Things to do in Melbourne in August

While plenty of Melburnians have fond memories of school trips to Scienceworks, the interactive museum is proving science is just as fun for grown-ups. For the next few months, you can get a closer-to-home look at the stars at monthly after-hours sessions, complete with drinks and a Q&A with an expert astronomer.  Running from August to November, Scienceworks' Melbourne Planetarium is hosting four special events, each featuring two evening sessions. The first, from 7.30-9.30pm, includes an hour-long show followed by stargazing (weather permitting), where you can relax with a drink and watch the cosmos go by. The second session, from 8-10pm, flips the order, starting with stargazing and wrapping up with the show. Each month brings a new astronomical theme. In August, you'll learn about the upcoming lunar eclipse; September focuses on the giant ringed planet Saturn; October’s session explores discoveries from three years of observations using the James Webb Space Telescope; and finally, November rounds things out with a guided tour of the brightest stars in the night sky. While space travel is still a way off for us normal people, astronomer Dr. Tanya Hill will be on hand for all four sessions to offer a guided tour deep into the depths of the universe and answer all your burning questions – including what life beyond Earth might look like. There’ll also be light snacks and drinks on offer from 7pm at the Planetarium’s galaxy bar. Discover the Night Sky is 18+ with tickets...

What’s better than gorging yourself on scones, finger sandwiches and Champagne at a regular high tea? Gorging yourself on piles and piles of cheese at the Westin’s un-brie-lievable High Cheese event, of course. Yes, the insanely successful event is back at the Westin's Allegro Restaurant for another year, and we turophiles couldn't be more thrilled. The idea for High Cheese first crystallised a few years ago when the Westin's executive chef at the time, Michael Greenlaw, teamed up with Anthony Demia from Maker and Monger to bring a series of cheeses together in both sweet and savoury dishes. Years later, the much-loved tradition continues. In 2025, the indulgent menu has been curated in collaboration with renowned cheese masters, brother-sister duo the Studd Siblings and vino legends Zonzo Estate. Ellie and Sam Studd, both members of the International Guilde des Fromagers and Certified Cheese Professionals, have joined forces with the Westin's executive chef, Apoorva Kunte, to curate an enticing three-tiered selection of dairy-licious treats. We're listening... Each creation showcases the finest quality cheese from around the world, with each tier crafted to highlight bold flavour, balance and technique. Highlights from the menu include Aphrodite Barrel aged organic fetta with tomato and lychee tartare, Woombye triple cream brie with pickled beetroot and raspberry almond pesto, and a shared baked Le Conquérant camembert with thyme and garlic. Yum! And a high tea wouldn't...

A blood-soaked satire on toxic masculinity, greed and Wall Street excess, American Psycho was an instant cult classic when the novel was released in 1991, and hit cinemas in 2000. Now, 25 years on, you can experience Patrick Bateman’s story like never before – live on stage, with more blood, and against a soundtrack of classic '80s hits. From September 4-12, Chapel Off Chapel is hosting American Psycho – The Musical – where you’ll never look at Bateman’s skincare routine, workout regimen, or obsession with designer suits the same way again. The plot dives into Bateman’s twisted double life: wealthy investment banker by day, brutal serial killer by night. Set against money-obsessed Manhattan in the late '80s, this production pulls no punches in skewering capitalism, consumerism and toxic masculinity, with Donald Trump (Bateman’s idol) and The Art of the Deal getting their mentions, too. Leading the charge is Conor Beaumont as Bateman, joined by a killer cast of local talent including Sam Ward (Miss Saigon), Montana Sharp (Parade), Jordan Malone (Wicked), Jake Ameduri (Sister Act) and Ellie Nunan (Mary Poppins). Directed by Mark Taylor (Next to Normal), the show blends a razor-sharp book by Riverdale’s Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa with an atmospheric score by Grammy and Tony winner Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). Expect moody originals mashed with '80s anthems from Phil Collins, Tears for Fears, New Order and Huey Lewis and the News – all soundtracking Bateman’s bloody...

French Impressionism is host to arguably some of the most famous (and most loved) artists of all time. Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Van Gogh and Degas are just some of the artists who achieved such acclaim that they remain household names even a century after their deaths. And this winter, you can see some of the artist's most beautiful and well-known works right here in Melbourne at the NGV's new exhibition, French Impressionism: From the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. From June 5 to October 5, 2025, the NGV will host more than 100 French Impressionist works by artists like Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne and Mary Cassatt – including works never before seen in Australia. The exhibition is running in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which is well regarded for its collection of French Impressionist masterpieces.    A highlight is the display of 16 canvases in one gallery, painted over a 30-year period, by Claude Monet. These works depict many of Monet’s most beloved scenes of nature in Argenteuil, the Normandy coast, the Mediterranean coast and his famous garden in Giverny.  One of the best things about this exhibition is that you will also learn the stories of the artists, exhibitions and collectors that shaped this significant movement in art history. Originally brought to the NGV back in 2021, this exhibition had to close just after it opened due to (yep, you guessed it), the...

Almost a decade ago, metal detectorists in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, went hunting for lost treasure. To their amazement, they would go on to discover the richest collection of Viking Age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland in a ploughed field. The Galloway Hoard has been hailed as a remarkable discovery, with more than 100 gold, silver, glass, crystal and earthenware objects being uncovered.  Now, everything from piles of silver arm rings to gold-mounted rock crystal jars are heading Down Under, and for the first time ever in Australia, you will be able to see the most important Viking Age discoveries of the 21st century up close at the Melbourne Museum. The Galloway Hoard dates to around AD 900, a period of intense cultural and political upheaval. The collection was buried in four parcels and includes more than 100 astonishing objects, from silver bullion and intricately worked jewellery to items that reveal trade routes stretching as far as Central Asia. Some of the pieces – including recently deciphered runic inscriptions – are still rewriting what we know and understand about the Viking Age today. Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard is a travelling exhibition, developed by National Museums Scotland, that showcases years of painstaking conservation and cutting-edge research. Intricate details, hidden inscriptions and newly uncovered mysteries are revealed for the first time outside the UK. To mark the opening weekend, Dr Martin Goldberg, principal...

Looking for something to warm your heart this winter? We've got just the answer: beloved musical Annie is returning to Melbourne after a smash-hit run in Sydney. With a knock-out cast that includes Anthony Warlow as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, Debora Krizak as Miss Hannigan and Greg Page (aka the OG Yellow Wiggle) as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this tale of hope, family and friendship is one you won't want to miss.  Annie is showing at the Princess Theatre until November 8. Now, who's ready to belt out 'It’s the Hard-Knock Life'? *** Time Out Sydney reviewed Annie when it played at the Capitol Theatre in April. Read on for that four-star review:   Just over a decade since it was last seen in Australia, Annie is back – bursting onto the Capitol Theatre stage filled with optimism, joy, and hope. Director Karen Mortimer revives this quintessential piece of musical theatre with a sentimental production that preserves the charm and flair found in Thomas Meehan’s book. For those living under a rock (mainly me), this Tony Award-winning musical follows the story of 11-year-old Annie, who is growing up in an orphanage in 1930s New York, under the cruel eye of Miss Hannigan. In the midst of the Great Depression, pessimism is all around, but chipper young Annie has the antidote: hope. Encouraging others to believe that “the sun will come out tomorrow”, Annie’s enduringly positive spirit seems to finally pay off, when billionaire Oliver Warbucks chooses to take her in for two...

To celebrate the arrival of spring, a fun-filled festival will take over Fed Square in September, with free family-friendly events that celebrate our natural world and how to better look after it.  RESET Festival is all about starting fresh, exploring sustainability in creative waysand feeling inspired to take on new ways of living. It's about reinventing little parts of our lives to make big changes in the world.  The program features activations, markets, activities, film screenings, talks and workshops, all focused on minimising negative impacts on the environment and increasing positive impact. There's fun to be had almost every weekend for the month, especially for the little ones during school holidays.  Highlights include the Planting Party on September 7, which involves community tree planting, live music, gardening talks and seed workshops; and the Big Toy Swap on October 2, which encourages kids to reuse and recycle in practical ways. At the Zero Waste Festival on October 6, you can learn valuable tips and tricks from experts on how to lead a waste-free lifestyle through panel discussions, activites and sustainable food trucks. Fed Square's outdoor cinema will also make a return, screening flicks that pair family favourites with environmental themes – think FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Flow and Shrek. Consider this your chance to learn all about how to reduce, reuse, recycle and repair in order to take care of our precious planet. For more information on the...

May the 4th is a special date for any Star Wars fan, but this year is one to remember. A brand-new Lego Star Wars exhibition made its world premiere, and not 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 are 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 includes interactive brick-based activities inclusive of all ages.  It took more than 25,000 hours to finish the exhibition and it features 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 7-year-old self still can’t quite believe this is happening. I can’t wait till May the Fourth to be able to share this...

Venture out as night falls and immerse yourself in the many wonders of our world at Melbourne Museum, welcoming those of us with nocturnal tendencies after dark. The museum will open its doors after closing time for Nocturnal: Museum After Dark, a series of exclusive adults-only evenings that returns in 2025, held on the second Thursday of each month. Explore the museum's major feature exhibitions as well as the permnanet ones, and be enlightened by tours, curator talks and trivia. Once you've satisfied your curiosity, enjoy a bev, play drag bingo and have a boogie with some local DJ favourites soundtracking the night. Each monthly event has a different theme and activities, so there's always something new to discover. Highlights include a special Valentine's Day event, a collab with Melbourne International Comedy Festival, a NAIDOC Week event, plus much more.  Tickets are $32 for adults, $30 for concession or $27 for museum members. To find out more about the Nocturnal event series or to buy tickets, head to the Melbourne Museum website. Want to explore more exhibitions? Take a look at our list of the best ones in Melbourne this month. 

We are exceedingly privileged to live on the unceded lands of the Kulin Nation, a place dotted with marshlands and waterfalls for countless millennia before the Hoddle Grid was a thing. Perched just north of the CBD, on the spine of Swanston Street as it leads into Carlton, sits the University of Melbourne’s incredible Potter Museum of Art.  Designed by revered architect Nona Katsilidis and wearing Christine O’Loughlin’s explosive mural ‘Cultural Rubble’ on its façade, it opened in 1998 but has been closed for major renovations since 2018, leaving a big gap in Melbourne’s artistic footprint. No longer, with a revitalisation led by Wood Marsh Architects, the Potter Museum of Art reopened to the public with a spectacular new exhibition recognising the great wealth of culture in this place: 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art. Celebrating the remarkable diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creativity, the exhibition showcases more than 400 artworks from the likes of Destiny Deacon, Yhonnie Scarce, Albert Namatjira and Emily Kam Kngwarray, including rare cultural works. Curated by Professor Marcia Langton AO, senior curator Judith Ryan and associate curator Shanysa McConville in consultation with Elders, 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art directly addresses the scars of colonial invasion.  Six brand new commissions include Kooma artist Brett Leavy’s photo-realistic animation Virtual Narrm 1834. As part of his ongoing immersive Virtual...