- St John Ambulance has a pop-up event at Burwood One shopping centre from 13-19 January where you can learn CPR.
- The new Wangaratta Sports & Aquatic Centre (WSAC) basketball stadium will open its doors to the public from Monday 13 January 2025.
- Baden Powell Reserve in Tarneit comes alive on 14 January with a variety of free activities for young people and families to enjoy.
- The Mornington Peninsula Golf Week is on until 15 January where you can immerse yourself in a week of unparalleled golf and leisure on the picturesque Mornington Peninsula
- Burst into the State Library on 16 January for Kids Takeover. From the forecourt through to the Dome, the Library is turning into a hub of action, colour and creativity with Bollywood dancing, singing in the Dome and more.
- Join photographer Chris Cuffaro at Behind the Gallery in Collingwood on 16 January for an intimate artist talk on his iconic shoots with George Michael and Michael Hutchence.
- The Wellington Libraries’ Itty Bitty Book Sale is on in Sale on 16-19 January.
- The Peninsula Film Festival is back on the Mornington Peninsula from 17-19 January .
- There’s a record fair at Moon Dog World in Preston on 17 January.
- The Legoland Discovery Centre at Chadstone is holding a special Adult Night event in collaboration with Brickvention on Friday 17 January,
- Cheer on Western United FC’s women’s and men’s teams in a double header at Ironbark Fields in Tarneit! It’s a retro-themed day on 17 January with the women v. Melbourne City and men v. Jets.
- Pop down to Liberty Avenue Reserve in Rowville for an evening of free family fun on Friday 17 January. There will be live music, an open circus play space, face painting, giant games, small inflatable silent disco and sausage sizzle.
- Head along to the Deans Marsh Sheepdog Trials from 17-19 January and watch a three-day test of skill, training and the bond between handler and dog.
- The Daredevil Rally roars into Mildura for one night only on 17 January
- The Eaglehawk FIlm Festival in Bendigo returns to the Star Cinema from 17-19 January.
- The Queenscliff Harbour Twilight Market is on 17 January,
- The Seymour War Memorial Outdoor Pool is celebrating its reopening on Friday, 17 January with an outdoor pool party.
- The NGV Kids Summer Festival, running until 17 January 2025 at NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Fed Square, offers a jam-packed schedule of free events for families to enjoy a selection of all-ages events, workshops and activities led by Victorian artists and creatives.
- The National Clydesdale and Heavy Horse Festival is happening at Werribee South on 18 January.
- The St Albans Family Fun Day is on 18 January.
- The Philip Island Model Railway Exhibition is on 18-19 January
- The Urban Cocktail Trail returns on 18 January for an incredible afternoon of bar-hopping and cocktail sipping in the Melbourne CBD.
- The Peninsula Craft Beer Fest is on in Mornington on 18 January.
- The Thai Pongal Tamil thanksgiving festival is being celebrated in Oakleigh on 18 January
- The Access and Inclusion Expo in Kilsyth on 18 January is an event dedicated to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities in the Yarra Ranges
- Join Namaste Yogis at the Point Cook Pop Up Park on 18 January for free children and family yoga classes,
- The Pampered Pet Market is on in Cowes on 18 January
- Brickvention returns to the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on 18-19 January when LEGO enthusiasts from around Australia and the world display their builds with hundreds of unique creative models built out of LEGO bricks.
- Dandenong Market is hosting Summer Sports Day on 18 January – a brand-new event for kids and families.
- The Melbourne Kite Flying Festival is on at the Werribee Racing club on 18 January.
- This Australian Open join Victorian Tennis Academy at Fawkner Park Tennis Centre in South Yarra on 18 January for the opportunity for your child to try tennis with their expert team.
- The Tamil Festival Australia is on 18 January at Caulfield Racecourse.
- Join in a evening of family fun at the Elwood Twilight Carnival & Market on Saturday 18 January.
- Celebrate Lunar New Year on Clayton Road, Clayton from Saturday 18 to Friday 31 January 2025. It will be 14 day celebration with a parade and festivities, including music, performances, and other cultural activities..
- The Geelong Beer Festival returns to the picturesque and iconic Johnstone Park, lined with palm trees, lush grass and a natural ampitheatre on 18 January
- The 2025 Colac Motorfest is on 18-19 January
- The Bendigo Rodeo is on Saturday 18 January
- The Yarra Valley Rodeo is on at the Yarra Glen Racecourse on 18 January
- Eat Drink Explore Bruthen on 18 January will feature delicious foods and drinks with a Gippsland focus, live music, cooking demonstrations, art, workshops and free kids activities in the beautiful, shady main street gardens of Bruthen.
- The 2025 Victorian Long Course Country Swimming Championships are being held in Mildura from 18-20 January.
- The Echuca Moama Triathlon and Multi Sport Festival is on 18-19 January.
- The 2025 Midsumma Festival will run from 19 January to 9 February.
- The Midsumma Carnival – the annual queer-day-out to kick start Midsumma Festival’s 22 days of celebration – will be on in the Alexandra Gardens on Sunday 19 January,
- The St Albans Lunar New Year Festival is on Sunday 19 January
- Join in a day of family fun and community spirit and celebrate the magic of flight at the Tarneit Kite Festival on 19 January.
- Celebrate the beloved queen of comedy and country music’s 79th birthday, with a screening of one of Dolly Parton’s most iconic films, on the Big Screen at Fed Square on 19 January.
- Step into a realm of spirituality and community at the Vibe and Tribe Market in Kilsyth on 19 January.
- The Point Nepean Portsea Market is on Sunday 19 January.
- Argonauts Day at the Hellenic Museum on 19 January will be an action-packed family festival transforming the Museum into an ancient playground full of hands-on activities, entertainment and tours
- Summer is sizzling in Stonnington this January with the return of Sunset Sounds for an unforgettable evening of live music in the Malvern Public Gardens on 19 January. The outdoor concert will showcase an exciting lineup of Melbourne’s finest artists in soul, funk, jazz and more.
- The annual 33rd Centre State Swap Meet and Show n Shine is on at the Bendigo Racecourse on 19 January.
- The Colac Motorfest Show N Shine is on 19 January
- The ARB Warrnambool International Sprintcar Carnival on 19 January is a Sprintcar only event paying a massive $15,000 to win
- The Daredevil Rally will be in Swan Hill on 19 January.
- The Warrnambool District Arts Society’s Summer Art Show runs until 19 January
- Make a splash this summer with a series of exciting Dive-in Cinema sessions at the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre (MAC), offering a unique indoor movie experience for all ages until 24 January.
- Summer StoryFest is a literary festival for children and youth at Merri-Bek libraries running until 24 January featuring author talks, workshops, and activities galore.
- Discover an epic fusion of music, entertainment, brand-new fan experiences plus blockbuster tennis at the 2025 edition of the Australian Open until 26 January.
- Splash Island is the new inflatable obstacle course at the Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre in Frankston, made up of different modules for balancing, climbing, jumping and sliding. It truly is the ultimate water adventure with slides, slopes and balance beams. They’re running eight 30-minute sessions daily until Sunday 26 January.
- Every Wednesday in January (8-23 January) your kids can bounce, slide, and play on giant inflatable attractions at the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
- Step Right Up! Experience a circus like never before: Circus Royale is at Waurn Ponds in Geelong until 26 January.
- Watch the Australian Open grand slam on the Big Screen live and free at Fed Square until-26 January.
- The Warrnambool Summer Night Markets is series of five fabulous events at Lake Pertobe commencing until 24 January.
- BOX MACHINE! is a fantastic new large-scale and interactive exhibition for children and their adults at Abbotsford Convent from until 25 January where giant heavy-duty cardboard machines, rollers, pipes, cogs and taps line the Magdalen Laundry ready for children to connect and deconstruct like giant building blocks.
- See the magic of Christmas and fairy tales brought to life in 3.3 million lights over 1000 dazzling light installations and displays, with theme park rides, Santa, and a spectacular drone lights show at Adventure Park Geelong’s Annual Christmas Festival of Lights until 25 January.
- The world’s largest galaxy collection of Star Wars fan items awaits at The District Docklands! Immerse yourself in the saga’s universe at The Fans Strike Back with an amazing setup and hundreds of official items including photos, posters, costumes, figures, and models, until 25 January.
- The Silvers Circus Spectacular will be at Mornington until 26 January.
- The Rye Summer Carnival returns to the Rye Foreshore until 26 January.
- Experience all the fun of the fair on Warrnambool’s Foreshore at the Warrnambool Summer Family Carnival untilto 26 January.
- The Apollo Bay Summer Carnival is on at the Apollo Bay Foreshore until 26 January.
- The Chants Summer Carnival is back in Lakes Entrance over four massive weekends until 26 January.
- Enjoy lavender season at Warratina Lavender Farm in the Yarra Valley until 26 January. Wander through rows upon rows of blooming lavender, relax in their manicured gardens, visit their drying shed for lavender talks or grab a snack at the tea rooms.
- The Summertime Fling Cellar Door Festival is a month-long celebration of wine, summer and good times in the scenic Macedon Ranges wine region running until 27 January
- Until 27 January, roll up for a celebration of all things round, bubbly and bouncy at Summersphere at Scienceworks.
- The Mordialloc Christmas Summer Carnival is on at Peter Scullin Reserve until 27 January presented by Smart Amusements.
- A new installation at Scienceworks called “Message in A Bottle” runs until 27 January 2025 featuring messages from Victorian primary students inside 320 recycled bottles that highlight the importance of recycling. and learn more about the process of recycling containers returned through Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme.
- Enjoy camel rides in Port Fairy until 27 January
- Until 27 January, beat the heat with misty strolls, underground adventures, icy treats, and more at Sovereign Hill!
- Gather your team for a two-hour adventure of pitch-black challenges and vibrant sensory workshops that push the limits of your five senses at SENSAS in South Yarra until 30 January.
- The TMNT: Heroes in a Half Shell Exhibition is an immersive experience that boasts five individual galleries that take visitors on a journey through the rich history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It’s now extended at District Docklands until 30 January.
- The St Kilda Affordable Art Show runs until 1 February and not only provides a forum for new and emerging artists but it allows the public to invest in some diverse affordable art.
- Medieval to Metal: The Art and Evolution of the Guitar makes its way to the Art Gallery of Ballarat until 2 February 2025. In this Australian exclusive, experience 40 guitars on loan from the National Guitar Museum (USA), alongside more than 100 spectacular works of art.
- The Koorie Art Show at Koorie Heritage Trust runs til 23 February andi s dedicated to showcasing the work of Koorie and Victorian-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists through a statewide call for entries.
- The Museum Of Desire is Melbourne’s new must-visit experience! Discover 20+ attractions celebrating all things desire, love and pleasure. Daring, fun, and a little bit cheeky — it’s totally your type. Until 28 February in Collingwood.
- Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street (HMLQS)’s rooftop pickleball court returns to the heart of Melbourne this summer, popping-up for an extended season until Friday 28 February.
- Until 3 March 2025, Rooftop at QT is hosting the Red Bull Rally Rooftop Pickleball Court, set against the breathtaking Melbourne skyline.
- CLAW MONEY WORLD – a world-exclusive exhibition charting the career of trailblazing artist Claudia Gold is on at the Warrnambool Art Gallery until 6 March.
- Enter Antopia at Melbourne Museum where you shrink down to the size of ants to experience a day in the life of an ant colony. Discover a complex and fascinating superorganism in this immersive, interactive experience that digitally reinterprets a world of secrets we cannot see. It runs until 10 March 2025.
- Get ready for unforgettable summer evenings when the Summer Night Market returns to Queen Victoria Market until 12 March 2025 (excluding 25 December and 1 January).
- Enjoy a curated program of free outdoor cinema on the Big Screen at Federation Square until 25 March including major blockbusters, Kung Fu classics, silent cinema with live scores, and film festival screenings.
- On display for the first time outside of Europe, Underground: The Hidden Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM) until 30 March with rare artefacts from the hidden archive of the Warsaw Ghetto.
- Moonlight Cinema is back at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens with a stellar line-up of some of 2024’s best releases, plus two weeks of classic ‘Christmas Favourites’ until March 2025.
- The NGV’s blockbuster Yayoi Kusama exhibition runs until 21 April and includes many works never-before-seen by local audiences and is the largest ever exhibition of the artist’s work in Australia.
- The Blue Lotus Water Garden at Yarra Junction is one of Australia’s most spectacular seasonal gardens open to the public until 21 April 2025. The tropically themed water garden covers 14 acres featuring millions of beautiful lotus, waterlily and other flowers, stunning lakes, amazing vistas and wonderful facilities
- After leaving an indelible mark on Melbourne’s memory, Vincent van Gogh’s vibrant works will return to THE LUME Melbourne until 30 April 2025. Back by popular demand, Van Gogh is an enchanting experience that immerses you in a powerful multisensory symphony of light, colour, sound and aroma.
- Immerse yourself in the future worlds of screen culture. The Future & Other Fictions showcases the people and artworks imagining bright and bold futures through film, videogames, contemporary art and more at ACMI until 27 April.
- Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition is a new immersive exhibition that relives the spectacular history of the Notre-Dame de Paris in an augmented takeover of the Long Room at the Immigration Museum until 27 April.
- The ever-popular Skyline Ferris Wheel makes its return in St Kilda until 27 April. Take in the breath-taking views of the St Kilda foreshore and pier with unparalleled views!
- Hanging Rock Winery’s Art in the Vines Sculpture Exhibition is an opportunity wander a trail of discovery, glass-in-hand, through an extraordinary exhibition of contemporary outdoor sculpture, until 30 April 2025.
- The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition on loan from the Natural History Museum London is now on display at the National Wool Museum in Geelong until 18 May.
- From cattle dogs to lap dogs, divine felines to the black cats of superstition a new exhibition coming to the National Gallery of Victoria called Cats & Dogs, will explore humanity’s deep connection to the beloved companion animals through more than 250 works of art and design. Its on display from until 20 July 2025 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square.
What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 13-19 January 2025
By Melbourning
