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A crowd of people walking around the market underneath strings of lights.
Photograph: Supplied

Things to do in Melbourne today

Need some last-minute plans? We've got you covered with the best things to do in Melbourne today

Leah Glynn
Written by
Leah Glynn
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Have your plans for tonight fallen through, or are you simply the type to live on the edge and wait until the last possible moment to plan your day? Luckily, Melbourne is the type of city where you can always count on finding something fun to do on short notice. 

From five-star musicals and warm-weather activations to cool gigs and nearby day trips, we've got you covered with our curated guide to everything fun happening right now. Have a scroll, lace up your shoes and prepare to hit the town. 

Want more? Check out these great free things to do, or work your way through our 100 best things to do in Melbourne before you die bucket list.

Things to do in Melbourne today

  • Comedy
  • Comedy festival
  • Melbourne

Are you ready to laugh so hard it hurts? One of the largest comedy festivals in the world, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) returns next month with a program that promises to be as entertaining as it is expansive.  Since being launched in 1987 by Barry Humphries and Peter Cook, the festival has since grown to become Australia's largest cultural ticketed event offering both family entertainment and show-stopping adult performances. After Montreal's Just for Laughs and the Edinburgh Fringe, MICF is the third-largest comedy festival in the world and attracts the crème de la crème of comedians from across Australia and around the globe.  In 2024, you can expect a mammoth line-up of international performers such as Atsuko Okatsuka (USA), Carl Donnelly (UK), David O’Doherty (Ireland), Fern Brady (Scotland), Larry Dean (Scotland), Chloe Petts (UK), Julia Masli (Estonia), Lara Ricote (Mexico), John Hastings (Canada), Arj Barker (USA), Jason Leong (Malaysia), Melanie Bracewell (NZ), Jimeoin (Ireland), Spankie Jackzon (NZ), Urzila Carlson (NZ) and more.  As for local acts, you can see the likes of Aaron Chen, Ali McGregor, Anna Piper Scott, Anne Edmonds, Aurelia St Clair, Celia Pacquola, Christian Hull, Claire Hooper, Dave Hughes, Fergus Neal, Gen Fricker, Geraldine Hickey, Gillian Cosgriff, Hannah Gadsby, Joel Creasey, Jon Walpole, Julian O’Shea, Lizzy Hoo, Lou Wall, Mel and Sam, Nazeem Hussain, Nina Oyama, Prue Blake, Reuben Kaye, Rhys Nicholson, Scout Boxall, Sez,

  • Art
  • South Wharf

Italian polymath, painter, inventor and astounding genius Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most celebrated artists and scientists of all time, yet seeing his works is typically out of reach for the average Aussie. Well, all that’s about to change thanks to the Lume Melbourne’s new immersive experience opening on March 16.  Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius will feature massive projections of some of the world’s most famous works of art, including the ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper’. These four-storey high projections showcase da Vinci’s breathtaking Renaissance paintings in a way that’s much more accessible than a trip to the Louvre.  Alongside da Vinci’s visually stunning artworks, this exhibition will also focus on his excellence as an inventor with ideas far beyond his era. His pioneering work in architecture and engineering laid the foundation for the technology we enjoy today. That’s why alongside his art, the exhibition will also feature groundbreaking inventions from his notebooks recreated to scale by Italian artisans, including flying machine concepts that predate human flight by more than 400 years.  As if that wasn’t exciting enough, for the first time in history, original pages of da Vinci’s sketches and writings will touch down in Australia. The Codex Atlanticus is a 500-year-old collection of Leonardo’s innermost workings, previously displayed in the likes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre. Now, Melburnians and visitors alike will be able t

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  • Things to do
  • Fairs and festivals
  • price 0 of 4
  • Docklands

Make a splash in a rainbow of colours this autumn as the Melbourne Holi Festival returns for another celebration of culture and unity. The event celebrates Holi, the Hindu festival of colours which is held annually to mark the end of winter (in the northern hemisphere) and signifies the triumph of good over evil. In Melbourne, the festival highlights the culture of Indians living in Australia and offers an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to come together and celebrate.   This year, the Melbourne Holi Festival will be held at Ron Barassi Senior Park in Docklands over three days of festivities, with plenty of multicultural live entertainment and excitement. There'll be music, dance, DJs, Indian Bazaar stalls, delicious food and more. Plus, stay late and experience Holi After Dark, with UV lights and glow in the dark colours, as well as light shows and live performances.  The organisers will also store plenty of brightly coloured powders. Traditionally attendees cover each other in the various coloured dusts, running around and splattering absolutely everyone whether they know them or not. The powders are stain-free and non-toxic, so you can really go for it. Entry to the Melbourne Holi Festival is free, but if you want to skip the long lines, you can pay for a guaranteed express entry ticket. Express tickets are $11.90 each per day with VIP options available, read all the details on Eventbrite.  Looking for more things to do? Check out our guide to what's on. 

  • Art
  • Installation
  • St Kilda

If you had 30 minutes to spend with yourself surrounded by nothing but darkness and the rain, what would you do? This is something the Rain Room by luxe hotel Jackalope and London-based collective Random International wants us to consider. The exhibition has reopened its sliding doors for its third season and invites us to all take a moment for ourselves to practice mindfulness and embrace the present in the rain. For those who aren’t familiar with it, the Rain Room is an immersive artwork by Random International that fills the ceiling of a darkened room with motion sensors and little droplets of recycled water that imitate rain. The result? An experience that you can walk through slowly without getting a single drop of water on you, even though you’re surrounded by what feels like a storm. The experience stimulates your senses and if you’ve ever been caught in the rain in Southeast Asia, this evokes a similar feeling. It’s slightly warm as the sound of falling rain crescendos but if you walk an inch too quickly you’ll feel the sensation of getting tapped on the head by water.  ‘Rain Room’ is one of Random International’s most famous works and has previously been shown at the Barbican in London, MoMA in New York and at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai.  Also, a word to the wise: make sure not to wear heels or shoes that you will slip in or you might end up wearing a pair of Crocs that the team hands to you instead.   Rain Room will be open until the end of March, 2024. Book your se

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  • Film
  • Outdoor cinema
  • Melbourne

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 wine in hand, of course.  Australia's favourite outdoor cinema has revealed its March line-up of movies, with blockbusters, nostalgic favourites and plenty of romcoms on the program. Highlights include The Iron Claw, Wonka, All Of Us Strangers, Dune: Part Two and Poor Things. Those looking to splurge can opt for either the Platinum Experience, which includes a deluxe double bean bed for two with waiter service and a hamper of goodies from Victoria's High Country or the AAMI Gold Grass Experience, with a range of food and beverages delivered straight to your bean bag. And new this year is the Official Aperol Spritz Bar, where you can sip on the iconic orange cocktail all summer long. Screenings kick off at sundown (around 8.45pm) and even your pooch is welcome. Tickets are now available via the website. A new in-cinema diner that takes 'dinner and a movie' to the next level has just opened in Brunswick East.

  • Art
  • Sculpture and installations
  • price 0 of 4
  • Southbank

Robotic dogs. Yoko Ono. A dragon-imprinted McDonald's sign. Tracey Emin. After years of waiting, the NGV Triennial truly is back and better than ever. In an electric fusion of contemporary art, design and architecture, the 2023 iteration will feature more than 75 projects and invites us to reflect on the world as it is while asking how we would like it to be. Running from December 3 to April 7, 2024, the three key thematic pillars are 'Magic, Matter and Memory', and you can expect the works from 100 artists, designers and collectives to traverse all four levels of NGV International. The line-up features artists from around the world, such as Sheila Hicks (USA), Agnieszka Pilat (Poland), Tracey Emin (UK), Betty Muffler (Australia), David Shrigley (UK), Yoko Ono (Japan), Shakuntala Kulkarni (India), Tao Hui (China), Schiaparelli (France) and more.  With more than 25 world-premiere projects commissioned by the NGV exclusively for this exhibition, the Triennial will reveal the ways in which leading and emerging artists and designers have responded to the most relevant and critical global issues of our time.  Agnieszka Pilat will train Boston Dynamics robot dogs to paint autonomously, and audiences will be able to see these dogs paint a monolithic durational work. In a special collaboration with Paris haute couture house Schiaparelli, the NGV has invited artist director Daniel Roseberry to present a selection of works from recent collections alongside a number of gilded surrealist

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Theatre
  • Musicals
  • Melbourne

There has been a disappointing run of big name shows underserved by low-key production design of late, with both the revivals of Rocky Horror and Grease seriously lacking in the razzle-dazzle department. So why does a similarly stripped-back staging of musical maestro Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb’s Chicago pull it off, like so many of the cast’s silken mesh costume changes? Perhaps something in the bare bones of this deceptively dark comedy, set in the Windy City in the fast and loose 1920s, lends itself to simplicity? Delivered via a sassy brawl between warring molls Velma Kelly (Zoë Ventoura) and Roxie Hart (Lucy Maunder), it’s a broken bottle-sharp commentary on an America that values celebrity crime most malignant over justice and the good of heart, that cuts even deeper now we’re staring down the barrel of a possible second Trump term. That swirling, prophetic darkness lends itself well to scenic designer John Lee Beatty’s darkened stage flanked by cabaret chairs and dominated by a bandstand atop which gamely charismatic musical director James Simpson leads a brass-heavy band through John Kander’s razzmatazz music.  “Give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate … What if your hinges all are rusting? What if, in fact, you’re just disgusting?”The contradiction is inherent in the work. And so when Roxie opens the show by shooting dead the beefy but not bright Fred Casely (Devon Braithwaite, a stand-out in a spectacular ensemble) because he had the

  • Things to do
  • Expos and conventions
  • South Wharf

Update December 4, 2023: Due to popular demand, the dates for the BBC Earth Experience have been extended until April. Also, new session types have been introduced, including adults-only time slots every Thursday night and special seniors sessions, scheduled every second Friday. There will also be selected dates for relaxed, sensory-friendly sessions and pram sessions. These new sessions will begin in February, 2024. Plus, the experience is introducing children's activities with new Kids Passports, with children able to earn passport stamps by completing tasks. Find out more on the website.  There are few voices more recognisable and beloved than that of Sir David Attenborough's. For decades now, the famous British biologist's dulcet tones have accompanied countless incredible documentaries showcasing the wonders of the planet we call home.   A new immersive audiovisual experience from BBC Earth will transport you inside one of those documentaries at the Melbourne Convention Centre this year. Stepping in, you'll be surrounded by massive multi-angle screens playing a documentary from one of BBC Studios' award-winning natural history series, Seven Worlds, One Planet. Of course, it'll be accompanied by the voice of Sir Attenborough, who'll guide you on a 360-degree journey to far-off places across the globe, unveiling the intricacies of the natural world. You'll see up-close visions of all kinds of animals, from fireflies and monkeys to cassowaries and so much more.  The world-f

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  • Comedy
  • Comedy festival
  • Melbourne

Melbourne was once named the world’s most liveable city for seven years in a row, before dipping in the rankings during the pandemic and climbing back up to number three last year. No one knows this better than Julian O’Shea, a local creator known for his TikToks explaining the quirks of our fair city. How can 100,000 people get a good view at the MCG? O’Shea’s your guy with the answers, usually filmed right in front of a piece of Melbourne’s infrastructure. Now, O’Shea is taking things up a notch with his debut show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The concept? An A to Z journey through the weird and wonderful aspects of the city, made for "anyone who loves Melbourne or loves to hate Melbourne” – aka pretty much everyone.  The show is called M is for Melbourne: The World’s Mostly* Liveable City, and it’s playing at DoubleTree By Hilton from March 27 until April 7. Pricing for this show has an unusual twist: you’ll need to pay according to how you plan to get there. Those travelling on foot, bicycle or public transport need pay only $33.76, while motorists will have to fork out $34.79. If you’re planning to drive to the show in a gigantic, gas-guzzling Dodge Ram, you’ll be out a whopping $155.01. Choose your mode of transport wisely, before you get your tickets here. Want more? Check out who else is performing at the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

  • Art
  • Digital and interactive
  • Melbourne

The Immigration Museum on Flinders Street is getting its first major exhibition in several years and it’s all about leaning into what makes us happy. The exhibition, called Joy, opens on Friday, March 1 and will run through until August 29, 2024. Joy features seven brand new commissioned installations from leading Victorian-based creatives, each expressing the artists’ own personal joy. You can expect an emotive adventure where colour and storytelling combine, and big happy moments that sit alongside more reflective ones. Experience the vibrant power of joy as you walk amongst room-sized interactive artworks, or contribute your own joy with the collaborative ‘share your joy’ wall. Venezuelan-born Australian artist Nadia Hernández has filled the Immigration Museum’s hallway with bold collage works, ‘future positive’ fashion designer Nixi Killick has created a ‘joy generator’ and queer artist Spencer Harrison has created a runway where you can strut your stuff. Jazz Money, a Wiradjuri poet and artist, has fused sculpture, audio and mural for a work reflecting the history of the museum site, while local artist Beci Orpin has taken over a room with a giant toy rabbit made to be hugged. Afghanistan-Australian visual artist and poet Elyas Alavi and Sher Ali have also created a large-scale mural illustrating a Persian myth.  Lastly, much-loved pop artist and designer Callum Preston has constructed a full-scale replica of a nineties video store, a joy he never thought he would miss u

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