57 things to do in Melbourne this weekend

For many people, their dogs are their children. Unlike normal children, however, they never stop being cute, rack up huge phone bills or get tired of your hugs. They also never go to school – but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a daggy-cool school photo taken. Dog Photog, a specialty dog photography studio, is hosting a school photo day for very good boys and girls this January. Bring your canine along and they’ll get their portrait expertly taken against the classic blue marble background from your school days. 

Midsumma Festival, one of Melbourne’s most loved celebrations of LGBTQIA+ communities, is coming back in 2023, bringing an electric program of over 200 events exploring queer culture and amplifying marginalised voices through visual arts, theatre, film, cabaret and more. From January 21 to February 12, all sorts of Festival Hubs across Melbourne will come alive with performances and events for all interests and ages. The Victorian Pride Centre is a new venue addition for 2023, as is the launch of A Safe(R) Space, an artistic journey into the intersectionality of queer communities featuring 21 works from artists exploring the changing meaning of safe spaces.

Disney's famous magical nanny is packing her bottomless bag and hitching a ride on a flying umbrella all the way down to Melbourne for a mainstage musical production of Disney Theatrical’s Mary Poppins. Take a spoonful of sugar and get your singing voice ready to belt along with classic songs like the tongue twisting ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and put out your tuppence a bag for ‘Feed the Birds’. This rave-reviewed Tony and Olivier Award-winning show (which Time Out Sydney gave a whopping 5 stars) flies onto the stage at Her Majesty's Theatre from January 29, 2023. 

Are you scared of the idea of being trapped inside your body? Hearing people around you making decisions, talking about you, without being able to respond? Well this may (or may not) be your next opportunity to confront your fears.

Ever thought about what it would be like to be a ghost? Floating around, haunting a hotel ravaged by fire? Eulogy is the latest immersive sound experience from Melbourne company Realscape Productions, the team behind the brilliantly scary Séance, which has had two successful runs in Melbourne. That experience was legitimately terrifying, conjuring up nefarious spirits inside a shipping container using nothing but cutting edge 3D sound design and some lowkey seat vibrations. 

You know the drill: check your boarding pass, find your assigned seat, stow your baggage in the overhead bin and fasten your seatbelt. Make sure your tray table is in the upright position, and make sure your window blind is open for takeoff. On a monitor in front of you, a flight attendant in a blue uniform details the safety features of this aircraft. She explains that you should take a minute to find your nearest exit, bearing in mind it might be behind you. As she adjusts her pink scarf, she... wait a minute, wasn't her uniform blue? The screen flickers and she's back to blue, and you wonder if you imagined the pink. And then the lights go out. 

Séance is an immersive sound experience created by Brits Glen Neath and David Rosenberg, in collaboration with Melbourne team Realscape Productions. It relies on psychology and our inclination towards superstition to alter guests’ perception of reality, all while never leaving the shipping container. 

Calling all tahini, pomegranate molasses, za'tar and harissa lovers: Yotam Ottolenghi is coming to town. The renowned chef, restaurateur and author is making his way to Melbourne on January 29, 2023 for his Flavour of Life Tour. 

Just an hour’s drive from Melbourne, Festival 23 returns with three days and nights of electronic music, creative experimentation and nature-based adventure. The intimate, community-built and inclusive festival will be held on the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People. Running from January 27-29, spend the days and nights revelling against the backdrop of the Macedon Ranges' undulating views and swimming in the freshwater dam or infinity pool.

Calling all green thumbs: Creative Harvest, West Gippsland's beloved open food garden weekend, is back from January 28-29. This time, it'll feature 15 private food-producing gardens ranging from small suburban backyards to large family farms, as well as 30 artists and creatives across a variety of crafts. 

On Sunday, January 29, Barty and tennis greats Casey Dellacqua, Jim Courier and Alicia Molik will play a doubles match on a custom-made court in front of Myer's flagship Melbourne store. The event is sponsored by Myer and Mastercard, and after the foursome battles it out, Myer ambassador Kris Smith will see how he fares against these legends. 

Nicholas Buc will conduct the Oscar-winning score at the Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets will start at $69 and they are bound to disappear faster than the Millennium Falcon can do the Kessel Run (that's just over 12 parsecs). If you're a fan, you need no further convincing. If you've never seen Star Wars, then this is one hell of a way to start. And if you've never been to an orchestral concert before then congratulations: you're about to take your first step into a larger world.

Every year, thousands head to Melbourne Park to watch the superstars of tennis battle it out in the fierce summer heat. Despite the heatwaves that occur regularly during the event (temperatures of 35 degrees or higher are common) the Australian Open continues to attract the world's best tennis players and their fans to the southern hemisphere's only Grand Slam tournament.

Following its Australian premiere at Sydney's Darlinghurst Theatre Company in autumn 2021, and a postponed season in 2022, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner is finally winging its way to Melbourne in summer 2023. And with rave reviews (including a phenomenal five-star rating by Time Out Sydney), you bet we're excited.

If you haven't heard of Among Us, it's quite possible that you've been living under a rock, so let's get you up to speed. Released in 2018, the online space-themed game has players working as astronauts; most players are crewmates, but a few are imposters tasked with slyly killing crewmates and bluffing their way to being the last ones standing. It's an addictive game of social deduction, and now a real-life version called Saboteurs has made its way to Melbourne. 

Werribee Open Range Zoo is bringing back its Sunset Safari for a fifth season, inviting visitors to embark on an immersive safari adventure at dusk when wild animals tend to be most active.  Every Saturday from January 13 until February 25, visitors can hop onto a bus at the zoo and watch as the sun sets and illuminates the open range. You'll get to witness majestic animals like giraffes, rhinoceroses, ostriches and lions and learn from zoo guides about efforts to protect them from endangerment and extinction.

Want to watch the tennis outside but don't want to shell out for a ground pass? A pop-up bar along the banks of the river could be the perfect place to catch the action, drink in hand. The Canadian Club Racquet Club pop-up runs parallel to the Australian Open, so head down to the bar to watch match highlights between DJ sets from some of the most talked-about names in the business. 

Live music and summertime go hand-in-hand just like a refreshing beer and sunset. In the wise words of Taylor Swift, the good people from the District know this all too well, as District Live is once again returning to the area this summer, and we’re pretty excited about the line-up.

With lockdowns squarely in the rearview mirror, 2022 became the year that life finally returned to the city. In the spirit of this grand urban renaissance, Fed Square hosted a series of free blockbuster gigs that proved so darn popular, 2023 is now set to score its own line-up of open-air live shows to keep the party going.

To celebrate the state’s incredible produce and the warm sunny weather, Victoria is teaming up with local gin gods Four Pillars to bring you an elevated Sunday escapade on the terrace. Think endless Four Pillars cocktails, wine and beer paired with a seven-course seasonal menu curated by executive chef Alejandro Saravia. Sounds like a dream to us. Kicking off on Sunday, January 15, the Sunday Summer Sessions will run weekly for 12 weeks with two sittings: 11.30am and 2.30pm (note, the sessions will not run on January 29 and February 5, 2023 due to private bookings). 

Catherine Martin's costumes from Baz Luhrmann's acclaimed movie Elvis have arrived at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, joining the exhibition Australians and Hollywood as a major drawcard.

The Moonlight Cinema has once again taken over the Botanic Gardens this summer, with a stellar line-up of blockbuster hits and cult classics for keen filmgoers to watch under the stars with a choc top in hand. The season kicked off on December 1, and will run until March 26, 2023.

Kick some serious putt at Pixar Putt, a pop-up mini golf experience that’s back in Melbourne this December. The experience is inspired by some of Disney Pixar’s most famous films, with 18 different holes drawing on classics like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille, Monsters Inc and Wall-E. 

One of Melbourne’s favourite evening activities, NGV Friday Nights, is back for another season this summer, bringing with it a smoking line-up of musical acts, food, drinks and groundbreaking art. The 18-week season will run every Friday night from December 16, 2022 to April 14, 2023, and feature some of Melbourne’s most boundary-pushing artists across the disco, glam rock, jazz and soul genres. Three-time Grammy Award nominee and neo-soul superstar Nai Palm will headline on opening night, with Electric Fields, Kee’ahn, Banoffee and Billy Davis also on the program. See the full line-up on the NGV's website. 

If you haven’t heard already, the sequel to the global blockbuster Avatar is now out in cinemas, which is Pretty Huge News seeing as though the OG came out 13 years ago. Gasp! James Cameron’s Avatar remains the highest-grossing film of all time (and IMAX Melbourne’s most successful release), so it’s safe to say the stakes are pretty high for the second instalment. What’s Jake Sully and co been up to? What’s changed in the world of Pandora? Will we be able to rock the 3D glasses like it’s 2009? So many questions! So little time.

Celebrate Indigenous artists and filmmakers as they invite you to imagine a future unbound by representations that seek to curb and control. Spanning moving images, installations, documentaries, photography and video games, How I See It will amplify new visions from eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives at this latest exhibition from ACMI.

We cannot tell you how many times we've discussed what a good idea it would be to put a zipline across the Yarra River. Clearly, we're not the only ones to have thought so because last December, Firefly Zipline took the initiative and tickets sold out almost immediately. 

Have you ever seen a series of chairs based on manga-style comic books? A brightly-lit conveyor belt and a computerised scanner to place your objects on? Or even a rock made from hundreds of microphones? Well, look no further than the NGV’s all-encompassing exhibition Freedom of Movement: Contemporary Art and Design from the NGV Collection. 

Melbourne’s favourite outdoor theatre company is returning to the Royal Botanic Gardens with a pop-rock adaption of a classic Shakespearean comedy. The Australian Shakespeare Company’s Much Ado About Nothing will run from December 17 until February 4, 2023, and is guaranteed to deliver some trusty sitcom laughs, bangin' tunes and a whole lotta love. 

A retrospective solo exhibition covering 50 years of Peter Tyndall’s iconic career is set to open in Melbourne, starting December 9. The exhibition will be the most comprehensive to date, featuring more than 200 works, including over 130 unstretched paintings.

An exhibition of one of the world's most influential and innovative fashion designers lands in Melbourne this summer. Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse invites visitors to enter the conceptual, encyclopaedic and creative mind of this boundary-pushing fashion designer through more than 100 clothing pieces accompanied by more than 70 historical artworks. 

Set in the pastoral oasis that is the Collingwood Children's Farm and open the second Saturday of each month, this gourmand's paradise offers a fleeting taste of country life in the heart of Abbotsford. The Collingwood Children's Farmers' Market was dates back to 2002 and was actually the first farmers' market to hit the inner suburbs of Melbourne. 

Head to Scienceworks for a brand new exhibition focusing on the science of light. Kids and adults alike will love this exploration of light and colour, featuring interactive exhibits, neon displays, and even an invisible laser sensor chamber.

A little south of Melton and just 40 minutes from the Melbourne CBD is the vibrant 3,000-person community of Eynesbury where you’ll soon be able to attend a range of free events to see you right through the silly season and summer. 

It’s not often you get the chance to marvel at an entire collection of rare, natural diamonds, but the Melbourne Museum is here to make all your shimmering dreams come true. Museums Victoria has partnered with New York jeweller LJ West Diamonds – which also happens to be one the largest collectors of natural colour diamonds in the world – to showcase more than 100 rare gemstones from the Australian Kimberley Region at the Pink Diamonds Exhibition.

Beating About The Bush is a new exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat that combines the best of traditional Australian Impressionism with works from contemporary Australian female photographers. Since early colonisation, the Australian ‘bush’ as a subject has largely been portrayed in art and literature by men. This exhibition juxtaposes these traditional portrayals against a series of contrasting styles and feminist perspectives to challenge the rigid male-gaze that has endured for so long.

As a first for Australia, the Heide Museum of Modern Art are set to showcase over forty artworks by acclaimed British artist Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE within its main gallery. The exhibition, Barbara Hepworth: In Equilibrium, is a rare opportunity for Australian audiences to see the sheer genius of one of the world’s greatest sculptors – up close and personal. 

Following a successful season of Patricia Piccinini's hyperrealist installation, 'A Miracle Constantly Repeated', it is uber popular street artist Rone who will be the second artist in residence in the enigmatic ballroom space above Flinders Street Station. His new, immersive installation, 'Time', will be spread across 11 themed rooms, all featuring Rone's distinctive female figures flanked by vintage-style objects by interior set decorator Carly Spooner and a building team led by Callum Preston. Composer Nick Batterham joins with a haunting soundscape to accompany.

We've spoken about ghosts at the Arts Centre Melbourne before, and the lights left on to keep them company. But now the greatest phantom of them all is set to haunt the performance hall. Opera Australia, in association with the Really Useful Group, are striking up the discordant organ to announce, with a caped flourish, the arrival of arguably Andrew Lloyd Webber's most famous musical.

A bold, thought-provoking exhibition has landed at the University of Melbourne, featuring three newly commissioned works by contemporary artists Andy Butler, Lisa Hilli and James Nguyen.

This tour of Victoria’s most history-steeped seaport will take you through abandoned morgues and forgotten burial grounds, as well as streets once frequented by convicts and drunken sailors. These days though, these alleys are home to far more apparitions. Book via Lantern Ghost Tours.

Naadohbii: To Draw Water has arrived at the Melbourne Museum. A trinational exhibition curated in partnership with New Zealand’s Pātaka Art and Museum, and Canada’s Winnipeg Art Gallery, it exhibits over 20 pieces of art from First Peoples artists from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. 

Get ready to explore themes of spirituality and contemplation, power and prestige, compassion, auspicious symbols, belief and obsession, mythology and the importance of the natural environment when China: The Past is Present opens at the NGV on October 15.

A carefully considered connoisseur’s cumulation of sterling silver ranging from the late 16th century to the mid-19th century, the exhibition features work by silversmiths William Cawdell, Matthew Boulton, Paul Storr, Hester Bateman, Ann Bateman, Susannah Barker and more.

What could possibly improve on the grandeur of the Harry Potter film series? Seeing it on a huge screen with the magnificent Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performing the score live. The Harry Potter Film Concert Series is a global concert tour celebrating the boy wizard films all over the world, and it kicked off in Melbourne in 2017. Over the last few years, Melburnians have gotten to hear the awe-inspiring scores from films one through six, and now it's finally time for the series to draw to a close with the last two films of the Harry Potter series. 

Following its winter hibernation, Melbourne's OG floating bar and restaurant is returning for its seventh season on the Yarra. Last year, Arbory Afloat was decked out in the style of the picturesque Turquoise Coast in Turkey — and this year, it's returning as a sun-drenched take on the Balearic Islands. 

Before Hozier Lane had the tourist pull it does now, over 20 years ago the legendary street artist, Invader, created a Space Invaders styled mosaic in secret location in Melbourne. Now, after saving the work from being destroyed in the Arts Centre’s 2018 renovations, the iconic piece is the standout of City Gallery’s latest exhibition, Off the Grid.

It's been an incredible year for Lego fans, with a new Lego Certified Store popping up in Melbourne Central and Ryan 'the Brickman' McNaught's The Bricktionary hitting shelves. All good things come in threes, so from September 3, Melbourne Museum will host an exhibition inspired by McNaught's new book filled with creative builds and insider tips. 

Supported by the City of Melbourne, Flash Forward is Melbourne’s most ambitious street art project, with over 40 large-scale works commissioned and set to hit the laneways of Melbourne. Among the program are familiar names like Celeste Mountjoy (filthyratbag), Jarra Karralinar Steel, Olana Janfa, Aretha Brown, DREZ, and Ling, with more lighting, music and creative installations in the works. 

In a quiet gallery of the State Library of Victoria sits a fascinating new exhibition that investigates the historical importance of crafted and handmade items – from mapping the stars in a way no one has ever seen before, to the undergarment makers who sent their wares to the stars, and First Nations artists who craft their contemporary artworks with a close connection to traditional methods.

Saw, arguably, is the original escape game. Heck, the film franchise’s Jigsaw Killer even infamously says “I want to play a game”. So it makes perfect sense that Rush Escape Game drew inspiration from the classic horror film to create an escape room for its second venue. Hacksaw is the first escape room built at Rush Escape Game’s second venue in Hawthorn (the original Rush is still open for business in South Yarra). As with the movie it’s inspired by, you’ll start Hacksaw chained up and will have to solve some very creative riddles if you want to escape alive (don’t worry, for legal reasons all guests do escape alive). 

Calling all wannabe detectives and fans of The Amazing Race – this one is definitely for you. To celebrate the launch of Experios’ newest online escape room, Mayday, an exciting outdoor manhunt is coming to the Melbourne CBD. The Hunt: Mayday Edition is a free event that will take place on May 1. The aim of the game is to track down one of three themed characters that appear in the virtual escape room. They will be hidden around the city and surrounding inner suburbs, and you’ll need to rely on all your super-sleuth skills to find them.

Aussie bowling alley and all-around funhouse Strike has released its newest collab – a project to turn humble bowling balls and shoes into a thing of art. From Tuesday, February 21, players can get their hands on specially designed attire by Australian artist Steen Jones. Because, as the saying goes: 'Look good, play better'.

Known for reinventing classic forms of entertainment, Strike Bowling wanted to elevate the usual alley experience and inject some style into the classic red, black and white colour palette. "It’s turned out to be such a cool (and bad-ass) collection," says artist Steen Jones. "Truth be told, I don't think I've ever had so much interest, hype or excitement for a collaboration, which is another reason why this project has been so great to be a part of"

Steen's artistic style is recognisable from previous projects with Vans, Lego, Sailor Jerry, Rolling Stone and Converse, just to name a few. For $25, players can opt to upgrade to the High Rollers pack, which includes a custom design bowling ball, bowling shoes and High Rollers socks to keep. You also score a free stein of Furphy, express check-in and a High Rollers sticker pack.

The High Rollers upgrade is available from February 21, ongoing – for players aged 18+ only. For more information or to book a lane, click here. 

High Rollers is available all week at Stike QV, Melbourne Central and Eastland.

Once you've reached adulthood, you realise that you really took for granted those good old days of childhood birthday parties filled with arcade games, putt-putt and stuffing your face with pizza until you feel sick. Well, we're here to tell you that those days don't have to be behind you: the Funderdome has arrived at Highpoint, and it's 2,000-square-metres of maximum fun for all ages. Put your putt-putt skills to the test on the two-level, 18-hole mini-golf course or head to the old school arcade and grab a joystick, pretend it's 1985 and play classic games like Space Invaders and Pacman.

Every year, thousands head to Melbourne Park to watch the superstars of tennis battle it out in the fierce summer heat. Despite the heatwaves that occur regularly during the event (temperatures of 35 degrees or higher are common) the Australian Open continues to attract the world's best tennis players and their fans to the southern hemisphere's only Grand Slam tournament.

The 2023 tournament begins on Monday, Monday 16. Day and night sessions are available, and adult tickets start at $59. Best to book your tickets sooner rather than later. You can click the 'buy ticket' button above to get yours and learn more about session options at the website.

Looking for more things to do? Check out our guide to the best things happening in Melbourne this week.

Time Out's 100 Days of Summer calendar is here to help you plan your entire summer in Melbourne.