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The Best Spring School Holiday Activities in Melbourne 2026
Keep the little ones entertained all with the best school holiday activities in Melbourne.
Melbourne’s spring school holidays are packed with things to do from 24 September to 4 October 2026, from the Melbourne Royal Show and SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium’s Animal Crossing takeover to Luna Park’s SCREAMTIME and family sleepovers beneath the dinosaurs at Melbourne Museum. There are free Grand Final week events at Yarra Park, kids’ festivals, theatre, workshops and plenty of rainy-day options across the city.
Spring holidays arrive just as Melbourne starts showing off again. The afternoons stretch a little longer, gardens wake up, footy fever takes over the city and suddenly there are two weeks to fill with showbags, rollercoasters, museum adventures, outdoor play and enough sugar-fuelled detours to exhaust even the most energetic small person.
This year’s line-up is especially fun. The Melbourne Royal Show returns in all its farmyard-and-fairy-floss glory, museums and galleries are handing creative control to kids, and Southbank, Docklands and the city’s parks are filling with books, performances, films and spring sunshine. Melbourne’s inevitable weather plot twist is covered too, with IMAGINATOR, SEA LIFE and plenty of indoor adventures ready for the rainy days.
Here are the best school holiday activities in Melbourne this spring.
In This Guide
Free and Low-Cost School Holiday Activities in Melbourne
Footy Fest at Yarra Park
Grand Final week spills into Yarra Park with four days of free footy madness, player appearances, clinics, giveaways and live entertainment. Kids can try Auskick and Superkick, step into the AFL PLAY Clubhouse for VR umpiring and footy-themed activities, or simply have a kick before catching performances across the family stages. The Grand Final Parade finishes here on Friday, with The Wiggles performing at Footy Fest afterwards.
When: 23–26 September 2026; Wednesday–Thursday 10am–5pm, Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 9am–7pm
Where: Yarra Park, East Melbourne
Cost: Free; no bookings required.
Best For: Families, footy fans, free school holiday activities, Grand Final week
Need To Know: Friday is the big family day: The Wiggles perform from 9.30am before the Grand Final Parade starts at 10.30am, with the teams and Premiership Cup presented at Footy Fest around midday. The festival is cashless and continues in wet weather, although some outdoor activities may be delayed if conditions are poor.
Children’s Play: Ragnar Kjartansson
Cake sculptures, costumes and a stage kids are actually allowed to take over. Children’s Play: Ragnar Kjartansson turns the NGV Children’s Gallery into a theatrical feast, with little visitors invited to draw imaginary foods, stack giant colourful cushions into towering desserts and invent their own performances using sets, props and costumes.
It’s completely free, all on one level and designed for all ages, making it one of the easiest school-holiday wins in the CBD.
When: Until 4 October 2026, daily 10am–5pm
Where: NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Cost: Free; no bookings or tickets required.
Best For: Families, all ages, creative kids, rainy days, free school holiday activities
Need To Know: The exhibition is entirely on one level and wheelchair accessible, with pram parking available outside the gallery. A free sensory guide is available for neurodivergent visitors, and a quieter Relaxed Session runs on 22 September from 5.30pm–7.30pm.
Obang 오방
Step inside a Korean grandmother’s home and let the smallest family members lead the way. Obang 오방 has returned to ArtPlay as a free, self-guided installation for ages zero to five, built around the Korean idea of five colours, five directions and five spaces. Little ones can crawl, touch and explore their way through a multi-sensory house inspired by traditional Korean living and East Asian philosophy.
When: Thursdays to Sundays, 10am–4pm, until 13 June 2027
Where: ArtPlay, Russell Street Extension, Birrarung Marr, Melbourne
Cost: Free; no bookings required.
Best For: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, families, sensory play
Need To Know: Obang is designed specifically for children aged 0–5 and their caregivers, and families can explore the self-guided installation at their own pace. The venue has mobility access and accessible toilets, and no advance booking is needed.
SkyHigh Mt Dandenong
Spring school holidays turn SkyHigh Mt Dandenong into a weekday kids’ festival, with free activities for ages five to 12 running across the break. Expect bouncy castles, pony rides, mini-golf, circus workshops, wildlife encounters, face painting and Igor the Giant’s treasure hunt, with the line-up changing daily.
The hedge maze is open too, weather permitting, with sweeping Melbourne views making the drive feel worthwhile even after the sugar rush subsides.
When: 22 September–1 October 2026, weekdays only
Where: SkyHigh Mt Dandenong, 26 Observatory Road, Mount Dandenong
Cost: School-holiday activities are free for children aged 5–12; parking is $10 per car during school holidays. Maze entry is extra at $8 adults, $6 children or $22 for a family.
Best For: Families, kids aged 5–12, outdoor activities, free school holiday fun
Need To Know: Activities change each weekday and can be altered or cancelled due to weather or performer availability, so check the daily program before heading up. The maze is open during the school holidays from 12pm–5pm, weather permitting, and closes in poor weather or on total fire-ban days.
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Melbourne Royal Show
The Melbourne Royal Show is back for 11 days of baby animals, showbags, rides and the sort of glorious sensory overload school holidays were made for. New for 2026 is an expanded Animal Nursery, PAW Patrol Playland, three new carnival rides and The Great Muster, where working dogs, sheep and goats put country skills on show. More than 5,000 animals and 400 showbags round out the classics.
When: 24 September–4 October 2026
Where: Melbourne Showgrounds, Ascot Vale
Cost: Tickets from $27 children, $52 adults and $105 families; children four and under free.
Best For: Families, kids, outdoor activities, unique experiences
Need To Know: Stay after dark for The Drover’s Tale, freestyle motocross and nightly fireworks, all included with entry.
SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken over SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium for spring, bringing Isabelle, Blathers and a cast of island favourites into the underwater world. Kids can follow a stamp rally through the aquarium, collect embossed stamps, spot characters including Fang, Stitches and Flip, and match game-world facts with the real marine life swimming beside them. Isabelle is also appearing for daily meet-and-greets during the school holidays.
Beyond the Nintendo takeover, there are king and gentoo penguins, jellyfish, sharks, rays and resident mega croc Coowonga, plus the new Rocky Shores zone. It’s an easy win for a rainy spring day, especially for Animal Crossing devotees.
When: 16 September–8 November 2026
Where: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, King Street, Melbourne
Cost: Animal Crossing is included with general admission. Kids tickets are $19 for a limited time, with general admission otherwise from $39 for children and $53 for adults during school holidays.
Best For: Families, Animal Crossing fans, rainy days, kids aged 2–15
Need To Know: Isabelle meet-and-greets run daily during the school holidays at 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm, with each session lasting 25 minutes. Arrive early as queues can close once capacity is reached. The $19 kids ticket is available for visits from 16 September–22 October, and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
Luna Park
Springtime is officially SCREAMTIME at Luna Park, with school-holiday rides, carnival games and fairy floss beneath that famous grin. The heritage-listed Great Scenic Railway is still the star, but the newly restored Luna Palace is worth a look too, bringing back the Palace Dodgems alongside a refreshed arcade packed with classic and modern games.
When: 19 September–4 October 2026
Where: Luna Park, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda
Cost: Unlimited rides $47 for ages 4–12, $57 for ages 13+; under fours free. Family passes are $175 for four people.
Best For: Families, thrill-seekers, kids aged 4+, classic Melbourne fun
Need To Know: Luna Park is open every day of the school holidays and popular dates can sell out, so pre-booking is recommended. Ride access is based on height rather than age: the Great Scenic Railway is 110cm+ to ride alone, while kids 100–110cm can ride with a ticket-holding adult. Wet weather can temporarily close the Scenic Railway and some other rides.
Indoor and Rainy-Day Options
Melbourne Museum
If your kid has ever wanted to sleep beneath a dinosaur skeleton, Melbourne Museum has taken that dream rather seriously. Its Family Museum Sleepovers return this spring, with Night at the Museum on the IMAX screen, torchlight tours through Dinosaur Walk and Our Wondrous Planet, an Ecosa mattress beneath the fossils, hot breakfast and an early-morning Baby Triceratops meet-and-greet. It is, quite possibly, the ultimate school-holiday sleepover.
Daytime is stacked too. The museum’s new permanent Our Wondrous Planet exhibition moves through ice, soil, forest and reef ecosystems with more than 800 animals, immersive projections and hands-on interactives. Spring’s Roman theme continues with Creative Lab: Rise of the Gladiators, a 30-minute workshop where kids aged 12 and under design their own gladiator mask, while Mosaic Monuments lets families colour a tile and contribute it to a growing Roman-inspired artwork in the museum foyer.
When: Spring school holiday program runs 19 September–4 October 2026
Where: Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Cost: Kids 16 and under enter free. Our Wondrous Planet and Mosaic Monuments are included with museum entry; Rise of the Gladiators is $12 per child ($10 members).
Best For: Families, kids aged 6–12, rainy days, dinosaur lovers
Need To Know: Rise of the Gladiators is a 30-minute workshop for ages 6–12, while Mosaic Monuments is a free drop-in activity from 11am–3pm. Family Museum Sleepovers are ticketed separately from $225 and include the overnight dinosaur sleep, IMAX snacks, torchlight tours, hot breakfast, next-day museum entry and overnight parking.
IMAGINATOR
Shoes off, socks on, reality slightly rearranged. IMAGINATOR turns the space beneath the Melbourne Star into an hour-long playground of light, sound and digital art, with families free to move through each installation at their own pace. Kids can plunge from the four-metre Airjump, disappear into the kaleidoscopic Chroma Room, tackle digital mazes or strike up a conversation with resident AI, Atom.
There are slower moments among the spectacle too: illuminated parachutes suspended above the Parachute Cinema, spatial sound, smoke and shifting colour, plus a lantern hunt designed for younger visitors. It’s immersive without strapping on a headset, and an excellent rainy-day option when everyone needs somewhere to burn off school-holiday energy.
When: Until 30 September 2026
Where: Under the Melbourne Star, 440 Docklands Drive, Docklands
Cost: Adults $29.95; children/concession $27.95; family pass $88; children under three free.
Best For: Families, kids, rainy days, immersive experiences
Need To Know: Sessions run for up to one hour and guests should arrive 15 minutes early. Shoes come off before entry, with complimentary socks supplied if needed. Prams are best left in the foyer, and school-holiday hours are 10am–6pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am–7pm Friday and Saturday.
Shows, Performances and Festivals for Kids
Melbourne Festival of Puppetry
Melbourne gets wonderfully weird this school holidays as the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry spreads across La Mama, Arts Centre Melbourne, ACMI and beyond. Younger crowds get Where Is the Green Sheep?, Little Blue Dot, Puss in Boots and TRINKET the robot, alongside puppet-making workshops and free creatures roaming the streets of Carlton.
Older kids aren’t an afterthought. The festival’s teen program includes Strange Creatures, a five-day workshop for 11 to 15-year-olds building puppets, animation, sound and an entire strange new world inspired by Studio Ghibli before performing it publicly. After dark, things get stranger again at The Motley Wherehaus, where the mostly 13+ program moves through dark comedy, experimental theatre and late-night puppetry. Bonkel Theatre joins Vanessa Ellis for Embellish, a 55-minute work of light, shadow and sound, and is also among the weird and wonderful roving performers appearing around the venue each night.
The best freebie is The Puppet Picnic, with performances, workshops and giant roaming creatures taking over the Carlton-Parkville Highrise Estate gardens. Giant Central Victorian blowflies are genuinely on the bill.
When: 22–27 September 2026
Where: Various Melbourne venues, including La Mama, Arts Centre Melbourne, ACMI, The Motley Wherehaus and Carlton
Cost: Free and ticketed events; The Puppet Picnic is free
Best For: Families, creative kids and teens, theatre kids, puppet obsessives and anyone whose school holiday brief is “please, not another playground”
Need To Know: Kids’ workshops run for 60 minutes and require a parent or carer onsite. The teen program stretches up to 15, while most shows at The Motley Wherehaus are suitable for 13+; check individual listings, as some have higher age recommendations. If workshops are sold out, head for The Puppet Picnic or follow the free puppet treasure hunt through Carlton.
Melbourne Kids Book Fest
Andy Griffiths, a bookish escape room and two days of literary magic? Consider the school holidays sorted. Melbourne Kids Book Fest brings some of Australia’s best-loved authors and illustrators to Southbank for storytelling, workshops, scavenger hunts and signings, with names including Maxine Beneba Clarke, Davina Bell and Adrian Beck joining the line-up.
There’s also a free Festival Hub with storytime, craft, Australian animals and live performances.
When: 2–3 October 2026, 10am–4pm
Where: Southgate Melbourne, Southbank
Cost: Free Festival Hub; ticketed sessions from $30–$50.
Best For: Kids aged 5–13, families, book lovers
Need To Know: Workshops are split by age group and children must be accompanied by an adult at all times; accompanying adults don’t need a ticket.
The Greatest Magic Show
After a sell-out Melbourne season in April, The Greatest Magic Show is back for just two school-holiday performances. Magicians Sam and Justin mix big-stage illusions, comedy and plenty of audience participation, with kids encouraged to get involved rather than simply watch from their seats. Every child receives a free magic wand on arrival and a few lucky volunteers may even find themselves on stage. Best suited to ages four to 12.
When: 23–24 September 2026, 10.30am
Where: Spiegel Haus Melbourne, 217 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Cost: Tickets $26–$39.
Best For: Kids aged 4–12, families, magic lovers, live theatre
Need To Know: The show runs for around 60 minutes and includes audience participation and theatrical haze. Every child receives a free magic wand on entry, and some may be invited on stage. The venue is wheelchair accessible, with level-access seating available on request.
The Australian Ballet: The Nutcracker
A Christmas tree that grows towards the ceiling, whirling snowflakes and a Sugar Plum Fairy dressed in candy-floss pink: The Australian Ballet’s The Nutcracker returns to Melbourne for just eight performances. Sir Peter Wright’s lavish production pairs Tchaikovsky’s famous score with John F Macfarlane’s storybook sets and costumes, making it a beautiful first ballet for younger theatre-goers. It also marks the company’s return to the newly refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre.
When: 24–31 October 2026
Where: Ian Potter State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne
Cost: Tickets from $65; running time approximately 2 hours 5 minutes including a 25-minute interval.
Best For: Families, kids aged 6+, first-time ballet-goers, theatre lovers
Need To Know: The Australian Ballet recommends The Nutcracker for children aged six and over. The production includes theatrical haze, strobe and flash lighting, plus a single gunshot midway through Act One; latecomers may need to wait until a suitable break or interval before entering.
FAQs
Melbourne’s spring school holidays run from 19 September to 4 October 2026, with the Melbourne Royal Show, Luna Park’s SCREAMTIME season, SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium’s Animal Crossing takeover and Melbourne Museum’s Our Wondrous Planet exhibition among the standout options. Free events include Footy Fest at Yarra Park during Grand Final week and the toddler-friendly Obang installation at ArtPlay. Families after a big day out are well served by the Royal Show or Luna Park, while those wanting a lower-cost option can lean on the free festivals and gallery activities running across the CBD and Southbank throughout the break.
Yes, several. Footy Fest at Yarra Park runs free across four days during Grand Final week with Auskick clinics and live entertainment. Obang at ArtPlay is a free, self-guided sensory installation for under-fives, running well beyond the holidays. Children’s Play: Ragnar Kjartansson at NGV International is also free and suited to all ages. SkyHigh Mt Dandenong runs free weekday activities for ages five to 12 across the break, though parking and maze entry incur separate costs. Between these options, families can fill several days without paying for entry.
Melbourne Museum and IMAGINATOR are the two strongest indoor options this spring. Melbourne Museum’s new Our Wondrous Planet exhibition is included with free entry for under-16s, alongside a Roman-themed gladiator mask workshop and museum sleepovers. IMAGINATOR, under the Melbourne Star at Docklands, is a fully indoor, immersive light and digital art experience suited to primary-aged kids and younger. Both work as full wet-weather backups without needing to brave the outdoors.
Obang at ArtPlay is purpose-built for ages zero to five, a free, multi-sensory installation themed around a Korean grandmother’s home. SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium and Melbourne Museum both work well for toddlers too, with low-intensity, stroller-friendly layouts and shorter visit options. Children’s Play: Ragnar Kjartansson at NGV is also pitched at all ages, with soft, tactile elements. For very young children, these four venues offer the gentlest entry points into the spring program.
It depends on the event. Ticketed experiences such as the Melbourne Royal Show, Luna Park, The Greatest Magic Show and The Australian Ballet’s Nutcracker are best booked in advance, particularly for weekend sessions. Free events including Footy Fest at Yarra Park, Obang and Children’s Play at NGV require no bookings at all. Melbourne Museum’s Family Sleepovers are a notable exception and typically sell out well ahead of the date, so these should be booked as early as possible once dates are announced.
Now that you are sorted with the best school holiday activities in Melbourne, why not plan a little day trip with the family once you’ve ticked off the city highlights? Take a short road trip to explore everything Phillip Island, the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsula have to offer.
