Close Menu
Recent tabs widget still need to be configured! Add tabs, add a title, and select type for each tab in widgets area.
Subscribe
Things to do

What’s new? And what to do? 29 July 2024

MelbourningBy No Comments15 Mins Read

 I subscribe to all the things so you don’t have to. This is a curated list of what’s been announced over the past week so you can save the date, or swoop on tickets, and also a list of what’s coming up soon if you’re looking to make last-minute plans

What’s new?

Katy Perry confirmed for AFL Grand Final

After weeks of rumours, the AFL has officially announced international superstar Katy Perry will headline the Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment at the 2024 Toyota AFL Grand Final on Saturday, 28 September.

Travis Scott is headed down under

Internationally acclaimed superstar Travis Scott has announced he’s bringing his Circus Maximus tour to Marvel Stadium on 22 October.

Penn and Teller to perform six shows in Melbourne in January

After sell-out shows in 2022, legendary magicians Penn and Teller are returning to Melbourne in January 2025 with their brand new show on their 50th anniversary tour. They’ll be at Hamer Hall for six nights from 21-26 January 2025.

Triple J’s One Night Stand festival headed to Warrnambool

Triple J has announced Warrnambool will be the location of its first One Night Stand music festival since 2019 when it returns on 14 September. The line-up includes G Flip, Ruel, What So Not + Friends, Thelma Plum, Sycco, DICE, a triple j Unearthed Competition Winner, and other special guests yet to be announced.

Hear from former Australian of the Year Grace Tame

Join Grace Tame – author, advocate, artist, critical thinker and ultra marathon runner – for an evening of untamed candour, wit and humour at the Arts Centre on 18 October.

Boy George to headline Timeless Summer concert in Yarra Valley

Boy George of Culture Club, Bonnie Tyler, Tony Hadley (ex Spandau Ballet) and Starship featuring Mickey Thomas will perform in Australia next summer as part of a new concert series celebrating legendary musicians from around the world.The Timeless Summer Tour 2025 makes its debut in January 2025, packed with a stellar line-up of international superstars from the 70s and 80s who will play Yarra Valley’s Rochford Wines on 24 January.

Accidentally Wes Anderson exhibition will make you feel like you’re in a movie

Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition – the social media phenomenon comes to life this September in Melbourne. Visitors will be taken on a visually captivating journey around the world through the art of photography. 

Alien Ant Farm and cKY announce co-headline tour

Alien Ant farm make their very long-awaited return to Australia for a co-headline tour with the equally iconic cKy, fresh off of their successful North American and European “cKy 25 Years” celebration touring. They’ll be at Northcote Theatre on 9 February.

Save the date for these

Also just announced:

What to do?

Never mind the naysayers, Melbourne is not dead! Here’s a round-up of things happening in and around Melbourne this weekend and over the next few weeks:

  • The annual hot chocolate festival is back at the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Great Ocean Road chocolateries from 1-31 August with 31 delicious new flavours to try.
  • The famous Ballarat’s Best Pie competition returns in 2024, with 28 local bakeries, restaurants and cafes competing for the coveted title.  From 1-31 August, pie lovers can taste all Ballarat and the surrounding region has to offer, from traditional flavours with twists, to creations not normally known to be in pies, there will be plenty of pies to sample.
  • Step into a month-long calendar of learning and business growth opportunities at the Mornington Peninsula’s Small Business Festival from 1-30 August.
  • oin Dr Norman Swan in conversation with Jacinta Parsons about how to make the right choices for your kids, at Readings Hawthorn on 1 August.
  • In celebration of truffle season, Truffle Treasures is a special four-day pop-up event at the Queen Victoria Market from 1-4 August where truffle enthusiasts can indulge in free tastings of the finest truffle delights!
  • The Melbourne International Elvis Festival is happening at the National Theatre in St Kilda from 2-4 August.
  • Liminal magazine and the Wheeler Centre have joined forces to launch the inaugural Liminal Festival for readers and writers at the Wheeler Centre from 2-4 August 2024.
  • Based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, Jurassic World: The Exhibition opens in Brunswick on 2 August – this immersive experience brings the iconic movie franchise to life, offering a chance to come face-to-face with life-size dinosaurs.
  • Six the Musical opens at The Comedy Theatre on 2 August and runs until 20 October, telling the story of the six wives of King Henry VIll who step out of the shadow of their infamous husband and reclaim their own narratives. 
  • Burwood Brickworks is hosting a two-day Winter Arts Festival as the sun goes down from 5-9pm on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 August. This exciting event includes a live DJ, exciting performances, painting classes, workshops, roving entertainment, hot chocolates, mulled wine, exclusive meal deals for $10 – $20 or even grab a Mini Bite for only 
  • The Bayside Big Vinyl Dig will be held at the Brighton Town Hall on 3 August.
  • Phillip Island Festival of Stories celebrates story-telling in all its forms, held over the weekend of 3-4 August in Cowes.
  • The Melbourne Cheese, Wine and Spirtts Festival is happening at Seaworks in Williamstown on 3 August.
  • The Brunswick East Urban Wine Walk is on Saturday 3 August.
  • Arockalypse Now returns to the Westernport Hotel in San Remo for its third year on 3 August with more bands, beers and big bad riffs featuring a huge lineup of bands from Gippsland and Naarm for all fans of explosive live music.
  • Celebrate International Beer Day at Welcome to Brunswick on 3 August.
  • Chadstone’s Teddy Bear Hospital is back on the weekend of 3-4 August to give teddy bears their winter check ups. All proceeds will be donated to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
  • Monash University Open Day: Peninsula and Caulfield campuses is on Saturday 3 August 2024
  • The Parkville Bridal Expo is on at Fior Events on 4 August.
  • The Box Hill Record Fair is on at the Box Hill Town Hall on Sunday 4 August.
  • Get ready for the Melbourne Furry Makers Market 2024  in Kensington on 4 August – a one-day event showcasing fandom makers and artists,
  • A Plus Market on 4 August is a celebratory and safe space for plus size folks to shop, be with community, and be an active part of the plus size revolution. Coburg Town Hall will be stacked full of clothes in sizes AU16-32+, shoes, accessories, art and more.
  • Monash University Open Day: Clayton campus is on Sunday 4 August 2024
  • La Trobe University Open Day: Bundoora campus is on Sunday 4 August 2024.
  • The immersive Melbourne hit Lightscape returns to transform the Botanic Gardens after dark with a reimagined trail and brand new installations. Surround yourself with the interactive Submergence as well as the beloved Winter Cathedral and Laser Forest at Fern Gully. It’s running this year until 4 August.
  • Mount Alexander Shire Council is hosting an exciting program of events in Castlemaine for kids aged 0-12 and their care-givers until 4 August. The FLIP Winter Children’s Festival is designed for children and their big people to learn, grow and have fun together.
  • The Scandinavian Film Festival is on at Palace Cinemas until 7 August.
  •  Sunset Boulevard’s triumphant return to Australia after nearly thirty years is playing at the Princess Theatre until 10 August, starring Sarah Brightman and delivering a captivating tale of love, loss, and the pursuit of dreams.
  • Circus Royale is at Pakenham until 11 August.
  • Federation Square is Victoria’s official Olympic Games live site until 11 August.
  • All Westfield shopping centres across Australia will transform into official Live Sites for the Paris 2024 Games until 11 August.
  • The Improv Conspiracy annual Defrost Festival is back for a third year – a yearly spectacle celebrating the art and community of improv until 11 August.
  • Take a trip down memory lane, with the iconic celebrity handprints from a former Bourke Street hardware store, McEwans, making their triumphant return to the CBD at the City Gallery at Melbourne Town Hall in an exhibition until 16 August.
  • Object of Projections -An exhibition of works by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon is showing at the Substation Galleries in Newport until 24 August.
  • Melbourne’s Bayside is home to one of the most important fossil areas in all of Australia, dating back roughly 5-6 million years of age. From giant Killer Sperm Whales that ate other whales, to monstrous sharks half as long as a basketball court, Prehistoric Bayside showcases the tumultuous lives of these bizarre beasts, displaying this groundbreaking fossil material for the first time at Brighton Town Hall until 25 August.
  • The Broadway sensation Wicked  looks at what happened in the Land of Oz… but from a different angle. See it at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre until 25 August
  • As winter approaches and the nights get colder, it’s time for the festive Winter Night Market at Queen Victoria Market. The 2024 event is taking place over a 13 week season, every Wednesday night until 28 August between 5pm and 10pm.
  • Celebrating culture, nostalgia, and the pursuit of happiness, the Immigration Museum’s expansive exhibition Joy features seven Victorian-based artists showcasing their interpretations of joy through immersive installations, until 29 August.
  • Visited by more than 10 million people around the world and earning a spot on CNN’s “must-see” list, The Art of the Brick  is running until 1 September  at the Melbourne Showgrounds. This brand new, immersive version of Nathan Sawaya’s iconic LEGO art exhibit features original collections, over 100 sculptures made from more than 1 million bricks, a LEGO safari, moving installations, 360 degree projections, and much more.
  • Jump aboard the Skyline Ferris Wheel that promises breathtaking views of Melbourne’s cityscape, truly a one-of-a-kind vantage point to see a unique perspective of the CBD and beyond. It’s at the Polly Woodside Park next to MCEC until 15 September.
  • Explore original sketches and inventions by Leonardo da Vinci at THE LUME Melbourne. Be amazed by a 360º Mona Lisa replica, AI, VR tech, and a Renaissance culinary journey at Caffé Medici. Immerse yourself in the Renaissance with multisensory galleries taking you through the world of da Vinci until 14 September.
  • Experience a stunning street art exhibition of museum quality – The Art of Banksy: Without Limits, featuring over 180 Banksy artworks, such as certified art, prints on different kinds of materials, photos, sculptures, installations, digital installations, murals, mapping shows, and more – currently showing at the District Docklands until 22 September.
  • Endless play abounds at ACMI this winter, as world premiere exhibition Beingscomes alive until 29 September 2024. Comprised of 13 artworks drawn from the 20-year career of international art and design collective Universal Everything – including the premiere of four brand new artworks – Beings features an assortment of curious characters born from code.
  • From glowing desserts and gelato to luminescent beverages, Dessertopia Neon Nights2024 guarantees a culinary journey that transcends the ordinary – now running until 29 September 2024 at 342 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne.
  • Hair Pieces at the Head Museum of Modern Art runs until ^6 October and explores the evocative and complex significance of hair in contemporary culture through a selection of recent Australian and international works of art.
  • Coming to Melbourne from the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London and on display until 6 October at the NGV, the Australian premiere of Africa Fashion features nearly 200 works, including couture, bespoke and ready-to-wear fashions, and body adornments, from over 50 designers from more than 20 countries and regions on the African continent.
  • The internationally exclusive blockbuster exhibition, Pharaoh at the NGV celebrates three thousand years of ancient Egyptian art and culture through more than 500 objects on loan from the British Museum, including monumental sculpture, tomb and temple architecture, coffins and funerary objects, as well as a significant display of exquisite ancient Egyptian jewellery. You can see it until 6 October.
  • Melbourne Museum will be exhibiting one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils in the world  until 20 October – the first real T. rex to ever be shown in Victoria, 66 million years after first roaming Earth.
  • The enchanting and timeless tale of Belle and her Beast has been brought to life in a reimagined production of Beauty and the Beast boasting all the spectacle and grandeur audiences know and love. The incredible new production is playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre until 24 November.
  • The Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) presents the recent acquisition Let’s Shake by the late internationally recognised artist and Palawa woman Karen Casey (1956–2021) until 24 November, generously donated by her son Daniel Young in memory of his mother.
  • To mark the bicentenary of the death of Lord Byron, Melbourne’s Hellenic Museum has premiered The Spirit of Byron: Philhellenism and the Greek War of Independence, an original exhibition exploring Greece’s fight for freedom and Lord Byron’s legacy through a curated selection of works on paper from The Robertson Collection. Showing daily until January 2025.
Share.

Related Posts

Comments are closed.