Things to do in Melbourne this weekend

Need a break from shopping till you drop? Until March you can pop into a free pop-up light experience room for a 90-second recharge. Day Dream was created by Phillip Bucknell and Jobe Williams and comprises a fairly small room with beanbags in each corner. Up to four people can enter the room at a time to experience the show. Take a seat on a beanbag, look up, and soon the show begins. Colours pulse and chase each other across the 20,000 lights embedded in the walls and ceiling, while a trance-like techno beat plays. There are four different variations – End of the Rainbow, Into the Wild, Deep Space and Summer Solstice – and the show changes as the season progresses.  The room is open from 11am-3pm, Tuesday through Saturday. It's free, but there might be a bit of a queue. 

Many children in Australia learnt their ABCs with a little help from Animalia. The elaborately illustrated picture book by Graeme Base takes readers on an alliterate, zoological journey through the alphabet, from aardvarks to zebras.  Now you can see the pages from Animalia brought to life in sand. Sand Sculpting Australia has taken inspiration from the beloved kids book and turned all 26 pages from the animal alphabet into massive sand sculptures.  This is the first time that Animalia has been recreated in sand, with 15 sand sculptors from around the world using more than 3,500 tonnes of sand to create the works. The sandy sculptures also feature an augmented reality component. Using an app, guests can discover hidden stories about each creature, by scanning the accompanying sign.  Animalia in Sand is on now until the end of April at Boneo Discovery Park on the Mornington Peninsula. In addition to the exhibition, the park also has pedal boats, adventure activities, workshops and ten hectares of wetlands and nature trails to explore.

Sustainability might have become a bit of a buzzword lately, but the National Sustainable Living Festival has been flying the flag for decades. The organisation has been around for more than 20 years, encouraging Australians to adopt more eco-conscious lifestyles.  The 2020 festival runs throughout the entire month of February and will feature sustainability experts from Australia and across the globe.  Expect lots of talks, workshops, films, and art and design events aimed at getting as many people as possible addressing the current climate emergency.  Queen Victoria Market will host some of Australia’s leading sustainability initiatives and entrepreneurs during the festival, including workshops on how to compost to a group of volunteers offering to repair your broken items. On Saturday February 15, the festival will feature a zero-waste art installation, where you can watch an artist create an art piece by recycling plastic waste. The installation will demonstrate how to avoid waste and tips for minimising your footprint.  Monash University’s ‘Recycling Integration Unit’ will also be on site on Wednesday, February 19, for onlookers to see waste being transformed into new objects in an effort to be sustainable with plastic.   The 'Our Waste: How Did We Get Here" panel discussion on February 27 will feature experts talking about our relationship with consumption and waste, while on February 8 you can join the First Nations Climate Justice walk in the Royal Botanic

We in Melbourne love our high tea. We've had all-cheese high tea, all-chocolate high tea, and even a monochromatic high tea. Now the Westin is bringing back its nautical twist on the concept with an all-seafood high tea. For 2020, the Westin is pairing up with Healesville gin brand Four Pillars for a gin-inspired menu. Savoury treats include oysters with Four Pillars Rare Dry gin and red snapper dressing, Port Phillip Bay scallops with Four Pillars orange and mustard glaze, Balmain bug sandwiches, yabby sesame toast, as well as Humpty Doo barramundi scotch eggs with lemon myrtle aioli. To top it all off there's even a gin botanicals ice cream sandwich for dessert.  Skip the sparkling wine and do as sailors do with a gin cocktail. There's the Wave Racer (Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, sour rhubarb, orange, bay leaf and fizz), the Downbound (Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin, fino, bergamot and finger lime) and a classic gin and tonic with Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water and orange.  It's $89 per person to take part in this special high tea. High Seas runs Monday to Sunday from 5.30pm at the Allegro Restaurant, and Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 4pm in the Lobby Lounge. The tide will roll out on March 31, so make sure you hit the deck before then. 

Every Sunday in summer the modern-Indian North Fitzroy diner Horn Please will be hosting an all-you-can-eat vegan dinner night from 6pm. Don't fear! It won't be a sad affair where there is a huge trough of dahl and mountains of stale bread. Instead, there will be a roster of six vegan curries, two snacks, rice and vegan naan for you to gorge yourself on. The menu will include dishes like a yellow dahl; potatoes and cauliflower curry; chana masala; red and black bean curry; eggplant curry; a roasted butternut squash curry; spinach fritters; and General Tso's cauliflower. The best news is that it will only set you back $20 a person, but don't forget to book, or you will definitely miss out.

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.

What does it take to save a species? Budding conservationists now have the chance to go behind-the-scenes with threatened species keepers at Werribee Open Range Zoo and witness first hand how they’re saving our Aussie animals from extinction. Werribee Zoo is ground zero for some of Australia’s most important conservation programs. It houses critically endangered species like the plains wanderer bird (there are less than 1,000 left in the wild), the orange-bellied parrot (less than 50 left in the wild), and the eastern barred bandicoot. On the hour-long tour, you’ll join the front line in the fight for wildlife, helping keepers identify birds from leg bands and documenting animal behaviours from video footage like a total pro. If you ever dreamed of being a zookeeper as a kid, this one’s for you.  The new tour is part of a growing trend in the animal industry that’s moving away from offering visitors direct contact with animals and instead focusing on the conservation and welfare of our much-adored Aussie critters.  The tour runs from 9.15am to 10.15am on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. It costs $50 per person or $45 for Zoo Members. 

From January 3, Fed Square’s Skyline Terrace is hosting the Summertime Social – an outdoor pop-up featuring a large communal lawn, bookable caravans and plenty of summer-appropriate food and drink.  On the rooftop lawn you can have fun with giant games (yes, there will be Jenga) or relax with live music on Sunday afternoons. For a more chilled out group outing, there will be decked out huts and luxe converted caravans to sprawl out in. The caravan booking even comes with food (like ploughman’s platters, pies and potato salad) included. Now to the important information – the drinks. Summertime Social has three cocktails on tap (Aperol Spritz, Passionfruit Caprioska and Miami Iced Tea) all of which are $6 between 4-6pm weekdays. On really hot days you can get around a frozen Margarita, Mango Daiquiri or simply order an Esky containing your choice or four cans of beer or wine. Kids are welcome too, with a dedicated children's menu, family picnic baskets and peanut butter and jelly ice cream sandwiches (those over 18 can also partake in boozy ice cream flavours). Additionally, on weekends, Summertime Social offers bottomless brunches. The square’s rooftop has been getting a work out lately. During winter 2019 it hosted the Winter Village pop-up featuring igloos, mulled wine and even snow. Summertime Social is being run by the same team behind the Winter Village (that is, behemoth hospo group Australian Venue Co) so you can expect a similar level of fun, sans snow. Summertime

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be like Alice and eat something to become huge, or drink something to become tiny? What would the world look like to a giant? What does it look like to a cat?  You can find out at Melbourne Museum's Mini Mega Model Museum, which plays with scale in more than 300 objects displayed in tiny and oversized galleries. There are model specimens to examine in the Zoomological Laboratory, hyper-realistic wax food in the life-sized cafeteria to play with and a fully furnished mini-mansion to pore over. The mini-mansion took more than 40 years to create, and museum visitors could spend hours appreciating every tiny detail.  Kids can learn about model making and try their hand during the Mini Mega Makers Workshop. And for some very large-scale critters, have a stroll through the museum's Dinosaur Walk. 

Brunswick bar Howler is turning its sights towards sunny Mexico for summer – and beyond.   Howler has relaunched its Fiesta de Tequila pop-up bar, serving a selection of specialty tequilas, cocktails and tacos every Friday to Sunday. This isn't the first time that Howler has hosted the tequila and taco pop-up bar but this year the team is aiming to make the bar a more permanent weekly fixture. Because, if we're honest, tequilas and tacos are an all-year fave. Between 5pm and 6pm Friday and Saturday evenings, Howler is serving $5 tacos (smoked brisket, black bean or achiote chicken) as well as honest-to-goodness $5 frozen Margaritas. Missed happy hour? You can still score the tacos for $6.50 until 9pm Friday and Saturday, and between 3pm and 7pm on Sundays.  Howler is also shaking up a mix of tequila cocktails ranging from hearty Paloma Mimosaa to Micheladas (a little like a Mexican Bloody Mary) and the dangerous sounding Jalepeño Margaritas.  The Fiesta de Tequila bar is open from 5pm to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 3pm to 7pm on Sundays.

[Sponsored] There’s just something about summer that makes seafood tastier. The folks at the Boatbuilders Yard definitely think so too, and are bringing back their summer crab shack for the season. From January 24 until March 1, head into the Boatbuilders Yard to check out Uncle Iggy’s Crab Shack and feast on authentic Southern-style crab boil. New to crab boils? Here’s the low down. Crab boils are social events where people come together to eat a large (and often communal) serving of boiled crabs and other seafood. The term also refers to the spice mix (often containing cayenne pepper, hot sauce and garlic) used to flavour the water the crabs are boiled in. The seafood feasts are popular in America’s south and you better believe the Boatbuilders Yard is dead set on recreating the experience here in Melbourne.  Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Boatbuilders Yard will be serving up plates of the spicy boiled seafood starting at $24 a person. Expect to chow down on crab (of course) as well as prawns, mussels and oysters, plus plenty of traditional sides. You’ll be wanting something icy cold to wash that down with, of course, so Boatbuilders will be wheeling out a list of summer-appropriate drinks and cocktails. The specially created drinks menu includes Creole Bloody Marys, boozy Pink Lemonade, Long Island Iced Tea and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer for that extra kick of Americana. For die-hard seafood lovers, we suggest booking into one of the Boatbuilders Yard’s Crab Shack Super Session

What could be a better summertime activity than taking a 30-minute flight in Melbourne Star’s cool, temperature-controlled cabin? This summer, Melbourne Star’s cabins will become pop-up summer beach boxes featuring pool toys, refreshments and a blissfully cool 21-degree temperature controlled space 120 meters above Melbourne. During this flight, you'll also enjoy 360-degree views of the port, towards Melbourne CBD and all the way out to the shores of Mornington Peninsula. By nighttime, you can enjoy a spectacular sunset with views of the city along with audio commentary playing in the background, revealing the hidden stories and history of the viewable landmarks. Summer Beach Box bookings also include a cheese platter and a complimentary drink for each guest. The Summer Beach Box experience is available daily from 11.30am to 8.30pm, until February 29, 2020. Bookings must be made five days in advance The flight starts at $29 per person for a group of eight or $200 for an intimate two-person flight.

When is the last time you really considered your gut health? Or thanked the tiny microbes that live your intestinal track and digest your food, boost your immunity and keep you healthy? Scientists are learning more every day about the fascinating community of microbes that live inside each and every one of us. There are more microbes inside the human body than there are stars in the Milky Way, and they weigh up to 2kg.  Melbourne Museum's Gut Feelings exhibition will change your mind about the tiny creatures (yes, they're alive!) that you share your body with. The interactive exhibition is a multi-sensory experience, with things to touch, hear and see.

What do zoo animals get up to when all the daytime visitors have headed back to their cars? Quite a lot, it turns out, with many African animals most active at dusk. That makes Werribee Open Range Zoo's Sunset Safari the perfect time to see giraffes, rhinoceroses, elands, zebras, scimitar-horned oryxes, hippopotamuses and other incredible African animals.  Visitors pile onto the safari buses and travel out to the 45-hectare open savannah section of the zoo. Sunset is the best time to see the magnificent creatures who live here, and safari guests will get to see all kinds of cool African wildlife at their most active. 

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. There's also a Whisky Bars and Gin Joints tour where guests explore three whisky or gin

While you won’t find the most famed greasy-haired potions masters or boy wizard at this creative drinking experience, you will have a lot of fun at the Wizard's Cauldron if you’re keen on the occult. Channel the powers of your coven idol, from Sabrina to Hermione and any of the kids from Wizards of Waverly Place, and brew devilish concoctions in your cauldron. Like any brave young witch or wizard, you’ll have to master the dark arts to unlock the secrets to perfecting your brew. Wand and robe will be supplied upon entry at the Wizard's Cauldron, and your golden ticket also covers the cost of a warming glass of mead or mulled wine plus two boozy magical potions created with the help of your potion master. The 90-minute potion-making experience is happening at Polly's Bar in Fitzroy. Sessions are available Wednesday to Sunday.

Melbourne’s Adelphi Hotel is collaborating with the Campari Group to bring weekend session celebrating 100 years of Aperol, meaning you can spend your summer arvos splayed on the hotel’s rooftop pool deck, Italian-style.  Sip your way through the heat with classic aperitivo offerings like Campari and soda, Prosecco, Peroni and of course Aperol Spritzes galore, in addition to a range of non-alcoholic options. It’s only natural that this Aperol celebration also features food. There is a seasonal snack menu from Adelphi’s signature menu available, as well as Om Nom Kitchen’s halloumi fries with chilli and lime crema.  Adelphi’s Weekend Summer Sessions run from Saturday, December 7 to Sunday, March 1. The bar is open from 12.30pm to 6pm, with happy hour running from  12.30pm to 1.30pm.

What is a neo-bistro exactly? We're not quite sure, but according to Rob Kabboord, who until recently was chef de cuisine at Quay, it's a comfortable bistro with a sharper, sassier offering than its classic counterparts. Kabboord is spending his summer back in Melbourne at the Windsor Hotel's event space at 1 Bourke Street with Lekker, an Aussie-Dutch bistro offering a selection of snacks and a moderately priced tasting menu (6 courses for $85) at a seasonal residency. Expect dishes like smoked salmon cigars; a kingfish roulade with wakame, frisee and tarragon; a modern interpretation of snert (a Dutch split pea soup) with pork trotter, neck, belly and peas; a Black Forest cake; and even a return of Melbourne's most mourned cheese trolley – a callback to Kabboord's famed cheese selection at Merricote (RIP). To match the playful food is a smart and concise drinks list featuring aperitifs, local craft beers, sake and a well-priced, balanced wine offering will be available throughout the season.  Bookings are encouraged, but walk-ins will be welcome.

When there’s nothing left to do but dance, boogie on over to the Immigration Museum where a season of dance-inspired events are transforming its galleries and courtyard for the summer. You’ll discover diverse participatory dance experiences, parties, residencies and performances for dancers of all persuasions. Amongst the exhibition program, Amrita Hepi’s residency in the Long Room kicks off with Dance Reel (until 29 February), a large-scale projection of moving images of contemporary dance projected across 19th-century walls and columns.  On Friday, February 14, you can feel the love with Latin Valentine, a night of dancing, music and much more inspired by the Mexican tradition El Día del Amor y la Amistad (the Day of Love and Friendship). 

Thanks to the fine folk of the JKLP Group who has brought us Jackalope Hotel and the Rain Room (which has been extended for another season), Sydney's insta-famous Black Star Pastry is popping up underneath the Rain Room from November 25 until Easter. This means you can grab a slice of Sydney's famous watermelon cake and eat it, too. For the uninitiated, the watermelon cake is a gluten-free layered cake made with almond dacquoise, rose-scented cream and watermelon, topped with strawberries, pistachios and dried rose petals. It's caused Sydney to line up for it and queue around the block, but luckily, we'll be able to preorder our slices for an express pick-up.  It's not just the watermelon cake that will be available, Black Star will be bringing us its raspberry-lychee cake (raspberry marshmallow and vanilla cream built on a rich, chocolate biscuit base), pistachio-lemon zen cake (pistachio ganache, white chocolate mousse, lemon curd and pistachio dacquoise) which is also gluten-free, and when it is Easter, its hot cross buns. Gearing up for a special occasion? Pre-orders vary in sizes and go up to four-tier wedding cakes. Are you picking up what we're putting down? Coffee from St Ali will also be available for those who want the full coffee-and-cake experience.

[Sponsored] The spirit of New York’s underground downtown art scene during the 1980s is flowing through the National Gallery of Victoria on Friday nights. With a little help from Bombay Sapphire, the latest NGV Friday Nights series is inspired by the gallery’s summer blockbuster exhibition, which celebrates the work of two of the most influential artists of the late 20th century, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.  Every Friday night from December 6 to April 10, DJs are spotlighting different moments in ’80s music from disco to post-punk, hip hop and new wave, mixed in with drag performances, New York City street food, classic cocktails from the Bombay Sapphire Gin Bar, and an '80s dance floor in the NGV Garden to wrap up each night. Explore the Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines exhibition after dark and lean into the fascinating corners of 1980s music and pop culture with curated beats, talks and interactive activities.  The December 13 event, New York Jazz and the Golden Age, features a jazz-infused DJ set from Loure, a set spotlighting the golden age of hip hop by DJ/producer Paul Gorrie and an exhibition talk by NGV curatorial project officer Meg Slater. On January 3, the gallery delves into Paris is Burning-era ballroom culture with Sass & the Ballroom. Danny Hotep will lay down a banging soundtrack of pure '80s sass followed by Melbourne DJ MzRizk piling on the funk, with a talk on art from the margins by Dr Quinn Eades from La Trobe University. In March a

Things are warming up in Melbourne, summer is soon upon us and MPavilion will once again be taking up residence at the centre of the Southbank Arts Precinct. With a focus on Australian design, the pop-up modern-day amphitheatre is home to over 400 free cultural events and interventions, lively talks, performances, workshops, installations and kid-friendly experiences. DJs and live music sets take over the pavilion every Friday night from November 15 for Summer Sunsets featuring Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS), DJ Sara Savage and more.  The Archibald Weekend, over November 30 and December 1, invites guest speakers including Art Gallery of NSW director Michael Brand, artist Lindy Lee and 2019 Archibald Prize winner Tony Costa and includes hands-on arts workshops.  Co-curated by Transitions Film Festival, Climate Emergency Cinema is an outdoor, bicycle-powered program of short films and award-winning feature documentaries celebrating grassroots action around climate change over three evenings – January 14, 21 and 28.  Canine fanatics can join Dog Walking Adventures. On the third Sunday of every month from November to March the team behind Tom + Captain Dog Walking Adventures embark on meanderings through the city with and a bunch of good boys and girls. BYO pup or just join the pack.  This is just a taste of the diverse program, which also includes Sound Bath Sessions, nature-based creative kids workshops with artist and next-gen crafter Beci Orpin, Indigenous arch

If you’ve visited the cellar door or restaurant at Terindah Estate, you’ll be well acquainted with its exquisite views of Port Phillip Bay. Now you can experience those soul-soothing waterfront views in a whole new light – literally – with the vineyard opening up one of its back paddocks for glamping. Barely five minutes' walk from the carpark are 15 canvas bell tents bookable every night of the week from the first of November until early May. The tents embrace the aesthetic of glamping – inside it’s all comfy soft furnishings, jute rugs and macramé ornaments.

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.

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.