What’s on in Melbourne and regional Victoria this week: 11-17 November 2024

Lots happening around the state again this week:

• Until 11 November the Shrine is running its 11 Days of Remembrance program as part of its 90th anniversary, reflecting on the memorial’s enduring legacy.
• All are welcome to join for the Victorian State Remembrance Service at The Shrine on 11 November. Veterans, war widows, and current defence members can travel for free on public transport to Remembrance Day services.
• Join Readings at the Emporium on 11 November to hear Collette Dinnigan in conversation with Australian icon, Kate Ceberano, to celebrate the launch of Bellissima: An Australian–Italian Affair.
• Celebrate the flawed, complex and morally grey characters who smash the boundaries of traditional heroism at ACMI’s Anti-Hero Takeover until 13 November.
• Equitana – showcasing the world of horses – is back at the Melbourne Showgrounds from 14-17 November.
• The Melbourne Queer Film Festival returns from 14-24 November.
• A new writers festival – A Day in Carlton Festival will occur on 15-16 November.
• The Bacchus Marsh Strawberry and Cherry Festival is on 15-17 November 
• The free African Music and Cultural Festival is back at Fed Square for another year from 15-17 November.
• Get ready to explore the world at The Greatest Travel Show, coming to the Novotel Melbourne on Collins Street from November 15-17.
• Australasia’s premier bluegrass and old time music festival, Mountaingrass, is on in Bright 15-17 November 
• The Omeo and District Show is on 15-17 November 
• The Gippsland CraftAlive Market is on at Lardner Park Warragul on 15-17 November 
• The 2024 North Bellarine Film Festival (NBFF) will be held on 15-16 November at Parks Hall in Portarlington. 
• The Kyneton Show is on 15-16 November
• The MindBodySpirit Festival returns to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 15-17 November 2024 with more than 200 exhibitors.
• Garden DesignFest 2024 – Featuring gardens by some of Australia’s most talented landscape designers is happening around Melbourne from 16-17 November. 
• The Peninsula Studio Trail’s Artists Open Studio Weekend is on 16-17 November
• Explore unique arts and crafts from local artists and makers in time for Christmas at the Wyreena Summer Makers Market in Croydon on 16 November.
• The spring Urban Wine Walk is on in Prahran on 16 November.
• The Lilydale and Yarra Valley Show is on 16-17 November. 
• The Fish Creek Children’s Festival of Stories is on 16-17 November 
• The Victorian Medieval Festival is on 16 November at Ballarats Kryal Castle.
• Budburst in the Macedon Ranges on 16-17 November is a once-a-year opportunity to come behind the vines and meet the family-owned and small-batch makers that shape mainland Australia’s coolest wine region. 
• The Noorat Show on 16 November is the best one-day agricultural show between Geelong and the South Australian border.
• A single-day music festival on Dja Dja Wurrung Country / Castlemaine on Saturday 16 November, Town Folk celebrates the diverse, compelling and exciting sounds which live under the ever-widening umbrella of folk.
• The Murrindindi Harvest Festival is on 16 November in Yea 
• The St Georges Road Food Festival in Shepparton on 16 November is a family friendly event, featuring live music and performances, traditional food stalls, food trucks and local restaurants, offering something for every palette.
• Celebrate the history of Bonegilla and its residents at Discover Bonegilla at the Bonegilla Migrant Experience near Wodonga on Saturday 16 November.
• The Moorabbin Air Museum Open Weekend is on 16-17 November.
• Join wine producers, distributors, distillers, and brewers, showing their product in the magnificent Abbotsford Convent at the Calypso Wine Party on 16 November.
• Celebrate the Gippsland beer scene with a day-long festival of beer, food and music at the Gippsland Beer Fest in Tinamba on 16 November.
• The Melbourne City FC Fan Festival is back! Get ready for an afternoon of action-packed fun and exclusive access to your favourite City stars on Saturday 16 November at Casey Fields in Cranbourne East.
• The Melbourne Lift Off Film Festival is being held from 17 November to 1 December.
• The Box Hill Miniature Steam Railway’s November public running day is on 17 November
• The East Malvern Food and WIne Festival is happening in Central Park on 17 November 
• The annual 5km and 10km Eltham Fun Run and Walk will be held on Sunday 17 November 
• Fawkner Festa is a free outdoor community event that celebrates and showcases the vibrant and diverse community of Fawkner. The 2024 edition is on 17 November at CB Smith Reserve.
• The Frankston Running Festival on 17 November is a unique opportunity for elite athletes and fun run enthusiasts to experience running along a traffic-free Nepean Highway with the stunning backdrop of Port Phillip Bay. 
• The annual Somers Art Fair is on 17 November. 
• The Wyndham Makers & Farmers Market Twilight Christmas Market is on at the Werribee Racing Club on 17 November.
• The New To You pre-loved clothing market will be at the Williamstown Town Hall on 17 November.
• The Vegan Market Christmas edition is happening at Seaworks Maritime Precinct in WIlliamstown on 17 November.
• This year’s Whitehorse Spring Festival will be held on Sunday 17 November in Nunawading.
• The 4th annual Bird Lovers Expo is on at the Hungarian Community Centre in Wantirna on 17 November.
• Enjoy creative workshops, art activities, sports clinics, stage programming, roving entertainment and food trucks with a diverse range of offerings at the Malahang Festival in Heidelberg West on 17 November.
• On display for the first time outside of Europe, Underground: The Hidden Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto, opens at Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM) from 17 November – 30 March with rare artefacts from the hidden archive of the Warsaw Ghetto.
• Head to Preston Market’s Latin Day Festival on 17 November for a vibrant celebration of everything Latino at the multicultural hub of Melbourne’s north.
• 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 from 17 November to 25 January. 
• Puppy Pride is a free family-friendly event to celebrate pride and puppies in the beauty of Kyneton’s Botanic Gardens on 17 November.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Lorne Sculpture Biennal is on until 30 November.
• The British Film Festival is on until 8 December in Melbourne and Ballarat. 
• 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 on at District Docklands until Sunday 22 December.
• 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.
• Step back in time and experience the magic of a traditional 1880s Christmas at Como House in South Yarra. Wander through the beautifully decorated rooms, each brimming with festive charm, and immerse yourself in the Christmas preparations of a grand 1880s household until 8 January
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 until 20 July 2025 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square. 
• Step back in time and experience the magic of a traditional 1880s Christmas at Como House in South Yarra. Wander through the beautifully decorated rooms, each brimming with festive charm, and immerse yourself in the Christmas preparations of a grand 1880s household until 8 January