Things to do in Melbourne today

Get ready to dive into the hottest season of the year at Le Splash – the swanky, Euro-inspired pool bar at Le Méridien Melbourne. Formerly only open to the five-star hotel's guests, for the second year running Le Splash will welcome the public onto its stunning rooftop for a swim this summer.  With a 28-degree heated pool, sun-soaked lounge deck and 360-degree views of the prettiest corner of the CBD, Le Méridien offers a perfectly elevated swimming experience that'll have you feeling like you've been transported to a swish hotel on the Côte d'Azur.  The Le Splash Pool Passes are available from Monday to Thursday all summer long, and you'll be able to choose between either a morning or sunset pass, with both options giving you hours of swimming, sunning and lounging time. They cost $85 per person.  The morning sesh is for early birds who like a slower start. Open from 8am to noon, you get full pool access, a free scoop of Le Méridien's famous gelato and a beverage of your choosing. The sunset pass is for those who like the idea of swimming above the city from 6pm to 9pm. The soundtrack will become more vibey, rosé and Champagne will be poured and golden hour pics will be a focal point. Also included is a complimentary gelato scoop and drink.  But that's not all! On Friday and Saturday nights, you can get involved in a bougie sunset dinner and drinks at the Le Splash rooftop bar. The service runs from 5-9pm, and includes the option to dine on a...

When it comes to ice cream, are you a classic chocolate-and-vanilla type of person, or are you game for more experimental flavours? (Hello, caramelised fig blue cheese mascarpone – yes, really!) Whatever you fancy, the annual Ice Cream Festival has something tasty for you.  The famous Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery, along with its sister venues on the Great Ocean Road and the Mornington Peninsula, are hosting the annual scoop-a-thon from February 11-22. And in news that is sure to have you salivating, 10 new flavours will be dropping every four days – so you're gonna want to go back for seconds (and maybe even thirds). The line-up of flavours is set to include coconut limoncello margarita, pistachio tiramisu and matcha blueberry. Yum! There will also be old-school choc tops, gluten-free, vegan and no added sugar serve options available, so no one misses out on the fun. And that's not all... true ice cream aficionados can partake in a 45-minute tasting session, during which you'll sample the one-off flavours and make very own ice cream chocolate sauce. Bookings for these workshops are essential, and cost $28. There will also be a DIY scoop lab and if you enter the Guess the Flavour competition, you'll be in the running to win 12 of your favourite flavours to enjoy in take home tubs – yes please! Entry to the festival is free, with mega scoops starting from $6.75. For more information, head to the website. Craving more icy treats? These are the best ice cream and...

Fresh from a record-breaking New York season that turned the Park Avenue Armory into a 30,000-square-foot fantasy universe, this joy-fuelled, art-meets-play exhibition has arrived in Melbourne.Popping up at the MCEC at Melbourne’s South Wharf, Balloon Story is a fully immersive journey through time and imagination, where every room is built at cinematic scale using hundreds of thousands of biodegradable balloons. You’ll wander from prehistoric jungles and dinosaur-filled landscapes to ancient civilisations, underwater worlds and cosmic cities, all sculpted entirely from air and colour. For the Australian season, expect all-new local content too, with balloon-built tributes to some of our most iconic buildings, places and stories. Hailed overseas as “the most joyful exhibition of the year”, Balloon Story is designed to delight. It’s hugely photogenic and clearly engineered by people who take balloons very, very seriously (we’re talking an international team of creative directors, balloon engineers and immersive design pros). Keen? The team suggests that visitors allow around 60 to 90 minutes to explore the whole experience – though don’t be surprised if the kids hang around for longer trying to get the perfect shot. With no age restrictions and free entry for kids under three, it’s an easy win for families and friends tasked with looking after the little ones for a day.The exhibition is open from 9am to 8pm, Monday through Sunday, with adult tickets from  $44.90, and kids...

Hey Melbourne, the Mormons are back! After wowing audiences in Sydney with plenty of "did they really just say that?” humour, The Book of Mormon is heading to the Princess Theatre from February 6. This somewhat unconventional musical comedy cleaned up at the Tony Awards after it debuted on Broadway in 2011, going on to break box office records and garner near-unanimous critical acclaim when it opened on London’s West End. When tickets for the show’s Australian debut in Melbourne were released in 2015 – nearly a year in advance of opening night – the Princess Theatre recorded its highest pre-sale period of any production in its 159-year history, also going on to win the Helpmann Award for Best Musical. For the uninitiated, The Book of Mormon follows two inept Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City on their journey to save mortal souls in a corner of Uganda ruled by a one-eyed warlord. It’s the brainchild of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone – hence, you can expect a lot of explicit language – along with Avenue Q and Frozen co-creator Robert Lopez.  So what’s the secret of the show’s success? As Time Out London’s Theatre and Dance Editor Andrzej Lukowski wrote, Mormon was always going to be a hit, but what made it into the Mormania phenomenon is the fact that non-South Park fans love it too. The songs are excellent. Filthy, witty and outrageous, but also sumptuous and note-perfect, they nod to the golden age of the American musical.  As for how the show has...

It's officially that time of year again when the Moonlight Cinema returns to Melbourne for the summer. There's just something special about snuggling into a bean bag and catching a film under the stars in the Royal Botanic Gardens – with an ice cream or a wine in hand, of course.  Australia's favourite outdoor cinema has dropped its summer screening schedule, with tons of  blockbusters, nostalgic favourites and comedies on the program. February and March highlights include new releases like Wuthering Heights, Hamnet, Marty Supreme and a special screening of Charli xcx’s mockumentary The Moment. Those looking to splurge can opt for Singapore Airlines' Gold Grass that comes with prime viewing, express entry and food and drinks delivered to your seat. Anothere cool option is the Connoisseur Lounge ticket that includes a bean bed plus a yum Connoisseur ice cream. And did you know the Moonlight Cinema is pooch friendly? For the first time ever you'll also be able to order a doggie bag meal from the food menu thanks to Lyka. Doggy date night, anyone? Screenings kick off at sundown, so bring your picnic rug, your snacks and your friends. Tickets are now available via the website. Want more fun in the sun? Here are the best things to do in Melbourne this December.

From Cleopatra and Mark Antony's empire-toppling romance to Romeo and Juliet's family-defying affair, love has often been an act of rebellion. Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations takes matters of the heart seriously in this sweeping, immersive new exhibition at the State Library, drawing on its extraordinary archives to trace how people have dared to love across centuries of Australian history. The exhibition runs for almost a year and brings together handwritten letters, private diaries, rare manuscripts and deeply personal objects to weave a tapestry of passion, heartbreak and devotion. You’ll encounter Victorian-era same-sex couples living together against the odds, a mid-century interracial marriage that challenged the White Australia policy, and the prison romance between bushrangers Captain Moonlight and James Nesbitt. Fragile keepsakes are also featured in the show, including a haunting 1853 mourning brooch woven from lovers’ hair, alongside letters that read like a late-night confessional. What makes Rebel Heart especially distinctive is how it bridges the past with the present. Historical stories are amplified by newly commissioned music from Australian artists Angie McMahon, Mindy Meng Wang, Mo’Ju and Amos Roach, each responding to real love stories held in the library’s collection.  The exhibition also explores how rebellion and romance play out today – from DMs and fandoms to fan fiction and even AI relationships. It’s set to be a smart,...

For the 19th time, the Melbourne Art Fair is returning as a major fixture on the calendars of arty folks around the country. The fair describes itself as a progressive event showcasing boundary-pushing contemporary art, with a focus on underrepresented artists and women-led curation.   More than 100 interdisciplinary artists will come together at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), across four busy days from February 19-22. In 2026, the fair will feature works from more than 50 leading galleries and Indigenous-owned art centres.  Alongside more conventional artworks, you’ll also find large-scale installations and sculptures, video and a conversations series designed to get you thinking. A snapshot of this year’s participating galleries includes Ames Yavuz, Nasha Gallery, Neon Parc, Sophie Gannon Gallery, Tolarno Galleries and many more.  It will also see the debut of FUTUREOBJEKT – a 600-square-metre salon devoted to collectible design that will cement Melbourne’s position as a creative hub.   Tickets to the Melbourne Art Fair are now on sale. General admission is $32 and VIP all-access passes are $160. For more information on the line-up and to purchase tickets, visit the website here. Love art? Check out the best art exhibitions happening in Melbourne this month.

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...

Born just a year apart, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo (the visionary behind Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market) couldn’t have come from more different worlds – but both knew how to tear up the fashion rulebook. Their designs dismantled ideas of beauty, gender and taste, and now Melbourne gets a world-first chance to see their radical vision side by side. Open now at the NGV, Westwood | Kawakubo is a showcase of more than 140 boundary-breaking designs. Many are drawn from the NGV’s own holdings – an extraordinary cache of 300-plus Kawakubo pieces and more than 100 by Westwood – making this one of the most important showcases of their work anywhere in the world.  The exhibition is arranged thematically, moving from punk’s anarchic spirit in the 1970s to the avant-garde silhouettes of today. Expect explorations of their shared obsessions with historical dress, radical cutting techniques and subversions of gender norms, alongside rare runway footage, archival photography and film. There are plenty of highlights: punk ensembles once worn by the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie Sioux; the tartan Anglomania gown famously modelled by Kate Moss; Sarah Jessica Parker’s wedding dress from Sex and the City: The Movie; Rihanna’s sculptural ‘petal dress’ from the Met Gala; and key Comme des Garçons collections like Body Meets Dress – Dress Meets Body (SS97) and Uncertain Future (SS25). A centrepiece gallery pits Westwood’s sweeping 18th-century ballgowns against Kawakubo’s...

Melbourne, start your engines. F1: The Exhibition has zoomed into town, marking its first-ever appearance in the Asia-Pacific region. After sell-out runs in Madrid, London and Amsterdam, the globally acclaimed show has made a pit stop at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, transforming it into an adrenaline-fuelled hub for motorsport fans. Part museum, part immersive experience, the exhibition will trace Formula 1’s past, present and future through six expansive galleries, with a seventh new section devoted to Australia’s own racing legends. Expect everything from championship-winning cars and rare memorabilia to video interviews and archive footage that captures the sport’s greatest rivalries and most spectacular victories. Visitors begin their journey in 'Once Upon a Time in Formula 1', charting seven-plus decades of drama before stepping inside 'Design Lab', a behind-the-scenes look at the factories of Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. 'Drivers and Duels' pays tribute to legends like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, while 'Revolution by Design' explores how engineering innovation and human daring have continually pushed the limits. The exhibition’s emotional heart, 'Survival', displays the remains of Romain Grosjean’s scorched Haas car from his 2020 Bahrain crash, a stark reminder of the sport's danger. Visitors then arrive at 'The Pit Wall', a cinematic wrap-up that relives Formula 1’s most unforgettable moments. Melbourne’s edition adds...