What's On This Week
School holidays kick off Saturday — Melbourne's winter machine is running at full tilt. Lightscape is on every night this week at the Botanic Gardens (including daily during the holidays), the AFL serves up two Melbourne blockbusters across the weekend, and the city's hottest new restaurants are open and hungry for your business. Winter doesn't get much more stacked than this.
Plan this week with plansorted →Week at a glance
NGV Friday Nights: Cartier
Unlimited after-dark access to the Cartier Winter Masterpieces blockbuster with live music, Moët, and a rotating program — this Friday at NGV International is the city's most glamorous night out right now.
Collingwood v Richmond
A twilight MCG derby on Saturday arvo — 4:15pm, and two clubs who always make it feel like something is at stake.
Lightscape, Royal Botanic Gardens
Running every single night this week including all school holidays — the city's most-loved winter walk is at its most accessible right now.
Queen Vic Winter Night Market
Free entry every Wednesday 5–10pm — mulled wine, raclette, hot jam doughnuts, and live entertainment right through August.
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)
The Olivier Award-winning West End comedy hit is at the Athenaeum all week with multiple sessions — popular with every demographic and selling fast.
Elysian Honey Cake & Whisky Series
Every Thursday from 4:30pm at The Elysian in Fitzroy — $30–$35 gets you a 10-layer medovik with a dram, walk-ins only, no booking stress required.
Lead Pick
Lightscape then late at the Night Market
Pair the Botanic Gardens light trail with a Wednesday warm-up at Queen Vic — one weekend, two of Melbourne's best winter rituals back to back.
Book a Saturday or Sunday session at Lightscape (Royal Botanic Gardens, South Yarra — enter via Observatory Gate off Birdwood Ave, 2 mins from the new ANZAC Station). The 2.1km trail is running every day during school holidays this week, with 15 installations including a new 20-arch Bifröst light tunnel from French studio Pitaya and a 30-metre Winter Cathedral. Tickets from $36 adults, book via Ticketek well in advance — sessions sell fast during the holidays. Pair it with Wednesday's Queen Vic Winter Night Market (free entry, 5–10pm) for a full-week winter double.
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Victorian school holidays run Saturday 27 June to Sunday 12 July — Lightscape switches to daily (not just Wed–Sun) from this weekend, but crowds will be significantly higher. Book any timed-entry event well in advance. Also note: ACMI opens at 2:30pm on Friday 26 June due to a Socceroos FIFA World Cup match being screened at Fed Square — factor that into your plans if heading to Reverb on the Friday.
What's On
Fifteen new and returning light installations across a 2.1km trail through the Botanic Gardens — running every night during school holidays this week, including the Australian premiere of the Bifröst arch tunnel and the Fire Garden spiral of 150 candles.
⚡ Pre-book via Ticketek — timed entry in 15-min increments, book early for your preferred night
Now even easier to get to via the new ANZAC Station. Mulled wine and hot chocolate on trail. Wear warm layers — it goes ahead rain or shine.
The Olivier Award-winning West End comedy — five women play every role in an irreverent, pop-soundtracked retelling of Jane Austen — is in Melbourne until 12 July and absolutely packing out.
⚡ Book via Ticketmaster — weekend sessions selling fast
Trams stop right outside on Collins St. Runtime approx 2.5 hrs with interval. Recommended 12+.
Unlimited access to the Cartier Winter Masterpieces exhibition after dark — nearly 400 jewellery objects including pieces worn by Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly — plus live music, film screenings, French conversation club, Moët bar and the Yering Station wine bar.
⚡ Book via NGV website — limited door tickets available but pre-booking strongly recommended
A proper dressed-up Friday night. Rotate between the exhibition, live music in Gandel Hall, and the bars. Runs every Friday through October 2.
The hit multi-sensory exhibition from London's 180 Studios explores music's influence on art and culture — spin remixable vinyl on Technics decks, enter a reconstruction of The Church studio where Miles Davis recorded, and lose yourself in works by William Kentridge and Virgil Abloh.
⚡ Book via acmi.net.au — note ACMI opens at 2:30pm Friday 26 June after a FIFA World Cup match at Fed Square
Good rainy-day school holiday option — engaging for teens and adults alike. Listening Room sessions after hours with local artists throughout winter.
The sold-out-in-record-time Train of Lights kicked off this week — a 2.5-hour return steam train journey through the Dandenong Ranges lit up with thousands of neon lights, with a stopover at Gembrook for hot chocolate by the fire.
⚡ 2026 tickets sold out in record time — check for cancellations online only
If you missed out, follow @puffingbillyrailway on socials for last-minute release updates. Worth it for 2027 if you plan ahead.
Free entry, fire pits, global street food — raclette-loaded sandwiches, Berlin doner kebabs, lobster chowder in bread bowls, hot jam doughnuts from American Doughnut Kitchen, and live entertainment every Wednesday night through late August.
⚡ No booking needed — arrive before 5pm to avoid queue and snag street parking
The E Shed table booking ($60 for 6) is worth it if you're going with a group on 2, 9 or 16 July. Bring cash as a backup.
Sport
Hawthorn hosts the Giants under Friday night lights at the MCG — Round 16 action kicking off the school holiday footy weekend in Melbourne.
⚡ Book via Ticketek — check Metro Tunnel changes before planning your train route
Carlton host the Eagles at Marvel in the early Saturday game — key defender Jacob Weitering expected back after a calf injury, making this one to watch for Blues fans.
⚡ Kids Footy Month activations on — family-friendly day out
The Saturday twilight MCG derby — Collingwood v Richmond with Scott Pendlebury likely back in and the finals race heating up, this one has genuine rivalry bite.
⚡ Peak school holiday crowd expected — book ahead and get there early
Food & Deals
Every Thursday from 4:30pm this winter, Fitzroy whisky bar The Elysian pairs a slice of Wee-Liam Foo's 10-layer medovik honey cake with a 15ml whisky pour for $30–$35 — walk-ins only, no booking required.
Con Christopoulos's new bar and record store — named for Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone, with a record shop run by Greg Molinaro of Abbotsford's Hub 301 — opens this winter adjacent to Roma at 120 Collins Street, CBD.
Shannon Martinez's beloved vegan Collingwood deli opened a new CBD outpost on Degraves Street in mid-June — laneways just got a whole lot more interesting for plant-based lunch.
Queen Victoria Market's Ultimate Truffle Tour is on this Saturday — walk the sheds sampling truffle-infused treats while traders celebrate peak Victorian truffle season.
Free This Week
Free entry every Wednesday 5–10pm at Queen Victoria Market — fire pits, global street food, live music, duelling pianos, and roving performers through 26 August.
The permanent collection at NGV International is always free — the Great Hall ceiling, the waterwall, and world-class international and First Nations art, any day of the week.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is live across Melbourne — Fed Square big screen, Carlton pubs and CBD venues are buzzing with free screenings all tournament long.
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