There’s a lot going on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week. Highlights include a LOT of Halloween-related activities, celebrations for Diwali and many other festivals and events taking advantage of the state’s unofficial Melbourne Cup long weekend.
- The Maroondah Wellbeing Expo for Seniors is on in Ringwood on 29 October.
- Cardinia Liesure is hosting a Seniors Sports Festival in Pakenham on 30 October
- Join the Bridge Inn at Mernda for a kids Halloween celebration on 30 October including face painting, dress ups and more.
- The Interstellar Groove Festival is an annual celebration of music, art, love, light, and cosmic delight at Nagambie. The 2024 event is on 31 October to 3 November.
- A roaring universe of frights and delights awaits at ACMI this spring, as a four-day festival celebrating the 70th anniversary of Godzilla takes over the building from 31 October – 3 November 2024.
- Discover the historic Silver Birches building in Croydon transformed into a new immersive Halloween House on 31 October
- Get your scariest costumes and sweet tooth ready and join in a night of spooky fun at the Old Cheese Factory in Berwick on 31 October.
- There’s a Halloween Twilight Market in Darley on 31 October
- Join Head Gardener David Murphy on 31 October for a twilight talk and walking tour of the Heide gardens and cottage, the original home of museum founders John and Sunday Reed. Learn about the spookier aspects of Heide’s history as Dave shares some lesser-known stories and even some unexplained sightings!
- Call in on Kew’s resident flying fox colony at a twilight Halloween Flying Fox Walk and Talk on Thursday 31 October.
- St Andrews Hotel’s Haunted Halloween on 31 October will feature a haunted house, trick or treating and more.
- The Nagambie Lakes Community House is hosting a Halloween Party on 31 October, with music, dancing and a haunted house to explore if you are brave enough.
- The Norlane Community Centre’s family Halloween event on 31 October will feature free activities, food and treat bags (limited number so get in fast) there is sure to be something for everyone.
- Step into the dark, eerie halls of the Old Melbourne Gaol this Halloween, where ghostly figures and shadowy tales await. Experience the thrill of exploring the notorious prison, cell by cell, and feel the spine-chilling atmosphere of the Old City Watch House on 31 October.
- Get ready for a spine-chilling Halloween adventure at Melbourne Museum on 31 October. Transforming into a supernatural wonderland, the museum promises a night filled with bone-rattling beats, wicked treats, and thrilling feats.
- Join Readings at the State Library on 31 October to celebrate the launch of Rosalie Ham’s Molly.
- Brace yourself for a night of spine-chilling suspense at Puffing Billy Railway’s most eerie event yet; A Night at the Museum – Halloween Experience. For three thrilling nights only – Thursday 31 October, Friday 1 November, and Saturday 2 November – passengers are invited to step into a gripping whodunit where every shadow hides a secret, and every sound sends shivers down your spine.
- IMAX Melbourne is celebrating seminal Aussie horror this Halloween with a special 10th anniversary screening of The Babadook on 31 October.
- Bring your best moves and your spookiest costumes for a night of fun at Powell Drive Park, Hoppers Crossing on 31 October. It’s a family-friendly evening out, where the music is thrilling, the treats are chilling, and the fun never stops.
- The Italian Sports Club of Werribee is hosting a Kids Halloween Party on 31 Octoberto raise funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital.
- There’s Halloween train rides at Mooroolbark on 31 October.
- Burwood Village in Camberwell’s free Halloween Street Party is back on 31 October.
- Get ready for a spooky adventure and Halloween extravaganza in Woodlands Park in Essendon on 31 October.
- Free treats and family fun await at Glen Waverley’s Halloween Extravaganza taking place from 31 October to 2 November in Kingsway.
- Spend Halloween at Coal Creek for an evening of creepy delights on 31 October. Collect a possessed passport as you enter and have fun being entertained by tricks while children collect their treats. Come dressed as your favourite character or as scary as you dare! Food vans and a coffee cart will be on site. Finish the evening with a frightful bonfire to warm your spooky bones.
- Stomp into LEGOLAND Discovery Centre at Chadstone on 31 October for a special family Halloween event.
- Scare in the Square – the annual free trick or treating event at Brentford Square in Forest Hill – is back for 2024 on 31 October.
- Go trick or treating at Halloween in Toorak Village on 31 October.
- Yarra Junction’s Halloween Street Party is taking place on 31 October.
- Join in a fun Halloween party night at the newly renovated Mildura Bowls Club on 31 October.
- Studley Park Boathouse in Kew is hosting a family fun event from 4pm on 31 October.
- Thee’s a night full of frightening fun suitable for all ages at the Bendigo Discovery Science and Technology Centre on 1 November with lots of spooky science, eerie experiments and prizes for best dressed!
- The Preston Market is holding an after school Halloween event on Friday 1 November.
- The Castlemaine Show is on 1-2 November.
- The 49th Maldon Folk Festival is on 1-4 November.
- The Molesworth Bluegrass and Country Music Festival is on in the Goulburn Valley on 1 November
- The Port Fairy Show is on Saturday 1 November.
- The Flinders Community Art Show is on 1-3 November.
- 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 1 November 2024 to 20 July 2025 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square.
- Join in The Good Life – an unforgettable three-day festival of wine, art, food, design, and culture to commemorate 160 years of All Saints Estate at Wahgunyah from 1-3 November.
- Silvers Circus will be in Epping from 1-10 November.
- Starting from 1 November, the Shrine will begin its 11 Days of Remembrance program as part of its 90th anniversary, reflecting on the memorial’s enduring legacy.
- Lido Cinemas is getting shagadelic with the international man of mystery himself, at its triple-feature trilogy screening of Britain’s “superior” secret agent, Austin Powers on 1 November. Hosted by the incredible Aubrey Haive (RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under S2)
- The Lorne Sculpture Biennal is on from 2-30 November,
- The Upper Yarra Valley Open Garden Weekend is happening on 2-4 November.
- The 2024 Geelong Gem, Crystal and Jewellery Show is on at the Geelong West Town Hall on 2-3 November.
- The Castlemaine and District Festival of Gardens is on 2-10 November
- The Ballarat Big Vinyl Dig is being held a the North Ballarat Sports Club on 2 November.
- Get ready for a smoking time at Smoke On The Water – Wodonga on 2-3 November
- Mildura Rural City Council’s Electric Vehicle Showcase will return on 2 November.
- Wang’s Big Record Fair is back for another year, coinciding with Wangaratta’s Festival of Jazz and Blues on 2-3 November.
- The St Andrews Road Spring Festival is on in Shepparton on 2 November.
- Celebrate Diwali (Festival of Lights) at Point Cook Pop Up Park on 2 November.
- The spring Urban Wine Walk is on in Fitzroy on 2 November.
- The Oakleigh Library is holding a book sale on 2 November.
- Celebrate Spring at the annual Duneira Bluebell Festival in Mount Macedon on 2-3 November.
- The inaugural Kingston Diwali will be held on 2 November 2024 from 1.30pm – 9.00pm at Keeley Park Reserve, Clayton South.
- The Victoria Spring Festival is on in Melton on 2 November.
- The Coleraine Show is on 2 November.
- Get ready for a spooktacular night on the ice at iceHQ in Reservoir’s Halloween ice skating on Saturday 2 November where ghosts, ghouls, and goblins are gathering for an evening of chills and thrills on the rink.
- Halloween is back, in all its creepy, spooky glory at Kew Junction with trick or treating, dress ups and a haunted house on 2 November.
- Join in a spooky and fun Kids Halloween Evening at Royal Park Golf Course in Parkville on 2 November, featuring costumes, games, and treats galore!
- The 2024 Whittlesea Show is on 2-4 November.
- Habitat Fest in Dromana on 2 November will feature live music, art installations, delicious food pop-ups, and fun kids’ entertainment.
- Wyndham Diwali is taking place at President’s Park in Wyndham Vale on 2 November
- Celebrate Diwali – Festival of Lights at the Deer Park Club on 2 November
- Experience the vibrant culture of Diwali with live music, cultural performances, and fun-filled games for the whole family at Pipeworks Market in Thomastown on 2-3 November.
- Join the Springvale Homemaker Centre for for a dazzling celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights on 2 November.
- Melbourne’s Federation Square will come alive with colour and celebration for Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, this Saturday 2 November.
- Melbourne’s biggest costume party – Luna Dark – is back for 2024 for double the screams on select dates until 2 November.
- There’s a record fair at The Tote Hotel in Collingwood on 2 November
- Melbourne’s Annual Wedding Expo is on Sunday 3 November at the Melbourne Showgrounds.
- The Westside Big Vinyl Dig is being held at the Williamstown Italian Social Club on 3 November.
- The annual Coolart Community Picnic at Coolart Wetlands and Homestead Reserve in Somers is on 3 November with live music, face painting, big bubbles, gnome hunt, food trucks, and free entry.
- The Alexandra Spring Fair is on 3 November.
- Step back in time at the Wreckfest Rare Trades Festival within the historic Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool on 3 November, where cobblestone streets and heritage buildings provide the perfect backdrop for a day of traditional craftsmanship and festive fun.
- Metartworld is hosting a variety of Halloween-themed activities for 2024 that promise a spooky and artistic experience until 3 November.
- Discover the captivating story of Melbourne’s iconic Arts Centre, at a limited-edition tour of the architectural, art and interior design highlights of Melbourne’s Theatres Building as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations. The tours will take place until 9 November 2024.
- There is an exhibition celebrating the 60th anniversary of Victoria’s Sogetsu School of Ikebana (the Japanese art of arranging flowers and plant materials) featuring works by teachers and students from the School at the Whitehorse Artspace in Box Hill until 23 November.
- 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,
- 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.
