessives: the Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) line-up has just been unveiled. This year’s program reads like a list of the crème de la crème of the 2024 literary world, featuring New York Times best-selling authors, Pulitzer and Booker Prize standouts, festival first-timers and MWF exclusives. The festival will spread big bookish energy across the city and surrounds via a week of workshops, talks, events and panels, running from May 6-12. This time around, the central theme of the program is 'Ghosts' – which invites attendees to ponder ghosts in the machine, ghostly characters, ghostwriters and stories that endure to haunt us.  Much-loved Tom Lake author Ann Patchett will venture Down Under from the US for the first time in ten years. She’ll join forces with Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss) to talk about their discarded (or almost discarded) manuscripts.  Japanese author turned global star Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s debut novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold sold more than a million copies, and now he’s on the way to Melbourne to discuss his ultra-popular works.  After winning the coveted Booker Prize last year, Irish novelist Paul Lynch will also be on deck to talk about Prophet Song, his tale of dystopian Dublin.  Plenty of stellar local writers will treat festivalgoers to their takes on their craft, including Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe, unflinching journalist David Marr and legendary novelist, essayist and playwright Christos T

Working in a secret lab, scientists at Victoria's main four zoos have discovered a way to clone dinosaur DNA, found inside mosquitoes trapped in amber. They've filled in the missing sequences using frog DNA to create moving, roaring dinosaurs, which you can see until July throughout the zoos. What could possibly go wrong? OK, we might have got a little bit over-excited about the prospect of dinosaurs at the zoo. These dinosaurs are large-scale models of these ancient beasts, but they will be roaming around at Healesville, Werribee, Kyabram and Melbourne zoos once again. If you're lucky, you might see a keeper waking a sleeping dinosaur, or come face to face with a moving prehistoric creature. At Melbourne Zoo, keen explorers can explore the Dino Trail and embark on an adventure into The Lost Wild tunnels and unearth hidden fossils, while enjoying dino-themed treats or tackling a scavenger hunt. Or at Werribee Zoo, become a palaentologist and go on a dino dig to excavate fossils or navigate volcanoes and lava streams. There will be daily activities and plenty of dino facts to learn, with each of the four zoos offering slightly different experiences and activities.  All four dino experiences are running from now until July 14 and the cost is included in zoo admission. Opening hours vary slightly for each zoo. For more information, visit the Zoos Victoria website. So go on and make a visit, before they go extinct again.  Looking for more things to do? Here's a guide to what's o

If the names Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James get your attention, then listen up – because there's a new attraction coming to Melbourne that you're going to love.  The NBA Exhibition, the official fan experience endorsed by the famous basketball assocation, will bounce into our city on April 3. Showcasing the lifestyle, culture and rich history of the NBA over 20 themed sections, the exhibition includes heaps of interactive activities, virtual reality experiences, and even the chance to pose for a photo with a replica of the heralded Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, the prize awarded to the winner of each NBA final.  Test your b-ball skills, go for a slam dunk or see how you measure up to some of the NBA's biggest stars. Plus, snap a pic in the augmented reality photo booth with your fave player and marvel at the collection of more than 50 rare and autographed NBA memorabilia, like jerseys and sneakers worn by some of the legends of the game. There's also a gallery of original NBA-themed artwork by Australian and First Nations artists and a section in the exhibition dedicated to Aussie NBA players. This exhibition is essentially heaven for an NBA fan.  If this exhibition sounds like it's just as good as scoring a three-pointer then grab your tickets here. To find out more, check out the website.  Looking for more things to do in Melbourne? Check out this guide to what's on this week.

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, fro

Take a stroll by beloved Lygon Street wine bar Bahama Gold and you might just pick up on the tantalising aromas of pizza. That's courtesy of the sizzling slice magic from acclaimed pizzaiolo Kitisak Iacuzi's pop-up Da Paolo, which has swooped in for an in-house residency that will run indefinitely.  Alongside rivers of Bahama Gold's housemade local and imported vino and Da Paolo's cult pizza pies, the bar will be spinning vinyl sounds every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 5pm until 10pm.  Hailing from Italy's Liguria before moving to Melbourne more than 12 years ago to join Neighbourhood Wine, Iacuzi went on to earn his dough-making stripes at organic bakery All Are Welcome, then Gray and Gray and Pizzeria Magma. His newest venture Da Paolo is named after the pizzeria his father ran in Liguria through the '80s.  "I’m so excited to be back in the Bahama Gold kitchen serving up Da Paolo’s pizzas to Brunswick," shares Iacuzi. "The Neighbourhood Wine team has truly been family to me, taking me under their wing when I first arrived in Melbourne, not speaking a word of English, and igniting my passion in the kitchen." Pizzas on offer at the Bahama Gold pop-up currently include a marinara with yellow passata, confit cherry tomato, oregano and basil; margherita with San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, pecorino and basil; gamberi with local prawns, garlic, parsley and fermented chilli sauce; zucchini wtih stracchino (a traditional young Ligurian soft cheese), capers, marjoram and m

It’s time to fire up the kiln because the Three Day Clay Market is happening again from May 10-12. Three Day Clay – established in 2019 by a group of ceramicists with an aim to connect Melbourne’s local clay community – will be hosting the special pop-up event at Pauli Concept Space on Sydney Road in Brunswick. The line-up of 13 artists showcasing their wares includes Benna Co, Dawn Vachon, Arcadia Scott, Eun Ceramics, Yen Qin and Asobimasu Clay, plus plenty more. From tableware and vases to sculpture and wall art, there's a clay creation for everyone to appreciate. And considering the market happens to fall over the Mother's Day weekend, it would be rude not to treat your mum to a one-off or limited-edition ceramic piece. Plus, if you visit on the Friday evening, you'll even get to enjoy a complimentary glass of sparkling. For more information, head to the website. Love hitting up a good market? These are Melbourne’s best art, craft and design markets.

When you're looking for Japanese fine dining, it doesn't get much more luxe than Nobu. The internationally acclaimed restaurant chain, which started in New York in 1994, has become known as the go-to eatery for celebrities across the globe. Luckily for Melburnians, Nobu opened up on the Crown Riverwalk in 2015, and it's been delighting locals with its expansive and creative menu ever since. You can't really go wrong by booking in and trying whatever strikes your fancy as, despite its glamourous reputation, it's a restaurant that welcomes this sort of spontaneity. But if you want to make sure you're getting the best signature dishes that Nobu has to offer, do yourself a favour and book in for the limited Petaluma x Nobu dinner experience. Partnering with Petaluma, a leading Australian winery based in the Adelaide Hills, Nobu has put together a seven-course omakase menu with wine pairings handpicked by winemaker Ben Thoman for their delicacy and character.  For $170 per person (plus $60 for an optional wine pairing), you'll get a taste of the salmon tartare with caviar, wasabi and yuzu salad, fresh nigiri selection, beef tenderloin and truffle amazu with crispy onion, and of course, the famous black cod miso. The cod has been a signature on chef Nobu's menu since his stint in Alaska in 1977, and no trip to Nobu is complete without a serving of the buttery, succulent fish. To cap off your meal, dessert is a Japanese take on a cappucino, infused with whisky.  This exclusive dinin