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What’s On in Melbourne: Your Ultimate Guide for October & Beyond
Everything to see and do this month in Melbourne (and beyond).
The best things to do in Melbourne in October 2026 and beyond are making a very strong argument for keeping your calendar at full capacity. Spring has well and truly arrived, and the city’s cultural calendar is hitting its stride. Melbourne Fringe Festival has one final weekend of boundary-pushing theatre, comedy, cabaret and experimental performance before wrapping up on 18th October, while Melbourne International Jazz Festival takes over from 16th to 25th October, bringing more than 550 artists, international headliners, intimate club shows and free performances to the city.
Fashion is having its moment, too. Melbourne Fashion Week returns from 19th to 25th October with runway shows, emerging designers, exhibitions and creative conversations across the CBD. Over at NGV Australia, the major Margaret Preston retrospective continues until January, while the gallery’s newest exhibition, Passage: The Art of Atong Atem, opens on 30th October.
And the diary only gets busier. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, bringing costume parties, spooky after-dark experiences and plenty of excuses to get dressed up and stay out late. November keeps the cultural momentum going, with Melbourne Queer Film Festival returning from 13th to 22nd November, while the free NGV Triennial opens on 13th December, bringing a fresh wave of contemporary art and design into summer. From major exhibitions and live music to fashion, theatre, festivals and sun-soaked weekends worth making plans around, here’s everything to see, book and experience in Melbourne now and next.
In This Guide
Editor’s Picks
Put Your Stamp on a Fashion Icon
A staple of fashion insiders’ wardrobes with a history stretching back to 1993, Longchamp’s cult Le Pliage is getting the personal treatment at the Maison’s My Pliage pop-up at Chadstone. Bringing its design-your-own experience offline in Australia for the first time, the pop-up lets you explore the bags in person and watch your customisations take shape in 3D.
Choose from seven styles, including totes, travel bags and a new coin purse (perfect for gifting), then play with colours, prints, leather trims and hardware at interactive touchscreen stations. Finish with embossed initials or a hidden message inside. Once you’re happy, your design will be sent over to Longchamp’s atelier in France and handcrafted to order. It takes around six weeks to arrive, so consider this your cue to get your Christmas list underway.
Where: Chadstone Shopping Centre
When: Until 27 October 2026
Cost: Price varies, depending on item and customisations selected
Best For: Premium experiences; New openings; Solo plans; Weekend plans; Locals
Sitchu’s ROAM Is Popping Up at Chéri for One Morning Only
Your Thursday coffee run is getting a very lovely upgrade. To celebrate the release of ROAM, our new coffee table book dedicated to Australia’s most beautiful escapes, Sitchu is taking over South Melbourne favourite Chéri for one morning only. Join us for a little midweek wanderlust, excellent coffee and a celebration of the places worth travelling for, from coastal hideaways to country towns and everything in between.
We’re bringing some beautiful friends along for the occasion, too, with special treats and prizes from Sodii, T2, Loco Love, FUNDAY, Go-To and Ficifolia, plus gorgeous florals by Crushes Studio. Pop by, say hello and start plotting your next Australian adventure. We’ll see you there!
Thursday 22 October, 8.30am–10.30am
Chéri, 285–287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne
Melbourne Sculpture Biennale Turns an 1878 Mansion Inside Out
An 1878 mansion, 20 contemporary artists and a rather beautiful collision of past and present. For two more weekends, Brighton’s historic Billilla Mansion is being reimagined for Melbourne Sculpture Biennale: Soft Systems, with site-responsive works appearing throughout its grand rooms, corridors and gardens. Ornate fireplaces, polished timber floors and old-world architecture provide an extraordinary backdrop for installations exploring power, identity, memory and our relationship with the natural world.
Add artist talks and curator-led tours, and you’ve got an art-filled afternoon worth adding to the calendar this month. The loveliest detail? Admission is completely free.
Best for: Art lovers, architecture enthusiasts and creative weekend outings
When: Until Sunday 25th October 2026, Thursday to Sunday, 11am–5pm
Where: Billilla Mansion, Brighton
Price: Free
Heed the Call of Lifeblood’s Urgent Plea For Donations
After a very chilly winter and prolonged cold and flu season, the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood supplies are running critically low, from rare blood types to the most common. If you have a spare hour in your week, your life-giving donation has never been needed more.
This week alone, over 16,000 donors are needed, and you’re invited to be one of them. Whether you’ve never given blood before or a regular donor, now is the time to book your appointment. And yes, there are cookies and milkshakes waiting on the other end.
Find your closest donation centre here.
Festivals & Major Events
Melbourne Fashion Week
Melbourne’s best-dressed week is almost here, and the city itself is playing runway. Melbourne Fashion Week returns with more than 300 designers and retailers across seven days of fashion, creativity and culture. The NGV’s Great Hall hosts the opening ganbu marra First Nations runway, State Library Victoria welcomes emerging designers, and City Square stages two public runway shows. Add a rare Vivienne Westwood bridal showcase, fashion conversations and a spectacular closing night at 1 Hotel Melbourne. Your spring wardrobe may never recover.
Best for: Fashion devotees, design lovers and creative inspiration
When: Monday 19th to Sunday 25th October 2026
Where: Various venues across Melbourne
Price: Free and ticketed events
Melbourne Fringe Festival 2026
Melbourne Fringe is in its final act, and the city’s most adventurous stages have plenty left to say. At Fed Square, Joel Bray Dance’s Dhandha/Campfire brings First Nations dance, DJs and communal connection into the open air, while Briefs: The Works delivers a heady collision of circus, drag and cabaret. Trades Hall and Meat Market remain the festival’s beating hearts, with independent theatre, experimental performances and free art installations filling their halls. Take a chance on something you’ve never heard of. That’s half the fun.
Best for: Culture seekers, adventurous date nights and unexpected artistic discoveries
When: Tuesday 29th September to Sunday 18th October 2026
Where: Venues across Melbourne, including Trades Hall, Meat Market and Fed Square
Price: Free and ticketed events; prices vary
Eat & Drink
Basque Txoko at Nobody’s Baby, South Yarra
The Basque pop-up Melbourne wasn’t quite ready to give back is staying put. After selling out its original three-month run, Michelin-starred chef Aitor Jeronimo Orive’s Basque Txoko will now take over Nobody’s Baby in South Yarra through the end of 2026.
The extension comes with fresh reasons to book: gildas and cod croquetas, a 28-day dry-aged Wagyu chop carved at the table, burnt Basque cheesecake and a Basque-inspired martini with a pintxo riding shotgun. Tuesdays now belong to the Hamburguesa Basque Txoko, a smash burger made with aged Vintage beef and Wagyu, Basque chilli mayo and pickles, with 20% off selected wines. Frankly, Tuesday has been underperforming for years.
When: Tuesday–Thursday, 4pm–11pm; Friday–Saturday, 4pm–12am
Where: Nobody’s Baby, 19–21 Toorak Road, South Yarra
Need to know: Basque Txoko has been extended through to the end of 2026. Tuesday Burger Night features the Hamburguesa Basque Txoko from $24, alongside 20% off selected wines.
Art, Culture & Performance
Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2026
Melbourne’s jazz scene is turning the volume all the way up. Melbourne International Jazz Festival returns with more than 550 artists from 18 countries, filling concert halls, intimate bars and unexpected corners of the city. The Teskey Brothers headline the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Benjamin Clementine takes the Forum and jazz royalty Dee Dee Bridgewater graces Hamer Hall. There’s free music in Footscray, a New Orleans-style street parade and after-dark sessions for those who prefer their jazz with a cocktail in hand.
Best for: Music lovers, memorable date nights and after-dark culture
When: Friday 16th to Sunday 25th October 2026
Where: Various venues across Melbourne
Price: Free and ticketed events
Margaret Preston at NGV Australia
Banksias, bold colour and a woman who changed the way Australia looked at art. Margaret Preston takes centre stage at NGV Australia in a major retrospective tracing the modernist pioneer’s extraordinary career. From her striking woodblock prints and native floral still lifes to the influence of Japanese art, it’s a fascinating portrait of an artist ahead of her time. The exhibition also examines Preston’s use of Indigenous iconography, placing her work in conversation with contemporary First Nations artists. One for the gallery diary.
Best for: Art lovers, design enthusiasts and thoughtful cultural outings
When: Daily until Sunday 31st January 2027
Where: The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square
Price: $35 adults
Passage: The Art of Atong Atem
Colour-drenched portraits, elaborate costumes and powerful stories of identity take centre stage in Passage: The Art of Atong Atem. The Melbourne-based South Sudanese artist’s first major Australian solo exhibition brings together more than 65 works spanning a decade of photography, with Atem transforming herself through textiles, body paint and symbolic objects. Drawing on Dinka Bor culture, family archives, African studio photography and science fiction, her extraordinary self-portraits explore ancestry, belonging and the stories we inherit. An essential addition to your spring gallery diary, and admission is free.
Best for: Contemporary art lovers, photography and cultural discovery
When: Friday 30th October 2026 to Monday 14th June 2027
Where: The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square
Price: Free
Markets & Shopping
Collingwood Ceramics Market at Chotto Motto
Ceramics and dumplings are a pairing we can very much get behind, and this Collingwood market makes a strong case for clearing your Sunday. Hosted at cult Japanese diner Chotto Motto, the Collingwood Ceramics Market brings together a line-up of local makers for a browse-and-buy afternoon with far more personality than your standard stall setup, from Yolk Eye Ceramics to Naru Kubota.
Each edition lands on the third Sunday of every month, from 12pm to 6pm, with Chotto Motto’s retro surrounds making the whole thing feel especially charming.
Where: 287 Wellington Street, Collingwood
When: Sunday 18th October
Cost: Free to view
Best For: Design lovers, pottery collectors, handmade homewares, market wanderers, and Sunday browsers
Need To Know: Runs monthly on the third Sunday
Outdoor & Active
Around the Bay
One city, thousands of cyclists and a rare opportunity to pedal across the West Gate Bridge. Around the Bay returns this October, inviting everyone from weekend riders to serious cycling enthusiasts to get moving. Choose from a family-friendly lap of Albert Park, a 50-kilometre ride across the bridge and along the coast, or longer challenges stretching up to 220 kilometres. Closed roads, sweeping bay views and a lively finish-line village make this a spring adventure worth getting on your bike for.
Best for: Cycling enthusiasts, active weekends and outdoor adventures
When: Sunday 18th October 2026
Where: Albert Park and routes around Port Phillip Bay
Price: Varies by route; free participation for eligible children
Free Things to Do
Italian Festa & Expo
Pasta, gelato, Italian jazz and an excellent excuse for an afternoon spritz. Italian Festa & Expo is taking over the Royal Exhibition Building and its grounds for two days of food, fashion and Italian culture. Browse artisan delicacies and homewares, catch live cooking demonstrations with Guy Grossi, celebrate 80 years of Vespa design and settle into the outdoor beer garden for live music. Entry is free, so bring your appetite and leave plenty of time for a second helping.
Best for: Food lovers, Italian culture and spring weekend outings
When: Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October 2026
Where: Royal Exhibition Building and grounds, Carlton
Price: Free entry; food, drinks and selected experiences extra
Things to do this Halloween in Melbourne
Melbourne Museum Is Throwing a Halloween Party After Dark
Tarot readings, eerie encounters and cocktails among ancient curiosities? Halloween has found a rather fabulous new address. Melbourne Museum is hosting its inaugural Haunted Gala on 31st October, transforming its galleries into an adults-only night of costumed glamour, DJs, roaming performers, dark science talks and fortune-telling. Dress for the occasion, explore the museum after hours and prepare for a few surprises. Bringing the little monsters? A family-friendly celebration on 30th October features spooky science, creature encounters and trick-or-treating.
Best for: Halloween date nights, costume lovers and families
When: Friday 30th October (family event) and Saturday 31st October 2026 (18+ gala)
Where: Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Price: Family event from $25 per child; adult gala tickets from $75 concession / $85 general admission
Coming Soon
A Giant Pink Tree, Life-Sized Chess and a Room Full of Penguins: NGV Triennial Returns
A seven-and-a-half-metre pink tree, a playable chess set with human-sized pieces and an entire room of floating penguins. Melbourne’s biggest free art exhibition is back, and it’s going big. Taking over all four levels of NGV International, the fourth NGV Triennial brings together nearly 100 artists and collectives from 35 countries. Highlights include Pamela Rosenkranz’s enormous Old Tree, Louise Paramor’s 32-piece sculptural chess set and Benedikte Bjerre’s The birds, an interactive installation of helium-filled foil penguins exploring the climate crisis. Add Wolfgang Tillmans’ immersive photography, a glowing First Nations artwork across the Waterwall and more than 80 extraordinary projects. The best part? It’s entirely free.
Best for: Art lovers, design enthusiasts and curious minds of all ages
When: Sunday 13th December 2026 to Sunday 11th April 2027
Where: NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Price: Free
Melbourne Queer Film Festival
Ten days of extraordinary queer storytelling, world premieres and films you won’t find at your usual Friday-night cinema session. Melbourne Queer Film Festival returns for its 36th edition, celebrating LGBTQIA+ filmmakers through international features, Australian shorts, documentaries and conversations that continue long after the credits roll. One early highlight? Strange Devil Signal, Alice Lam’s animated supernatural comedy about a demonic radio station, premieres on opening night after winning the festival’s $10,000 Pitch, Pleez! filmmaking prize. From emerging voices to established talent, this is one of Melbourne’s most important celebrations of cinema and community.
Best for: Film lovers, independent cinema and LGBTQIA+ storytelling
When: Friday 13th to Sunday 22nd November 2026
Where: Cinemas and cultural venues across Melbourne; individual venues to be confirmed
Price: Varies by screening; 2026 ticket prices to be announced
Colours of Asia: Garden of Wonders
Glowing lanterns, incredible street food and balmy evenings beside the Yarra. Colours of Asia: Garden of Wonders is transforming Alexandra Gardens across two November weekends, bringing together the flavours, artistry and traditions of Asia in one beautiful riverside setting. From the creators of Melbourne’s Asia Street Food Festival, the free celebration pairs imaginative street-food menus and artisan markets with live music, dance and cultural storytelling. Arrive hungry, explore the lantern gardens after sunset and make an evening of it.
Best for: Food adventures, family outings and beautiful spring evenings
When: 13th to 15th and 20th to 22nd November 2026
Where: Alexandra Gardens, Melbourne
Price: Free entry; food and drinks additional
Barbie: The Exhibition
Barbie: The Exhibition is making its Australian debut at Melbourne Museum this summer, charting 67 years of the world’s most famous doll through design, fashion, architecture and pop culture. Created by London’s Design Museum in partnership with Mattel, the blockbuster show features more than 250 objects, including 150 dolls, a rare 1959 first edition Barbie, Totally Hair Barbie, Ken, dream houses, vehicles, accessories and prototypes. It is bright, nostalgic and genuinely fascinating, whether Barbie was your childhood icon or your favourite 2023 personality test.
Where: Melbourne Museum, Carlton Gardens
When: From 28 November 2026
Cost: From $20 per child; $30 per adult
Best For: Barbie fans, design lovers, nostalgia seekers, families and anyone still emotionally attached to Totally Hair Barbie.
Need To Know: Tickets are on sale now, and this is the exhibition’s Australian debut after a huge run at London’s Design Museum. Expect more than 250 objects, including 150 dolls and a rare 1959 first edition Barbie.
What’s On This Month in Melbourne: FAQs
Grand Final week leads the city, with AFL Footy Fest in Yarra Park, the Toyota AFL Grand Final Parade on 25 September and Brisbane facing Fremantle at the MCG on 26 September. The Melbourne Royal Show runs at Melbourne Showgrounds from 24 September to 4 October, while NGV Friday Nights offers two final after-dark sessions of Cartier on 25 September and 2 October. Melbourne Fringe Festival then opens on 29 September with more than 450 independent events through to 18 October.
Grand Final week has the city’s kitchens in full footy mode, from Builders Arms Hotel’s $110 long lunch and North Fitzroy Arms’ $55 game-day package to Chéri’s $12 wagyu Premiere Pie and Tarts Anon’s Footy Tart. ST. ALi’s Kylie Minogue coffee truck makes 10 stops across Melbourne from 23 to 26 September, while High Cheese at The Westin runs Tuesday to Saturday evenings until 17 October from $91 per person. For a coastal detour, the Wild Harvest Seafood Festival brings oysters, abalone and sea urchin to Mallacoota from 25 to 27 September.
Cartier continues at NGV International until 4 October, with Friday night sessions adding live music, drinks and dining on 25 September and 2 October. Reverb: A Journey Into Sound runs at ACMI until 4 October, and State Library Victoria’s free Treaty exhibition explores the 1835 Batman Treaty until 18 October. Mid-Autumn Festival also brings Beneath One Moon to Creative Asia Art Centre, a contemporary art exhibition exploring migration, belonging and family.
SIX the Musical continues its Melbourne season at the Comedy Theatre, while Melbourne Festival of Puppetry runs until 27 September. Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations take over Chinatown, Docklands and Box Hill across 26 and 27 September, with lion and dragon dancing, guzheng music and live performances. Melbourne Fringe Festival follows from 29 September to 18 October, filling Trades Hall, Meat Market and venues across the city with theatre, comedy, cabaret, circus and music.
Chinatown’s Lion and Dragon Moon Festival on Saturday 26 September includes a twilight Children’s Lantern Parade, and kids are welcome to bring their own lanterns. Moon Fest Market at World Trade Centre offers hands-on workshops such as lantern making and zodiac charm making across 26 and 27 September, while Moon and Mates at Box Hill Town Hall fills Sunday 27 September with family activities. Further afield, the Wild Harvest Seafood Festival in Mallacoota features family fishing clinics and guided rockpool rambles from 25 to 27 September.
Mid-Autumn Festival brings free entry to the Chinatown Lion and Dragon Moon Festival, Moon Fest Market and Moon and Mates across 26 and 27 September. ST. ALi’s Kylie Minogue coffee truck is handing out 100 free drinks at each of its 10 stops from 23 to 26 September. State Library Victoria’s Treaty exhibition is free to visit daily until 18 October, and The Lobby by Ellison Studios in Prahran is free to view on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Bolobek Garden Fair opens one of Victoria’s most beautiful private gardens in Macedon on 3 and 4 October, with more than 50 specialist stallholders and a keynote from Brae head gardener Jo Lawson. Later in the year, Barbie: The Exhibition makes its Australian debut at Melbourne Museum from 28 November, featuring more than 250 objects including a rare 1959 first edition Barbie.
Looking for more fun things to do in Melbourne this winter? We have plenty to keep you entertained. From Melbourne’s best new restaurants and bars to friendly pubs, cafes and late-night cocktail haunts, here’s all you need for an epic weekend in the city and surrounds.
