Things to do in Melbourne this week
Wondering what to do in Melbourne this week? We can help. Check out our curated guide to all the fun things to do in Melbourne, including free attractions, art exhibitions, theatre shows, activities for kids and so much more. Plus, if it's a rainy day, consult our guide to Melbourne's best indoor activities instead.
Things to do in Melbourne this week
Melbourne Music Week
Every year Melbourne Music Week explores the undercurrent of Melbourne’s vibrant local music scene in some of the city’s most forgotten corners. Throughout the week Melbourne's hefty list of live music venues go into overdrive hosting dozens of artists around the city. The centre of MMW each year is the festival hub, the venue for which changes every year. In 2018 the MMW festival hub will be at ACMI where Gallery One and Lightwell will be transformed into an immersive live music space and bar. Gracing the line-up this year are tried and true Aussie rockers You Am I, the soulful Renee Geyer and Detroit techno whiz Jeff Mills to name a few.
Recommended: Our top picks for Melbourne Music Week.
Night Noodle Markets
Night Noodle Markets is returning to Birrarung Marr this year with a killer line-up of Asian market stalls, covering street food favourites from Japan, Philippines, Taiwan and more. And they're going cashless – you can use card to pay for your snacks or purchase $50 cash cards on the night. This year, you can expect stalls from Melbourne market favourites including Hoy Pinoy, Puffle’s egg waffles, Korean tacos, Wonderbao, Waffleland, Teppanyaki Noodles, Donburi Station, N2 Extreme Gelato, the Original Korean Twistto Potato, Mr Miyagi, Sambal Kampung, Shallot Thai, Bangkok Street Food, the Wagyu, Nem N Nem, Black Star Patry, and Chinese Dim Sum King. New additions this year include Miso Fresh Food Truck, Bao Brothers, Red Spice Road, Son In Law, David’s, and Oriental Tea House. On the drinks front, there'll be wine from Laira in SA at a pop-up Coonawarra cellar door, the James Squire Night Terrace will be the place to get beers, and you can really double down on those garden party vibes with $10 Pimm’s. Don't drink? There's also a free kombucha bar.
Open Spaces Festival
When was the last time you hung out at the Abbotsford Convent? This spring the convent is giving you plenty of reasons to revisit, with a massive open day. There is a program of live music, including Cool Out Sun, Senegambian Jazz Band, hip hop duo Aaron Choulai x Daichi Yamamoto and more. There will also be DJs playing a mix of, soul, reggae, dub and global music, with the discs spinning until 9pm on Saturday night. Dancing certainly makes you hungry and thirsty, so there will be plenty of outdoor bars, market pop-ups and food trucks, including Taiwanese street food by Ghost Kitchen and the much‐loved Taco Truck. The convent's regular monthly markets – the Slow Food Market Farmers' Market and the Vegan Market of Melbourne – will also have a presence. Fancy a bit of art? Design Space market will be showcasing homewares, ceramics, jewellery, clothing, prints and more. There will also be art installations, exhibitions, participatory art projects and open studios for people to watch makers at work.
La Bohème
Back in 2011, director Gale Edwards and designer Brian Thomson took Puccini’s smash hit La Bohème to the wild cabaret halls and streets of 1930s Berlin. The production was embraced by die-hard romantics, opera fans and newcomers alike, and is back yet again for Opera Australia's Melbourne season. The story, which follows a close-knit group of young, fiercely idealistic bohemians through first love to untimely death. La Bohème inspired Moulin Rouge, Rent and countless adaptations, including this Weimar-set production, starring international opera stars Maija Kovalevska and Yosep Kang alongside local favourites Jane Ede and Christopher Tonkin.
Julian Opie
There aren't many artists in the world with a style as immediately recognisable as Julian Opie. The British sculptor sketches people with the simplest of details – black lines and splashes of colour – capturing the mood and spirit of the world's metropolises. This free solo exhibition of more than 60 of his works will take over several of the NGV's most prominent spaces. In the entry foyer, called Federation Court, Opie is installing an entire city of skyscrapers, which reach up 13 metres into the sky to create an immersive environment. He'll also be setting a school of virtual carp loose on the NGV's waterwall, and in the garden, he'll install a large-scale fountain sculpture inspired by the 'Manneken Pis' (so yes, you know what to expect). Opie has also collaborated with Kate Ryan (the NGV’s curator of children’s programs) to develop a distinct section for children.
Makers and Shakers Market
The half-yearly Makers and Shakers Market returns for summer, showcasing a host of great emerging designers at Coburg Town Hall. The November market is a curated event that will feature over 60 stalls selling homewares, food and lifestyle products. Featured on the line-up are the dinky earthenware works of Arcadia Scott Ceramics; the chunky, funky earrings of Houlahoops; the quirky, recycled-fabric creations of Gracie Keal; whimsical lamps from Upswitch and the delicious-smelling soy candles of Kennedy Smith. On the food front, you can expect to have all diets catered for with vegan and gluten-free doughnuts, as well as plenty of veggo fare. In the spirit of the season, there will also be free, all-ages Christmas craft workshops running in the foyer from 11am to 2pm.
Melbourne Zoo Block Party
Get your party pants on, it's time to get wild at the zoo. Melbourne Zoo is hosting a series of Saturday 'block parties' in November. You can boogie with the bears, dance with the dingoes and sashay with the seals from 6-9pm at the zoo. The twilight sessions will include DJ sets from Animals Dancing, video projections from ACMI's permanent collection, food trucks, cocktails, carousel rides and lawn games. What kind of lawn games? Giant Jenga and outdoor Twister will be on offer, and you can also challenge your mates to a game of Mario Kart on Nintendo 64. You can also take a spin through the National Geographic 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs exhibition to see jaw-dropping pictures of nature. Tickets are $20, and there are only 300 available for each block party. They're likely to sell out, so get in quick.
School of Rock: The Musical
Melbourne, school is back in session and now it’s time to learn how to rock. The musical version of Jack Black’s hit 2003 movie School of Rock will open at the Her Majesty’s Theatre in October, fresh from successful seasons on Broadway and the West End, where it’s still running. Just as in the movie, Dewey Flynn is a struggling muso who fakes his way into a prestigious private school classroom to earn a little extra cash as a substitute teacher. But he soon finds himself as an unlikely mentor for these high achieving kids who need someone to look out for them. And he also turns the group into a kick-ass rock band. It’s the prodigiously talented kids who make the show and are blowing away audiences in New York and London by playing live music night after night.
Suspiria
As a darkness builds at the centre of a world-renown dance company, its artistic director (Tilda Swinton), a young American new to the troupe (Dakota Johnson), and a grieving psychotherapist become entangled in a bloody, sighing nightmare.
Peninsula VineHop Festival
Mornington Peninsula’s Vinehop festival returns this year to once again celebrate beer, wine and cider. Hop-on-hop-off shuttles will take you to over 10 venues in the region. Each bus stop will provide beverage tastings, live music and food trucks along the way. The event is split over two days called Vinehop Saturday and Posthop Sunday. The Saturday is more like a pub-crawl and the Sunday is the recovery day. Sunday there is only one venue, a band and degustation picnic. Vinehop is on Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18. Bring some cash to purchase food and extra drinks.
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