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Melbourne / This week

What's on
2–8 July

Worth leaving the house for.

NAIDOC Week kicks off on Sunday 5 July — the city's galleries, Fed Square and libraries are stacked with free First Nations events all week. The AFL is mid-season crunch time with Richmond v Carlton under lights at the MCG on Saturday, plus Essendon v St Kilda at Marvel on Sunday. Layer in NGV Friday Nights glowing with Cartier jewels and the QVM Winter Night Market on Wednesday and you've got no excuse to stay home in the cold.

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Updated 1 July 2026 · Next update 8 July · Archived edition

If you only remember three things

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Exhibition

NGV Friday Nights: Cartier

Four hundred glittering Cartier treasures after dark, with live music, champagne and a rotating program — this is the Friday night Melbourne is made for.

Sport

Richmond v Carlton — MCG

Saturday night lights at the 'G with two Victorian clubs desperate for a win — classic mid-season tension.

Free

NAIDOC Week at Fed Square

The 2026 theme is '50 Years of Deadly' — free flag raising, sound art along the Birrarung and community events at Fed Square from Sunday 5 July.

If Saturday were mine…

I'd do this.

Footy Saturday, Cartier Friday, sorted.

Kick the weekend off at NGV International on St Kilda Road for Friday Nights: Cartier (6–10pm, from $50) — live music from Waxflower, a crêpe station, Moët & Chandon, and late-night access to the Winter Masterpieces exhibition featuring jewels worn by Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. Book ahead, it sells out. Saturday night, head to the MCG in Richmond for Richmond v Carlton at 7:35pm — a genuine rivalry match with both sides fighting to stay in touch with the top eight. Tickets via Ticketek; get there early for the atmosphere on Brunton Ave.

Start Friday at the NGV with champagne and 400 pieces of Cartier jewellery, then Saturday it's Richmond v Carlton under the MCG lights.

Before you leave home

The stuff you'll be annoyed nobody told you.

  • School holidays are still on — expect crowds at the MCG, Marvel, QVM and family venues through until 13 July.
  • AFL Kids Footy Month (Rounds 16–19) means cheaper family tickets at AFL games, so bring the kids to the Sunday Marvel match.
  • NAIDOC Week runs 5–12 July: the big free NAIDOC in the City concert at Fed Square headlines Christine Anu on Friday 10 July — if you're planning the week, extend it.

The week, properly

The good stuff, with a reason.

Friends at a rooftop table with the city lights behind

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If you want a proper night out

  • Victorian Opera: The Coronation of PoppeaThu 2 July · Palais Theatre, St Kilda · 7:30pm · From ~$60Baroque opera from Victorian Opera opening at the iconic Palais — Monteverdi's tale of ambition, lust and power.St Kilda tram direct on route 16 from Swanston St — no need to drive.
  • NGV Friday Nights: CartierFri 3 July · NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne · 6pm–10pm · From $50 adults / $41 membersLate-night access to 400 Cartier treasures with live music from Waxflower, champagne, a crêpe station and pop-up performances — the city's best Friday night right now.Waxflower curates the music residency through 10 July, switching to Melbourne International Jazz Festival from 17 July — both are excellent.
  • Japan Sake Festival MelbourneSat 4 – Sun 5 July · Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton · Multiple sessions · From $69Over 400 varieties of sake alongside Japanese food and cultural performances — a seriously fun weekend festival in a stunning heritage building.Carlton Gardens right outside, worth arriving early to walk through before entering.
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  • NAIDOC in the City — Fed SquareSun 5 – Wed 8 July · Federation Square, Melbourne CBD · Various — NAIDOC Week runs 5–12 July · FreeFree First Nations music, a KHT makers' market with 20+ stallholders, film screenings at ACMI, sound art along the Birrarung, and community events all week for '50 Years of Deadly'.The big free NAIDOC in the City concert headlines Fri 10 July — plan to extend the week.
  • QVM Winter Night MarketWed 8 July · Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne CBD · 5pm–10pm · Free entryFree entry to Melbourne's beloved Wednesday night institution — global street food, hot drinks, live music and silent disco inside the sheds.Bring cash as a backup — ATM lines get ugly later in the night.
A crowd walking towards the MCG on game day

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Game on

  • Richmond v Carlton — AFL Round 17Sat 4 July · MCG, Richmond · 7:35pm · From ~$30+Two Victorian clubs fighting for their top-eight lives under Saturday night lights at the 'G — don't miss it.Tickets via Ticketek
  • Essendon v St Kilda — AFL Round 17Sun 5 July · Marvel Stadium, Docklands · 3:15pm · From ~$30+A Sunday afternoon Victorian derby — Essendon desperately needs points while the Saints look to stay relevant in a chaotic mid-table.Tickets via Ticketmaster; short walk from Southern Cross Station

Only these on the fixture this week. Ask me where to watch one properly and I will find you a room with the sound on.

Candlelit pasta in a cosy bistro

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If you're eating out

  • Remo's — $8 Tiramisu, RichmondNew openingBrand new neighbourhood Italian in Richmond with $8 tiramisu and affordable pasta bowls — better as a pre or post MCG option if you're heading to Richmond v Carlton.
  • Côte Basque — Andrew McConnell Opens on Crossley StNew openingMcConnell's first new Melbourne restaurant since Gimlet is a European Basque grill on Crossley Street — opening this winter and already Melbourne's most talked-about reservation.
  • Smith & Deli — New Degraves Street LocationNew openingShannon Martinez has brought her beloved vegan deli to Degraves Street — the city's most convenient lunch stop for plant-based eaters just got a lot better.
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A family strolling through the Royal Botanic Gardens

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If you're spending nothing

  • NAIDOC Week — Fed Square, ACMI & City LibrariesFreeFree all week: flag raising, sound art installations along the Birrarung, First Peoples short film screenings at ACMI, and a KHT makers' market with 20+ stallholders — '50 Years of Deadly' is worth your time.
  • Narrm NAIDOC March — Fitzroy to the CBDFreeThe annual march departs at noon from the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy — all welcome to join this community-led NAIDOC Week tradition.
  • NGV General Collection — Free Entry AlwaysFreeWhile Cartier costs, the permanent collection at NGV International — including the Great Hall ceiling and the Waterwall — is always free and never crowded on a Tuesday or Thursday.

Where I'd eat this week

Book something good.

Remo's — $8 Tiramisu, Richmond. Brand new neighbourhood Italian in Richmond with $8 tiramisu and affordable pasta bowls — better as a pre or post MCG option if you're heading to Richmond v Carlton.

See picks

Do future you a favour

Book this now.

Victorian Opera: The Coronation of Poppea · Thu 2 July · Palais Theatre, St Kilda. Book via Ticketmaster

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None of that your thing?

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