Things to do in Melbourne this weekend

Know your parmesan from your pecorino? Your blue from your brie? Head to the Queen Victoria Market this October for a five-day festival devoted to the world’s number dairy product, cheese. From Tuesday, October 22 to Sunday, October 27, Queen Vic Market is rolling out the cheese wheels and uncorking their best wines for the second annual Holey Cheese Festival. Market traders and local producers will be on hand during the fromage festival to offer tastings – a wander through the dairy hall will reveal dozens of cheeses from Victoria, Australia and around the world. Over in deli lane there will be a range of pop-up stalls selling all manner of cheesy fare.  There will be cannoli from That's Amore Cheese; halloumi fries from the Cypriot Kitchen; award-winning margherita pizza from 400 Gradi (seriously – it's the best in Oceania); and raclette from Frencheese.  Wash all that cheese down with a tipple from the Good-a-Bar (geddit?). The pop-up bar will have wine and beer but true cheese fans might want to try the special cheese-themed cocktail – it's a bit like an Old Fashioned but paired with smoked gouda. Tim White from Books for Cooks will share his secrets on cooking with cheese and you an even embark on a cheese tour of the market. Holey Cheese Festival is on at Queen Victoria Market during normal market days (all days except Monday and Wednesday) from October 22 to 27.

Chicken nuggets (or “nugs” as the kids call them) might not be haute cuisine, but golly gosh are they wholesome and comforting. And very much deserving of their own festival – which is why northside food truck park Welcome to Thornbury is hosting a Chicken Nugget Festival this October. On Saturday, October 26 Welcome to Thornbury will welcome a stack of vendors hawking various variations of the humble nug. On the menu is a chicken nugget burger from Mr Burger; a chicken nugget sub from Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks; a chicken nugget pizza from Pizza Pony; a chicken nugget doughnut from Donugs; a chicken nugget bao (as well as vegan nuggets) from Woking Amazing; and an enigmatic chicken nugget “surprise” from Mamma Van.  As usual, entry is free and there’s an on-site ATM. Children welcome until 8pm, dogs welcome all day and night.

Barkly Square is hosting its annual bike festival for all you cycling enthusiasts. For one day, this mini festival will celebrate all things on two wheels with free activities such as circus performances, live music and plenty of giveaways.  Kicking off festivities, early risers (and riders) can tuck into bacon and egg rolls at the breakfast barbeque fundraiser for the Amy Gillet Foundation charity. Australian SBS Tour de France commentator Matthew Keenan will host a Q&A and discuss all things to do with bike safety in the riding community.  There will be performances from the National Institute of Circus Arts, including unicyclist Simon Wright who will jump and juggle his way through the laneway. Barkly Square's resident cycle experts will conduct free safety bike checks and bicycle buffs can upgrade their bikes with the latest gadgets and gear at the Bicycle Market Place.  Attendees can even live like cycling royalty by jumping up on the Tour De Barkly winners podium to capture the perfect GIF in the photo booth.  Barkly Bikes is a free event located in the Barkly Square laneway, open to all from 9am until 3pm on Sunday 27 October 2019. For more information, visit the Barkly Bikes website.

Melburnians love an indoor plant. Whether you’re team monstera, fiddle leaf, peace lily or Zanzibar gem (one of the most indestructible beings on Earth), the indoor plant trend has really taken off. This spring mega Preston brewery Moon Dog World is getting on board too and hosting huge indoor plant sale.  Plant and party specialists Wandering Jungle are teaming up with Moon Dog to host a free, three-day  plant sale. Wandering Jungle decorated Moon Dog's cool new space, Moon Dog World, with plants, so it only makes sense that Moon Dog is the place to buy them. From 11am to 11pm (or 11am to 10am on Monday and Tuesday), plant-crazy punters can drop into the brewery to explore a truckload of plants for sale from Wandering Jungle while also having a boogie. That’s because these guys don’t just host plant sales; they host plant discos where you can dance to live local DJs and get amongst the 72 beers on tap or try a tap Aperol Spritz, Espresso Martini or El Diablo cocktail.  The Wandering Jungle team are big on making sure you find (and keep alive) your perfect new plant, so they’ll even give you tips to keep your new frond healthy. Dogs are welcome in the beer garden, so you can ask your best mate's opinion of your new house decoration. 

If you're trying to stay fit (or trying to find the motivation to stay fit), head along to the sixth annual Fitness Show to put those wheels in motion. Whether you're a hardcore gym-goer or just interested in leading a healthier lifestyle, there's something for you at Melbourne's Fitness Show. For two days in October, the Fitness Show will bring everything fitness, health and wellness together in one place. The expo will showcase some of the hottest trends in health and fitness right now, like strength training, body scanning, measurement devices, veganism, sustainable ethical brands, boutique fitness, group training and high-intensity interval training. Head on down for some shopping at featured exhibitor booths like Blue Dinosaur, Halo Top, Spartan Race Australia, Goodlife Health Clubs, Musashi, Chemist Warehouse, YoPro and many more that are still to be announced. Fitspo influencers will also be there and are ready to chat all things fitness in meet and greets in scheduled talks throughout the event. The Fitness Show will also feature a Muscle Beach (a Venice Beach-style gym), a powerlifting arena and calisthenics playground, a muscle and model stage, and even a Spartan obstacle course. This event will run at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 26 and 27. Tickets start at $21 for a one-day pass.

Now I don’t know about you, but I would personally like to be well-informed when aliens invade earth and claim their place as our overlords. In this regard, the Planetarium at Scienceworks might be able to help. This season, the Planetarium will be offering guests the chance to explore the cosmos with a series of after-hours and adults-only film screenings on the huge planetarium dome. Every Friday night those over 18 can explore everything from black holes to fluorescent coral. You won’t go spacing out with these shows, either, as they’re loaded with amazing visuals and stellar content. Each night features two screenings, one at 7.30pm and the other at 9pm, with films varying from month to month. Some of the films being screened include Europe to the Stars, Chaos and Order, Ticket to the Universe and Capcom GO! Don't miss December's screening of Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon where you'll be able to listen to the entirety of Pink Floyd's seminal 1973 album while colourful, psychedelic visuals are projected over the full dome.  Plus the bar will be open if you fancy a drink with your trip into space. Planetarium Nights are on every Friday until December 27.

Dig out your lederhosen and dirndl then head to the Yarra Valley this October. On Saturday, October 26, Oktoberfest will transform Lilydale into Munich with the return of Oktoberfest Yarra Valley. The festival turns three in 2019 with 1,500 guests expected to march into the valley for a day of beer and pretzels. The event will be importing beer straight from Germany for the day, as well as commissioning a Yarra Valley brewery to craft a bespoke beer. Not into beer? There will also be wine and schnapps. German food will be showcased with schweineschnitzel, wienerschnitzel, bratwurst with sauerkraut and soft, salty pretzels. An oompah band will get toes tapping (and knees slapping) while there will be a DJ to kick things up a notch later. Prizes will be awarded for best dressed and there will be preztel eating and stein-holding competitions too. The festival is also doing its part to protect the planet, using a stein-washing system to reduce single-use plastics. Yarra Valley Oktoberfest is for adults only, so leave the die kinder at home. Dogs are welcome if they are well behaved. 

St Kilda's two spookiest festivals are combining into one terrifying event this Halloween. Spooktober (which used to held at St Kilda Town Hall) and Luna Dark are merging in 2019 into Spooktober at Luna Dark – a terrifying eight-night Halloween festival at Luna Park. Prepare for the fright of your life as the usually jolly amusement park is transformed into spooky world filled with ghost, ghouls, monsters and more. Fans of Spooktober's hair-rising haunted houses will be pleased to hear they'll return in 2019, with Spooktober founder and director Dale Pope enlisting experts from the United States to design the horrifying abodes. There will be two haunted houses to try this year. Only the truly fearless should opt for the Extreme Phobia house, while scaredy cats are better off trying the Haunted Fairytales house. There will also be "carnevil" games like pumpkin tossing and eyeball fishing; a SFX parlour where you can complete your Halloween costume with some gruesome make-up; and the Haunted Spirits Bar where you can imbibe themed cocktails while enjoying music and entertainment.  Mini monsters (that is, children) are welcome at Spooktober at Luna Dark. There will be a Little Zombies Trick or Treat Trail with each zombie station kids find gifting them a Wizz Fizz treat. It costs a gold coin donation to take part on the trail, will donations going towads My Room (a charity funding support for those with childhood cancer).  Luna Parks rides will also be operational every day

Melbourne is growing and developing at a rapid pace, but how much do you really know about it? Now you can learn about some of the state’s most influential people, events and icons. Velvet, Iron, Ashes is an exhibition located in the State Library's newly refurbished Victoria Gallery. The exhibition will showcase more than 200 items from the Library's own collection plus additions from other major institutions and private collections. It gives visitors an opportunity to learn some illustrious stories about Ned Kelly, the Ashes Urn, Yalloum Power Station and even Nappie Wash.  Visitors can learn how fairy floss is linked to fancy dress, how the Freddo Frog is tied to one of the greatest air races in history, and what the Ashes Urn and Ned Kelly’s armour have in common. A retro-style Map-o-matic device allows visitors to print out a map, opening up a world of storytelling to a new generation of Victorians. The exhibition is open to all ages and runs from October 24, 2019, until July 12, 2020. It is free to attend. The Ashes Urn is exclusively loaned from Marylebone Cricket Club in London and will be displayed from November 2019 until February 2020, so don’t miss out on seeing it in the flesh.

Daylight savings has kicked off and the sun is finally reemerging. While we’re slowly coming out of hibernation, it’s time to get fit and having fun doing it. Let the Pyjama Fun Run in Carlton be your first step to a healthy sleep.   Registrations open at 8am on the day and you can register to run 9.6km or walk/run 3.2km around the beautiful Princess Park in your cutest, snazziest pyjamas. The first event commences at 10.30am and we know you won’t be late because it’ll take you literally two seconds to get ready and out the door.  In today’s hustle and bustle, our schedules are getting busier and sleep deprivation is on the rise and affecting up to 45 per cent of adults and 40 per cent of children and adolescents. I mean, we all need sleep, but most of us just aren’t getting enough. Lack of sleep is leading to a range of disorders affecting many aspects of our daily lives and this fun run is aiming to help change that. All the funds raised through your registration and fundraising page will support the Monash Health, Lung and Sleep department. Funds raised will help purchase special machines to combat sleep apnoea, and support research projects to better understand and promote sleep health.   So come along to this fun event in your most fabulous nightie – just don’t come naked if that’s how you like to sleep ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

The travelling Village Festival has charmed communities all over Australia for the past 15 years with programs showcasing creative artists from all over the country. More than 450,000 people have been to the Village Festival over the years so for the event's final hurrah at Edinburgh Gardens, they've decided to cap it off with one final party.  Hitting town this October, the Village Festival will boast a diverse music line-up of everything from stomping rock and delightful jazz to surreal electronica. It's also jam-packed with colourful art installations and theatre performances. Bring your little ones along, as they'll love the dedicated program for kids and the teenaged acrobats from Circus Oz Fanatics.  The World Kitchen is cooking up a "food performance" that will explore some of Melbourne and the world's oldest culinary traditions. You can sample Tibetan momo dumplings, Colombian treats from Mama Verana and learn the secrets of Somali cooking with Luul and Marian.  Sadly this will be the last year the Village Festival is being held at Edinburgh Gardens after fifteen strong years. If you're keen on heading along, entrance is via a gold coin donation but you can reserve a spot online. 

For once the lions and snakes won’t be the scariest creatures at Werribee Open Range Zoo. The zoo is hosting Boo at the Zoo, a spooktastic all-ages event to celebrate Halloween.  Guests are encouraged to come dressed in costumes to the zoo, where they’ll find scarily good entertainment, activities, crafts and (of course) trick-or-treating. There will be zombie dancers, a Croaky Creepy Critters adventure maze, a goo zone and a kid-friendly haunted house.  All proceeds from Boo at the Zoo go towards Zoos Victoria’s wildlife extinction work – because there’s nothing scarier than the imminent threat of climate change, habitat loss and the subsequent loss of biodiversity. Tickets available now with kids under two free.

Let's face it. Every adult loves an oyster (if you don't, we'll leave it to you to decide what that says about you), but sometimes it hurts to look at the price. For the month of October, Stokebar is offering an outrageous deal of $2 oysters for the entire month, provided by Appellation Oysters. Usually, these deals can sound icky because oysters might not be in the best nick, but be rest assured that Appellation Oysters provide the highest quality Rock Oysters (as opposed to Pacific Oysters), all year round, graded daily and sourced from waters spanning from Macleay River, Shoalhaven and Wapengo to Merimbula, amongst many others.  

Living in the city sure is convenient, but sometimes we all need to trade the concrete jungle for an actual jungle. The Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens are giving you the chance to experience the restorative powers of nature by offering forest therapy (or forest bathing) classes for city stress-heads. Just what is forest therapy? The idea began in Japan, where it’s called ‘shinrin-yoku’ and is said to improve your wellbeing by immersing yourself in nature. It’s since been recognised as an effective (and cheap) way to improve public health. The Royal Botanic Garden’s forest therapy walk includes a guided tour through the gardens designed to lower your blood pressure, pulse and stress levels through a series of activities. The gardens currently have two-hour and three-hour forest therapy session available – visit the website for the complete timetable and to book.

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. Yes, the insanely successful, sold-out event is back for 2019. The idea for High Cheese began when Westin executive chef Michael Greenlaw teamed up with Anthony Demia from Maker and Monger to bring a series of cheeses together in both sweet and savoury dishes. Now extended until December 31, High Cheese brings some favourites from last year's menu plus a few new additions to the table. Traditional scones and cream are swapped out for L'amuse Signature Gouda scones served with whipped spiced butter. There's also black truffle, porcini and walnut layered Brie Fermier la Tremblaye; Swiss Gruyere Vieux Gougères with burnt green leek; and Marcel Petite Comté Réservation custard tarts for the savoury section.  For the sweeter side, there's poached French pear with stracciatella, fresh honeycomb and smoked roasted macadamia crumble; ruby chocolate parfait with Brillat Savarin Frais and raspberry jam; caramelised salted white chocolate tiramisu; plus ricotta cassata cannoli.  The coup de gras (pun intended) is the whole baked Normandy camembert served with lavosh that you can dip right into the cheese, like your very own cheese fondue. Holy cheesus. The Westin's High Cheese is priced at $70 per person and is available every day from 5pm. Guests can also add on a wine pairing which

One of Melbourne’s largest and most delicious markets is now running tasting tours. Preston Market has launched Saturday morning food tours that curates some of the tastiest products on offer at this northside food hall.  The 2.5-hour tour walks guests through the market, introducing them to traders who will talk them through what they have on offer and how best to use their products in their own kitchens.  As well as getting to try organic produce, fresh seafood, deli items and Preston Market’s winning paella, guests on the tour will also get to try more unusual foodie finds like crocodile meat (which we’re informed can be cooked easily on a sandwich press if you want to jazz up your sad office lunch).  The Flavourhood tours run roughly twice a month, are $20 per person and include a progressive breakfast, coffee, Preston Market eco bag and a $5 market voucher. Tours are limited to ten people per tour and you can book online to secure your place.

Drawing inspiration from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory showing at Her Majesty's Theatre, the Westin is bringing a dedicated dessert and cocktail bar to its lobby, named the Wonka Bar, until January 2020. Darren Purchese from Burch and Purchese has teamed up with the kitchen crew at the Westin to create some truly remarkable and over-the-top desserts. Expect the likes of the Black Forest (in dessert form) with an actual chocolate river surrounded by cherries, chocolate sponge, a crunchy biscuit base, chocolate twigs and chocolate mushrooms. Unlike Charlie, you'll be able to purchase your golden ticket in the form of a gold chocolate bar, dark chocolate mousse, smoked vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel cream. For those with an 18+ palate, four candy-inspired cocktails will be available to buy from the Wonka Bar, like the vodka-based Blueberry Gumball, with blue curacao, raspberry balsamic and an ice sphere, garnished with popping candy and Persian fairy floss; or the chocolate lover's Pure Imagination, made with chocolate liqueur and sauce, garnished with actual chocolate. 

[Sponsored] From September 21 to October 26 Hofbräuhaus Melbourne is throwing an authentic, Oktoberfest celebration right in the heart of the city. This is the 51st year of Hofbräuhaus in Melbourne and the venue is throwing a huge opening party on September 21 (the same day as in Munich) to celebrate. The party kicks off at lunchtime on September 21 with the crowning of the new duke or duchess of Hofbräuhaus who will have the esteemed honour of tapping the first keg.

Melbourne institution Bimbo (universally called Bimbo's) is celebrating LGBTQI pride each and every Sunday from 3pm.  Queer Deluxe is an all-inclusive day to relax, eat, drink, boogie and celebrate queer culture. There are performers, drag queens, DJs and drink specials, including $20 Bloody Mary, Spritz and Margarita cocktail jugs. Bimbo reopened after a devastating fire in May 2019 and has re-cemented its place in Melbourne's north for good times and great eats. And yes, of course, the pizza is still just $4.

One of the best ways to learn about Melbourne is on foot, with an experienced guide pointing out nooks and crannies you might otherwise miss and telling entertaining stories about Melbourne's colourful past. But walking and learning are thirsty work, no?  Enter Drinking History Tours, which will take you on a tour down laneways, up alleys and through hidden parts of Melbourne or Fitzroy to teach you about the city's hidden gems and secret histories. And most importantly, the tours include stops at three fantastic Melbourne bars along the way.  The Melbourne tour takes in Federation Square, the Forum, the MCG, AC/DC Lane, the Old Treasury Building, Chinatown and more. The tour stops at three bars en route, and there are snacks at the second bar and a full dinner at the third. You'll learn fascinating stories about Melbourne's seedy past, including tales of murder, brothels and a centuries-old unsolved mystery. The Fitzroy tour starts at St Patrick's Cathedral and includes the Royal Exhibition Building, the Spanish Club, Brunswick Street, Johnston Street and laneways in between. You'll learn about Fitzroy's seedier side, including the epic battle between Squizzy Taylor and his archrival, as well as fun facts about the suburb's art and music scene. It also stops at three bars along the way: an old Melbourne stalwart, a reinvented hipster hangout and one of Melbourne's best cocktail bars.  Founder Ben Oliver has worked as a guide for years, including five years running Melb