What’s on in Melbourne this summer
Teleisha Thomas
November 2022We've done the research for you. Discover a curated collection of the best things to do in Melbourne this summer.
Art, Culture & Design
The Alexander McQueen Mind, Mythos, Muse exhibition opens at the NGV on the 11th of December. The exhibition, organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria, this is the first major Australian exhibition to explore McQueen’s thought-provoking and singular viewpoint. The exhibition showcases over 120 garments and accessories alongside more than 80 artworks from a multitude of eras and cultures. The Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen continues to evolve as one of Victoria’s most important cultural institutions, visit over summer for a collection of unique exhibits including Things That Will Not Sit Still, open until January 2023, explores the shifting nature of perception, art and ideas. Until January next year, you can see Hamilton at Her Majesty’s Theatre, the boundary-pushing, history-making musical that has been making waves globally since 2015. Discover the complete works of the French impressionists with the multi-sensory art experience at The Lume with Monet & Friends.
Sport
Of course, the iconic Australian Open will be returning to Melbourne in January. The first tennis Grand Slam of the year is always a major event, and the AO has turned up the atmosphere in recent years with the addition of live music, activations and some of Melbourne’s best restaurant pop-ups. In 2023, the Australian Open’s Beach House returns. The Beach House sees the northern side of Melbourne Park transformed into a vibrant beach club complete with private cabanas and a double-storey bar crowned with a DJ booth towering over Melbourne Park – ensuring it will be the place to be seen this summer. Of course, the Cricket Test Match on Boxing Day at the MCG is another fan favourite and this year, Australia vs. South Africa, will be just as popular.
Music
Good food, fine wine and great music in magnificent locations – welcome to A Day on the Green. One of Australia’s premier and most popular outdoor concert events takes place from October – March, with around 30 concerts per season in all the major wine-growing regions around Australia. This year in Victoria ticketholders will have the opportunity to see Crowded House, The Teskey Brothers, Robbie Williams and much more. One of Melbourne’s favourite open-air venues, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl will host – among plenty of others – both Vance Joy and Jack Johnson this summer.
Food & Wine
As always, Melbourne’s run of new restaurant and café openings continues. In Prahran, new arrival Don’s is a tiny wine bar right across from Prahran Market. Arbory Afloat returns to the Yarra, this year as a Spanish beach club. Melbourne’s favourite floating bar has a new look thanks to interior designer Tamsin Johnson. In the north, Fitzroy’s new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, Oko is a moody new diner that prioritises staff wellbeing. The Glen Iris Pantry opposite Ferndale Park has been operating for 35 years but has now entered a new era. By day, it’s a bright, breezy coffee and brunch spot called Pantry Glen Iris and by might it morphs into Too Good Talker, an entirely Asian-inspired diner and cocktail bar. Over in Albert Park, a new daytime diner called Halcyon Days has opened in the corner spot previously home to Fat Albert. The space is minimalist with plenty of character, food-wise it mostly homey and European-inspired.
Out of town
Heading away for the weekend? The food and cultural scene extends way past Melbourne’s inner suburbs. In the state’s north-west and all within a half-hour from each other sit Woodend, Castlemaine, Daylesford and Ballarat. The area’s rich history makes it a mecca for day-trippers, long-weekenders, and young families looking for a long-term treechange.
Ballarat
Until January 2023, the Art Gallery of Ballarat will be celebrating the rich lives and the diverse crews about traditional pirate ships in their exhibit, Under the Black Flag.
Thorpdale
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (MFWF) has announced a special 10-day regional edition from November 18 to 27 across regional Victoria. Highlights include a two-day Village Feast in the Gippsland village of Thorpdale with a degustation and pop-ups from some of Australia’s best chefs.
Daylesford
Art galleries abound in Central Victoria. Pay a visit to The Mill in Castlemaine, a hub for foodies, creatives and lovers of art. In Woodend, visit the iconic Hanging Rock, or over in Daylesford a visit to the Hepburn Springs is essential.
Bendigo
Until November, head to Bendigo for the Bloom Festival, where a boulevard of more than 50,000 tulips will bloom and brighten the streets.
Mornington Peninsula
Thanks to its sparkling sea and plentiful shops, restaurants, and cafes, always heaving Mornington Peninsula comes into its own over the summer months when hordes of Melburnian’s flock to the area. This summer will be no different thanks in part to the recently re-opened and renovated Continental Sorrento hotel which hosts both Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve events.
