Things to do in Melbourne in March

For the first time ever, the iconic Albert Park F1 circuit will open its gates at the beginning of the race weekend, giving everyday runners the chance to hit the Formula One Australian Grand Prix track before the race cars do. Gatorade Run The Track is taking place at 5.30am on Thursday, March 5 – just one day before the high-octane action roars into Melbourne. Runners, walkers and F1 fanatics can complete the legendary circuit – the very same stretch of tarmac the world’s fastest drivers will tackle in their bid to win the first race of the 2026 F1 season. Normally completely off-limits during race week, this is a bucket-list moment for anyone who loves running as much as they love Oscar Piastri.  Gates open at the crack of dawn, with the run kicking off at sunrise. Expect the track lights blazing, the official Mercedes-AMG safety car leading the pack and live race-style commentary from elite athlete and broadcaster Kate McCarthy alongside Australian trail runner Majell Backhausen. Every participant will receive a custom race bib linked to official track timing technology, ensuring a fully timed experience. Gatorade will keep everyone fuelled and firing on all cylinders during the event and post-race, with former AFL player Dan Gorringe stepping in as chief hydration officer Fast feet followed by even faster cars – we’re in! Tickets are $99 plus fees, with space for just 2,400 runners. You can score yours here.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne...

One of the city's most vibrant street parties is back for its 38th year with a weekend of festivities. On February 28 and March 1, the Greek Antipodes Festival will take over Lonsdale Street – aka Melbourne CBD's unofficial 'Little Greece' – for two days of Greek street food, traditional dancing, live music and roving performers. Love souvlaki? Enjoy a delicious Greek feast with food vendors serving up everything from sizzling gyros to loukoumades and other sweet treats. Flavours of Greece, the festival’s live cooking stage, brings some of Australia’s most exciting Greek food masters who will fire up the pans and spill a few kitchen secrets as they serve up stories and food. Come hungry. Headlining the 2026 program is acclaimed Greek singer Ioulia Karapataki along with Konstantina Touni and Nikos Pontiakakis. With three stages, you're sure to be entertained by contemporary Greek music, traditional ensembles, DJs and dance performances.  Whatever you do, don't forget to wear your dancing shoes for the very popular Zorba 'Til You Drop dance competition – you'll need to dance the Zorba for as long as possible to win return flights to Greece. For more details, check out the website.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Looking for more things to do in Melbourne? Check out our guide to what's hot right now. 

Want to frolic through a field of flowers? You don't have to wait until spring. Head to Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges to enjoy the Tesselaar KaBloom, Festival of Flowers this autumn. Open daily from Saturday, March 21 to Sunday, April 19, it's a perfect day trip to take during the Easter school holidays.  In case the name sounds familiar, it's because the Tesselaar team are the same peeps who bring us the beloved annual Dutch tulip festival. Wander through fields filled with sunflowers, salvias, marigolds, dahlias and more – just watch out for those snap-happy Instagrammers!   When is the Tesselaar KaBloom Festival on?  The festival runs every day between March 21 to April 19 – yes, even on the Easter weekend public holidays – and it's open from 10am to 5pm.  With more than a million gorgeous blooms across five acres, KaBloom invites visitors to wander through fields of diffferent flowers arranged in stunning designs that blend nature, art and creativity. What else does the Tesselaar KaBloom Festival offer? For something different, take a ride on the ferris wheel to get an aerial view of the floral arrangements. The festival also features a host of kid-friendly events among the flower fields with garden games, obstacle courses and hands-on workshops. Playful characters and storytellers will keep little ones busy and they're sure to love a ride on the tractor train. Add in a vibrant Market Faire that's brimming with handcrafted items, fresh flowers to take home and food...

Did you know that Ballarat is home to thousands of begonias, including more than 600 unique varieties? In fact, the impressive collection is the rarest in the Southern Hemisphere, and they're all housed in the city's historic botanical gardens. To celebrate this floral feat, the city has hosted the Ballarat Begonia Festival annually since 1953 – yup, it's been held for more than 70 years.  When is the Ballarat Begonia Festival taking place?  If you're keen to see the colourful (and highly 'grammable) flower fest in full bloom, make your way to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on the Labour Day long weekend from March 7-9, 2026. The floral festivities run across three days, so you'll have ample opportunity to explore the vibrant floral displays that fill these historic gardens.  What kinds of begonias will be on display? At the heart of it all is the stunning Robert Clark Conservatory, home to Ballarat’s renowned begonia collection. Each year, the Botanical Gardens team grows more than 600 begonia varieties, from heirlooms to unique hybrids cultivated exclusively for the festival. The result? A bountiful display of begonias that draws everyone from green thumbs and nature enthusiasts to families and interstate visitors. What else is on at the Ballarat Begonia Festival?  The 2026 program goes beyond the blooms. Making its debut is The Musical Plants by Playable Streets, an installation that turns living plants into musical instruments you can actually play on. The Begonia...

Merri-bek dwellers are spoiled for choice when it comes to musical talent, and never more than during the annual Brunswick Music Festival, when international and local acts come together for a celebration of great music. 2026 marks the 38th year of the festival, and you can look forward to eight jam-packed days, featuring more than 40 gigs across the suburb and surrounds. Everything kicks off with the famous Sydney Road Street Party on Sunday, March 1. This free one-day festival takes over Brunswick’s main road  – which happens to be the longest continuous shopping strip in the southern hemisphere. Expect roving performers, amazing beats and pop-up acoustic sets, with rhythm happening everywhere you turn. The festival is also bringing in a whole lot of international headliners, with each one providing a special something. From French disco lord François K and Cretan sibling-duo Xylourides to Japanese hip-hop powerhouse DJ Krush, the globe is well represented.  You can also expect to get down with a heap of homegrown talent, dance to the uproarious bellow of Horns of Leroy's big brass brand, and hop through a series of epic, special sets at some of Brunswick's best live music locales, including Howler, the Retreat and Jazzlab.  This year, there'll also be an exciting return of the Merri-Bek 'Neighbourhood Noise' program. Creative spaces like Brunswick Library, Next Wave, Balam Balam Place and Blak Dot Gallery are all set to fling open their doors and become home to live...

Finding something that keeps both you and the little ones happy isn’t always easy. Enter the Moonee Valley Festival. The sun’s out, the kids are playing, you’ve got something tasty in hand, and live tunes are drifting across the park. Sounds pretty good, right? Oh, and did we mention it’s completely free?  The Moonee Valley Festival returns to Queens Park in Moonee Ponds on Sunday, March 15, bringing a full day of live music, food, entertainment, and good ol’ community spirit. This year is shaping up to be another big one, with all the crowd favourites returning. There will be live performances – this year headlined by Australian soul and funk vocalist Kylie Auldist – plus bands, dancers, local vendors, market stalls, and food trucks from across the area. Kids can enjoy live music, circus school, a wildlife show, roller‑skating demonstrations, face painting and more.  One of the biggest events on the Moonee Valley calendar, the festival is a feel-good celebration of the vibrant and diverse local community, and the free entry is just the cherry on top.  For more information and to stay up to date with any event changes (including weather updates), visit the Moonee Valley City Council website.

Pack a picnic rug and head to Narre Warren where the south east’s creative hub Bunjil Place is throwing its biggest outdoor event of all time.  Open Space is a free, evening festival running across seven Saturdays from February 7, packed with live music, an open-air cinema, food trucks (or BYO dinner), and family-friendly fun that’ll keep you going and coming back for more. Opening night sets the bar high with a stellar line-up of musical acts including the soulful Canisha, smooth reggae from Paulo Almeida and his band and then an ace team-up of two Aussie powerhouses as Kutcha Edwards takes the stage with Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. Highlights don’t stop there: cozy up for a Valentine’s Day screening of the sci-fi horror classic Tarantula!; catch a performance from the Hung Hing Lion Dance in action; relive the ‘80s with synth-pop legends Pseudo Echo; swoon to country ballads from Golden Guitar winner Andrew Swift; or get funky with Cookin’ On 3 Burners, Stella Angelico, and the GRID Series Launch Party featuring Kiid KODA, ACP Martha and Jordz. The finale? A full-on spectacle with Kerfew Collective, Hari Sivanesan, Studio J Dance, and Wild Gloriosa. Plus catch an exclusive first look at the new gallery exhibition The Offbeat Sari. Open Space Bunjil Place will run every Saturday from 6pm to 9.30pm from February 7 to March 21. Find the full program here. 

It's your last chance to power up, unlock that final level and beat the big boss, because ACMI's Game Worlds is about to be clocked (aka it's finishing up soon). So don't let it be game over before you get a chance to enter this immersive, fully playable exhibition. Perfect for fans of The Sims, Neopets or World of Warcraft, this blockbuster celebration of video games will transport you into the worlds of more than 30 iconic titles, including Final Fantasy XIV Online, Minecraft, Doom and Stardew Valley. Also featured are classics like Maze War and Zork, fan faves with cult followings like The Elder Scrolls Online, and new releases like Guardian Maia. Spanning games from the 1970s right through to this year, you'll be able to check out rare concept art, original design materials, early hands-on protoypes and so much more. There are 44 fully playable experiences (think Celeste speedruns on two huge screens), and four new microgames by emerging and established Aussie game developers have been specially commissioned for the exhibition.   “Our exhibition honours the real-life experiences that are made possible by and through videogames, highlighting the players and developers – and stories that bring videogame worlds to life,” said co-curators Bethan Johnson and Jini Maxwell. Want to take a part of the exhibition home with you? There's limited-edition merch and exclusive books available for purchase at the ACMI shop. Game Worlds is now on at ACMI until March 29. For more...

If you only do one thing for this year's Brunswick Music Festival, then make it the famous opening party. This mammoth one-day music festival takes over sprawling Sydney Road, and will spotlight a bunch of musicians playing rock, hip-hop, reggae, soul, jazz, gospel and everything in between. Taking place on Sunday, March 1, it will feature a massive program of musical acts across multiple stages and venues, stretching between Brunswick Road and Victoria Street. All your favourite local venues are also getting in on the action, including the Bergy Bandroom, the Retreat, Bar Spontana, Stay Gold and Brunswick Ballroom. Sydney Road will be bursting with energy and every year, without fail, there are multiple spontaneous dance parties.  You can also expect plenty of delicious food, market stalls, roving street performers and more. Plan your day here.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Want more? These are the best things happening in Melbourne on the weekend.

From the orchestral jump scares of Aliens to the lush classicism of Titanic and the trumpet flourishes of Avatar, composer James Horner is responsible for some of cinema’s most memorable scores. This March, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is bringing Hollywood to the laneway city, paying tribute to Horner's illustrious career with three live performances of Art of the Score: James Horner at Hamer Hall. The concert is led by conductor Nicholas Buc, and self-described “film score geeks” Art of the Score podcast co-hosts Andrew Pogson and Dr Dan Golding will be there on the night. They'll delve into the stories behind Horner’s most beloved works and long list of accolades, among which he claims 10 Oscar nominations, two wins, and holds the title for the highest-selling orchestral soundtrack in history — yes, we’re talking about Titanic. The MSO has previously collaborated with Art of the Score on sell-out concerts celebrating the great John Williams and Hans Zimmer. This year, audiences can expect an immersive journey through Horner’s musical universe and back catalogue. Expect songs from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Apollo 13, Aliens, The Rocketeer, Braveheart, Titanic, Avatar and more. The Music of James Horner is coming to Hamer Hall on Friday, March 27 at 7:30pm, Saturday March 28 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 29 at 2pm. Tickets range from $93 to $150. Get yours here.  Better yet? Time Out readers can score 20 per cent off tickets with code TIMEOUT. Cha-ching!