Things to do in Melbourne in January

Melburnians live and breathe live music, and the lack of it in the last year was devastating. Thankfully, those days are behind us and our favourite acts are hard at work to make up for the lost time. We can once again look forward to the joy of gathering our closest mates for a jam-packed line-up, a round of cold drinks and a boogie on the dancefloor. To help ensure you make the most of these summer months, we've rounded up the best summer music festivals happening in Melbourne. Have a gander, shout out in the group chat and get to planning.

Did you know that Williamstown was actually Victoria’s original capital? A settlement that old is just bursting with eerie stories and scary spirits, especially when you’re on a lamplight tour.

This tour of Victoria’s most history-steeped seaport will take you through abandoned morgues and forgotten burial grounds, as well as streets once frequented by convicts and drunken sailors. These days though, these alleys are home to far more apparitions. Book via Lantern Ghost Tours.

If you were to ask almost any local what Melbourne is best known for, there’s a chance you’ll get a reference to its laneways. While a good number of Melbourne laneways are already filled with art, eateries, and hidden bars, there are a fair few that are lesser known and haven’t reached their full laneway potential, until now.

Supported by the City of Melbourne, Flash Forward is Melbourne’s most ambitious street art project, with over 40 large-scale works commissioned and set to hit the laneways of Melbourne. Among the program are familiar names like Celeste Mountjoy (filthyratbag), Jarra Karralinar Steel, Olana Janfa, Aretha Brown, DREZ, and Ling, with more lighting, music and creative installations in the works. 

From Mountjoy’s ‘Your Turn’ on Little Lonsdale Street standing over six metres tall with vibrant pops of colour, through to LING’s gargantuan sculptural piece ‘Crushed Can’ on Wills Street paying homage to the city’s graffiti scene, Flash Forward is encouraging exploration with an element of surprise, as pieces seem to pop up across the city overnight. While a fair few pieces are already up, the ever-growing program list means there are still a bunch more pieces yet to hit the laneways of Melbourne. 

If you’re interested in taking yourself on a laneway tour, there’s an interactive and printable map available on the Flash Forward website.

Want more art? Check out the best street art spots in Melbourne.