Things to do in Melbourne in January

The hotly anticipated NGV Triennial is back and runs until April 18, 2021, showcasing 86 thought-provoking, eye-widening works from more than 100 artists. Of those 86 works, 34 have never been seen before and were commissioned by the NGV explicitly for the Triennial. The gallery has managed to score some of the world’s top artists and designers for the blockbuster exhibition, with names like Jeff Koons, Refik Anadol, Porky Hefer, Kengo Juma, Fecal Matter and Hannah Brontë.  As with the inaugural Triennial in 2017, the exhibition is both artistically cutting edge and visually engaging, with several larger-than-life works scattered throughout the gallery.  You'll be hard pressed to miss Refik Anadol’s ten-metre ‘Quantum Memories’ (a huge multimedia work that uses artificial intelligence to create an alternative vision of the natural world). It’d be equally impressive to miss celebrated American artist Jeff Koons' ‘Venus’ – a lustrous, larger-than-life sculpture of Greek goddess Venus bearing an uncanny resemblance to a Royal Doulton figurine.  Art imitates life, as they say, and you can expect the Triennial to be no different. While the exhibition is diverse in both artist and works (more than 30 countries are represented), tying all of it together are pertinent themes like isolation, representation and speculation.  You can also expect a few works that directly explore the global garbage fire that has been 2020. In ‘Dance Biodegradable Personal Protective Equipment (DBPPE) Pos

If you had 15 minutes to spend with yourself surrounded by nothing but darkness and the rain, what would you do? This is something the ‘Rain Room’ by luxe-hotel Jackalope and ACMI wants us to consider. The exhibition has reopened its sliding doors once again and invites us to all take a moment for ourselves to practice mindfulness and embrace the present in the rain. For those who aren’t familiar with it, the ‘Rain Room’ is an immersive artwork by London-based collective Random International that fills the ceiling of a darkened room with motion sensors and little droplets of recycled water that imitate rain. The result? An experience that you can walk through slowly without getting a single drop of water on you, even though you’re surrounded by what feels like a storm. The experience stimulates your senses and if you’ve ever been caught in the rain in Southeast Asia, this evokes a similar feeling. It’s slightly warm as the sound of falling rain crescendos but if you walk an inch too quickly you’ll feel the sensation of getting tapped on the head by water.  ‘Rain Room’ is one of Random International’s most famous works and has previously shown at the Barbican in London, MoMA in New York and at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai.  With its post-lockdown reopening the team have introduced a 'Go Private' option that allows a group of up to 12 people to book the room out for 15 minutes and experience it in a more intimate setting. When there’s a smaller group you’re less likely to bump in

Head down to the Yarra for Juniperlooza: a summer gin festival celebrating the herbaceous spirit. After a stint down river at the Boatbuilders Yard, Juniperlooza is back where it started at Pilgrim, just below Fed Square. This year the festival will be an all summer affair, with Juniperlooza running for the duration of the season. There will be 70 gin labels from 30 different producers available to taste, with Pilgrim running interactive talk and taste sessions for gin enthusiasts.  Pilgrim will also be open Friday to Sunday for bottomless gin and tapas sessions where you'll get two hours of endless food and drink for $59. There's a selection of curated gins to try (all crafted from Australian spirits and botanicals) plus premium tonics. The offer also includes house beer and wine if you want a break from gin, plus tapas from Pilgrim's kitchen (which only uses ingredients grown in Australia). Really take a shine to a particular gin? Most labels wil be available to purchase from the bar's bottleshop. 

We never thought we'd see the day but yes, the Moonlight Cinema is returning to Melbourne this summer. There's nothing quite like a film under the stars in the evening cool of the Botanic Gardens so that's exactly what we'll be doing when this alfresco cinema returns in January.  The January line-up has now been announced for Melbourne and includes classics like 10 Things I Hate About You, Dirty Dancing, Toy Story and Love Actually, plus new flicks such as Unhinged (starring Russell Crowe), queer holiday romcom The Happiest Season and Penguin Bloom (based on the true story of a family that adopted an injured magpie chick). Moonlight Cinema will also host a dog-friendly screening of the Top Dog Film Festival at the end of January. As always, the Moonlight Cinema food truck and bar can supply you with comestibles, but you're welcome to BYO food and drinks, too.  Those looking to splurge can opt for the gold grass experience where you'll sloth out on bean bag beds with a premium view of the big screen. You don't even have to get up for movie snacks or drinks as waiters will happily take your order.  As this is post-lockdown, Moonlight Cinema has confirmed there will be a range of hygiene and safety protocols in place at the venue, including limits on capacity and physical distancing.  Screenings kick off at sundown (which is around 8.45pm during summer but as early as 6pm in April) and tickets range from $18-$40. See the current program here.

Drive-in cinemas are pretty cool, and they've certainly made a comeback in the past 12 months. However, they're not without drawbacks – namely they're dependent on good weather and the sunset. Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre has nixed both those issues, however, by creating Australia's first indoor drive-in cinema. MCEC has teamed up with Village Cinemas to create the Drive In(door) Cinema: an indoor drive-in cinema that can be used at any time and in any weather. The venue is the first of its kind in Australia and takes advantage of MCEC's huge and currently disused exhibition bays (the spaces in which conventions and events usually take place).  The indoor drive-in can fit up to 174 cars and features a candy bar stocked with popcorn, choc tops, Nitro 196 Below ice creams and the Dough Truck doughnuts – all of which can be ordered to your vehicle using an app. Sessions during the school holidays take advantage of the cinema's all-day capabilities, with family-friendly films shown during the day and cinematic classics shown at night. Upcoming films include Ghostbusters, Shrek, Titanic, Moana, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Gremlins, Goodfellas, The Little Mermaid and Gladiator. Keep in mind that unlike at some drive-ins, you cannot reverse in and sit in your boot or ute tray.  Tickets are $49 per car – visit the website for the full line-up of films. 

The NGV is so extra right now, and we're loving it. To accompany the second epic NGV Triennial the NGV has relaunched Triennial Extra: a free, month-long series of after-hours art parties, running from Jan 15 to Feb 14. Make no mistake: Triennial Extra isn't your standard gallery-open-late situation, nor is it the same as the gallery's Friday Nights series. Visitors can expect to experience the Triennial in a completely new light, with DJs, pop-up bars and restaurants, performances, dance and plenty more surprises.  This is Melbourne, so let's start with the food. Tonka's Adam D'Sylva is collaborating with the NGV to bring an exclusive menu of mod Indian dishes to the gallery. In addition to the Tonka pop-up, Triennial Extra will also feature a sweet experience from Lune Croissanterie, a wine bar from Yering Station and a neon bar from Asahi in the Great Hall.  Then there are the performances. While the program won't be revealed until Jan 11, we do know that there will be a diverse range of artists, dancers, performers and poets taking part and responding to works within the Triennial. The whole event is soundtracked by Aussie DJs including River Yarra, Shelley, DJ Small Fry, Agent 86, Bertie, Claire Knight, DJ Manchild and Rings Around Saturn, who will be playing from the NGV's Grollo Equiset Garden as part of Melbourne Music Week. For the full line-up, visit the website. Entry is free, but you'll need to book tickets.

After a long hibernation we're all keener than ever to get out and about and enjoy our city's vibrant cultural landscape this summer. Melbourne Museum knows this all too well and has devised a twelve day celebration of arts, music, comedy, films and food called Summer Sessions. The event combines our city's cultural heavyweights, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne Music Week — Extended, IMAX Melbourne and , of course, Melbourne Museum to bring over 120 performers and artists to hungry punters live this January. If you've missed laughing out loud and attending cinemas in 2020 you're in for a real treat with the Summer Sessions comedy and movie sessions. Catch some of Australia's most hilarious comedians followed by a screening under the stars every Thursday and Sunday night. The line-up is bound to tempt you too with performers curated by Melbourne International Comedy Festival and classic flicks from the '80s and '90s picked by IMAX Melbourne. Roll on the floor laughing (safely) with sets from Josh Earl, Double Denim, Geraldine Quinn, Die Roten Punkte, Alex the Magician and Garry Starr. Then relax into the twilight cinema experience with screenings of E.T., Gremlins, Home Alone, Alien, Back to the Future and the original Lion King. Melbourne Museum Summer Sessions will also have a robust (and dearly missed) live music program. Head to the outdoor plaza every Friday and Sunday for a suite of alfresco gigs curated by Melbourne Music Week — Extended. Feel city-pr

The District Docklands gets a glow-up with Imaginaria –  a magical "future play experience". In layman's terms, Melbourne, its a giant, glowing, otherworldy all-ages playground to explore this summer. Imaginaria allows (let's be honest, event-starved) Melburnians to explore fantastic custom-built, interactive structures like a giant inflatable bubble, glowing light maze, and a "cosmic abyss". The whole installation features bespoke sound, light and even scents that are activated as guests explore the dreamscape. The experience comes from the imagination of Australian creative Nick Ennis, who has brought it to life thanks to a team of architects, musicians, fashion designers, light projectionists, audio-visual artists, sculptors, stuntmen and circus performers. Ennis says: "We wanted to create a play experience that elevated you out of the digitalfog and snapped you into the now." Of course, all of us have to remain vigilant about transmission even as we open up and events get the green light. The Imaginaria team are implementing a number of measures like controlled capacity, staggered entry, mandatory masks, hand sanitation stations, daily deep cleans and temperature checks to ensure guests have a safe (as well as fun) experience.  Imaginaria runs from November 26 to January 31 at the District Docklands (find it beneath the Melbourne Star). Tickets are available from October 9.

Shut the Playstation off for a bit and take the kids on a memorable adventure to Melbourne Museum these summer holidays. Stir-craziness is bound to be momentarily cured by the museum's suite of riveting exhibitions and displays with some extra-special holidays activities added to the mix.  Melbourne Museum is dedicating the majority of their school holidays programming to incomparable First Peoples' knowledge and culture. Experience the interactive Milarri Summer program – a dive in to the plants and waterways significant to the First Peoples of south-eastern Australia. You'll learn about the traditional uses of Indigenous plants and have the opportunity to pot and keep your very own native plant to nurture at home. Get insight into the seasons according to First Nations people and be immersed in the fragrant greenery of the Milarri Gardens.  After exploring the Milarri Summer program take some time to check out some of the museum's other First Nations exhibitions. In the Learning Lab you'll find the immersive River Connections projection, a narrative and visual journey through the Murray River. Then, head to the Birrarung Gallery for the poignant and visually-arresting printmaking exhibition, Gung | create, make, do, love by Wergaia/Wemba Wemba artist Kelly Koumalatsos. Continue your school holiday fun with a venue-spanning hunt for creatures in 100 Tiny Dinosaurs. Kids will be entertained for hours with this adorable scavenger hunt. Help them find over 100 dinosaur figurine

Bendigo Art Gallery has a long history of hosting stand-out fashion exhibitions. In 2019 it was Balenciaga; the year before that, Marimekko. Now Bendigo Art Gallery is turning the spotlight on First Nations designers in Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion.  The exhibition is the first major survey of contemporary textiles and fashion by First Nation artists in Australia. Piinpi features artists from across the country, including Grace Lillian Lee, Maree Clarke, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Lisa Waup x Verner, Hopevale Arts and Culture Centre, Maara Collective, Lore, Aarli Fashion, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists and Lyn-Al Young (who’s been commissioned to create five new pieces for the exhibition).  The exhibition is curated by Bendigo Art Gallery First Nations curator and Kaantju woman Shonae Hobson, who says the exhibition will be unlike anything else audiences have seen. “Throughout the gallery, we present beautifully crafted fabrics and wearable fashion items, each expressing a connection to culture and to Country through very bold and exciting ways – distinct from anything else being produced around the world.” The exhibition title, Piinpi, is a Kanichi Thampanyu (East Cape York) term referring to changes in a landscape that happen across time and space. “For Indigenous peoples, our knowledge of the land and seasons is culturally important as it signifies the abundance of certain bush foods, when we can travel, and when a good time to collect traditional materials for cerem