Things to do in Melbourne today

Rug up and hit the road for The City of Casey’s Winter Arts Festival which returns for its 22nd iteration. In collaboration with Bunjil Place in Narre Warren, this epic two-month-long celebration will be packed with over 60 events taking over the area from June 14 to July 28.  Highlights of the program include the Hybycozo Deep Thought installation, featuring magical geometric sculptures that will take centre stage at the festival and are free to see from 10am to 10pm between June 28 and July 28. Be among the first to marvel at the spellbinding installation at the Hybycozo Launch Party on Friday, June 28. The celebration is open to all, with a packed line-up of entertainment including an original composition from musician Dave Prideaux, performances from dancers fitted out in post-apocalyptic attire, delicious eats and live music from local artists.   You can also expect a dazzling night of cabaret from local queen of drag, Brenda Bressed, who returns with her sold-out show Queers of Concert on June 22; performances from the street dance community who will come together on June 29 for the South East Area Throwdown; Australia’s best jugglers pushing the boundaries of their craft with Escalate, an hour long show on July 2; and Impro Workshops - In The Spotlight on July 4 where you’ll test out your acting skills through creative play and lots of laughs.  For the youngsters, there are two dance workshops on offer. Drop them off at the Kids Dancehall Workshop for a fun class explo

From the story’s origins hundreds of years ago, to its transformation into the classic 1991 Disney film, Beauty and the Beast really is a tale as old as time. In its musical form, the production hasn’t been seen in Melbourne since the ’90s, when Hugh Jackman famously performed as Gaston in his first professional role. Fast forward three decades and we’re once again seeing a Melbourne stage transformed into the provincial town and Baroque castle we know so well. Only this time round, the lavish set design is augmented with cleverly integrated digital screens. It’s just one of several updates that ensure this reimagined production of the beloved fairytale keeps up with the times. From the moment the curtain rises, it’s clear this is a large-scale musical with all the belles, whistles and big bucks. Visual splendour is the MO here – think kaleidoscopic costumes, gasp-inducing illusions and spectacular lighting – and it’s easy to see why this show broke box office records at Brisbane’s QPAC.  However, all that Disney investment would be useless without the gifted cast. Shubshri Kandiah exudes whimsy-with-a-backbone as bookworm Belle, charming us with her sweet songs and sassy moments – though the folks in her provincial town just don’t get it.  Brendan Xavier’s beast is alternately ferocious and boyish. His startled squeals and hair-twirling moments help make Belle’s dramatic change in feelings a touch more believable. Both leads shine in their solo numbers, with Xavier’s ‘If I C

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, of course. Yes, the insanely successful event is back at the Westin's Allegro Restaurant for 2024 and we turophiles couldn't be more thrilled. The idea for High Cheese first crystallised a few years ago when the Westin's executive chef at the time, Michael Greenlaw, teamed up with Anthony Demia from Maker and Monger to bring a series of cheeses together in both sweet and savoury dishes. Years later, the much-loved tradition continues. In 2024, the indulgent menu has been curated in collaboration with renowned cheese masters, brother-sister duo The Studd Siblings. Ellie and Sam Studd, both members of the International Guilde des Fromagers and Certified Cheese Professionals, have joined forces with the Westin's current executive chef, Apoorva Kunte, to curate an enticing three-tiered selection of dairy-licious treats. We're listening... Each creation showcases the finest quality cheese from around the world. On the first tier, treat yourself to cloth-aged cheddar and candied apple scones, complemented by whipped organic butter and quince nectar. The second tier enters savoury territory, featuring six tantalising cheese-centric bites served with all the fruit and lavosh accoutrements: a tart of vine-ripened tomato tartare; Sarakatsani tribe-inspired ewe’s milk Galotyri with Congo p

Fans of sneaky street art, rejoice! The acclaimed works of Banksy, the mysterious master of graffiti, are coming to Australia, and you won't even need to scour the city's laneways to see them for yourself. The Art of Banksy: Without Limits is a blockbuster exhibition that will feature murals, sculptures, photos, mapping shows (aka images or animations projected onto irregularly shaped surfaces), installations (including an “infinity room” filled with mirrors) and a simulation of ‘Dismaland Bemusement Park’ (for those who’ve never heard of it, it’s a gritty, dark theme park that was created by Banksy in 2015). It will also include a mix of replicas and originals of some of the artist's most famous works, like 'Rude Copper', 'Flower Thrower' and the instantly recognisable 'Girl with Balloon'. But wait, that's not all: Banky's recent Ukraine murals will be referenced, and there’s even a space that pays homage to the MV Louise Michel, the high-speed boat that Banksy financially keeps afloat in the Mediterranean Sea to rescue refugees. The exhibition began in Brisbane, before heading to Adelaide and Sydney. Soon, the exhibiton will finally reach Melbourne in June 2024, with ticket sales commencing on Thursday, April 18 (you can join the waitlist here for tickets). The exhibition will take place at The Disctrict Docklands, but we're still waiting in suspense of the exact dates to be announced. Will Banksy be in attendance? Is this the moment Banksy's real identity will be revealed

It's baaack! After two hugely popular winter seasons, Melbourne's favourite illuminated event is returning in 2024. From June 14 to August 4, take a nighttime stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and experience luminous pathways, lit-up tree canopies, soothing soundscapes and brand new installations. "We are thrilled to see Lightscape returning for its third year. The Gardens provide an exquisite canvas for us to create a magical world of light, nature and wonder," said David Harland, director and chief executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. "In 2024 we have a few surprises up our sleeve as we build on the experience to make it exhilarating for both returning and first-time visitors." For the upcoming season, you can expect a reimagined 2.2km trail accompanied by stunning lakeside reflections, large-scale illuminated sculptures and other wonders, with more than 100,000 tiny lights on display. New in 2024 is 'Submerged', an immersive work where you walk through thousands of suspended lights as the installation changes colour in response to the movement. Also making its Australian debut is 'Lily' by French artistic studio Tilt – it's a series of abstract, three-metre-tall glowing flowers that will captivate people of all ages. Most importantly, you'll also be able to grab a bite to eat and warming drinks at the Welcome Zone or along the trail. They say that Melbourne is at its best in winter and events like Lightscape, where you can rug up and join friends for a m

Open House Melbourne (OHM) is back, meaning it's that special time of year when we can have a peek inside some of Melbourne's most alluring buildings. But permissible prying aside, OHM serves as an important chance to reflect on the past, present and future of design and its role in binding the fabric of our dear city together.  Taking place on Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28, this year’s OHM theme is Re/discover Your City, which invites attendees to think about the place they call home in a new light.  The weekend-long program makes for Australia’s largest architecture and built environment festival, shining the spotlight on the role of good design and its importance in shaping our communities. More than 60,000 people are expected to attend across the two days, sinking their teeth into experiences across more than 170 buildings, places and spaces. Highlights of the program include the chance to check out not one, but two former explosive storage facilities, a peek at the artist studios at Montsalvat Arts Centre and a behind-the-scenes tour of the vault at ArtBank and its catalogue of more than 14,000 artworks. If you’re feeling adventurous, strap on a safety harness and walk across the rooftops of Collingwood Yards, soaking up the Northside views. Alternatively, take a scooter tour of Melbourne led by caseworkers at Launch Housing, to learn about the city from the perspective of people experiencing homelessness.  Sports fans can walk the hallowed pitch of AAMI Park, wh

Just a short drive from the centre of Melbourne sits the City of Bayside. With charming suburbs like Brighton and Hampton, this waterfront destination is more than its picturesque beaches. It's also a treasure trove for fossils and home to one of the most important fossil sites in all of Australia.  Buried beneath Bayside's seafloor and scattered along its shores, prehistoric fossils dating back 5-6 million years have been unearthed. This evolutionary melting pot has revealed ancient whale bones, giant birds with a seven metre wingspan, monstrous sharks half as long as a basketball court and even predatory sperm whales. Explore Bayside’s prehistoric past at a free exhibition landing at Bayside Gallery in Brighton Town Hall from June 29 to August 25. Bring the kids along these school holidays for family-friendly activities taking place in July. Join a shadow puppeting session at Shadow Beasts on July 4-6; reconstruct the historic beasts at the Flesh and Bones Drawing Activity on July 10-12; create your own prehistoric cartoon creature at the Kids Workshop on July 27 and stick around for the Advanced Cartoon Drawing Workshop on straight after.  Head down for Curator Talks on August 24 or hear from a line-up of experts for Science Week Panel Discussion August 17. Any budding palaeontologists can get up close and personal with fossil finds or have their own discovery assessed at Fossil Roadshow on August 17. Plus, teachers can treat their students to to an up-close experience wit

Sunset Boulevard’s Norma Desmond is a magnificently complex creation. Originally depicted by Gloria Swanson in Billy Wilder’s magnetic 1950 movie, she’s the star of countless silent movies, a living legend accruing thousands of adoring fans during her heyday. But the talkies took over Hollywood, and her light was cruelly dimmed, sending her retreating to her decaying hilltop mansion with loyal butler Max Von Mayerling (Erich von Stroheim). While Norma cuts a tragic figure in her middle ages as the story begins, she can still command a room. “I am big. It’s the movies that got small,” she acidly enunciates at down-on-his-luck movie writer Joe Gillis (William Holden in the movie) when he unexpectedly shows up at her door. Spying a way back to the spotlight through his words, she sets him to work on her chaotic Salome screenplay, abusing her money as power over him. As a noir-tinged chamber piece, Sunset Boulevard hangs on this increasingly twisted relationship, dancing between dark and the light as moments of hope are dashed to doom. It’s just the stuff The Phantom of the Opera maestro Andrew Lloyd Webber thrives on, eventually securing the story after a tortuously long ‘will they, won’t they’ that thwarted both Swanson and Stephen Sondheim. Webber’s soaring musical adaptation – with Phantom-like stirrings over a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton – returns to Australian stages, care of Opera Australia, almost thirty years after Debra Byrne and Hugh Jackman ta

Broad Encounters, the folks behind last year’s large-scale, free-roam production Love Lust Lost and 2019’s A Midnight Visit, have announced another immersive show opening this June. This time around, they’re embracing the immediacy of a smaller-scale space, with their latest show billed as an intimate soirée for small groups. When Night Comes is a multi-sensory theatrical experience that promises to be intoxicating in more ways than one. Set across fantastical yet hedonistic spaces, those who dare to enter will be introduced to a dark, decadent and delicious den where the cocktails are as enticing as the gazes of the cast.  Expect sublime sounds, visions, tastes and feelings – it’s all part of the celestial show. The production is set within a section of Collingwood’s Austral Theatre, one of Melbourne’s original beloved dance halls which first opened in 1921. The building will be demolished soon to make way for apartments, so this could be one of your last chances to take a peek inside Melbourne’s history. Head over to Collingwood from June 11 to catch When Night Comes for a strictly limited season with sessions already selling fast. Tickets are from $63 and available until August 3. Head to the website to book now.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.  Feeling theatrical? Check out the best theatre and musicals happening in Melbourne right now.

Walk, talk and gawp like an Egyptian at this blockbuster exhibition all about ancient Egyptian art and culture. The NGV's 2024 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, titled Pharaoh, constitutes the biggest loan of ancient Egyptian artefacts that the British Museum has ever presented to international audiences – most of which are on display in Australia for the very first time. Curated especially for the NGV by the British Museum, Pharaoh runs until October 6, 2024, and include a wide display of objects from monumental architecture to awe-inspiring statuary and exquisite pieces of jewellery. For the night owls, make sure to experience ancient Egypt afterdark when Pharaoh opens late every Friday night this winter for NGV Friday Nights: Pharaoh. Each week, there will be a changing line-up of live music, spanning classical, jazz, blues, funk and more – so grab your nearest and dearest for your next Friday outing. Spanning from the first dynasty (3000 BCE) to the Roman period (fourth century CE), Pharaoh will celebrate some of the works commissioned by Egypt’s most famous kings and queens, including the boy king Tutankhamun; Ramses II and Queen Nefetari; Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza; and foreign leaders such as Alexander the Great. The works featured in Pharaoh provide a sense of the vast scale of this ancient civilisation, including a carved green siltstone 'Head of Tuthmose III'; a five-centimetre wide ivory label depicting King Den of the first dynasty; a larg