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What’s On in Melbourne: Your Ultimate Guide for January & Beyond
Everything to see and do this month in Melbourne (and beyond).
January in Melbourne is loud, glittering and gloriously overcommitted. The city runs hot on ambition and sunscreen, fuelled by late sunsets, iced long blacks and a calendar that refuses to slow down. The Australian Open turns the CBD into a global playground, rooftops buzz from midday onwards, and pop-ups bloom as fast as the jacarandas fade.
There’s a flirtatious tension in the air — between plans and spontaneity, heatwaves and surprise storms, tennis whites and after-dark glamour. This is Melbourne at full volume: restless, social and slightly manic… in the best way. Here’s everything worth seeing, sipping and doing this month and beyond.
What’s On at Crown Melbourne This Summer
Crown Melbourne has turned its Riverwalk into a full-spectrum summer playground, with cabaret, cocktails, courts and culture unfolding along the Yarra. Highlights include Piper-Heidsieck’s cabaret-fuelled Piper’s Playhouse, panoramic padel courts at Crown Racquet Club, a Palm Springs-meets-Coachella takeover by Heineken at Lumia, and Asahi Otoya, a vinyl-led yakitori bar pairing Japanese bites with curated DJ sets.
Add sunset mezze at new Middle Eastern venue Layal, spritz specials across the complex, and alfresco dining by the river, and you’ve got one of Melbourne’s most dynamic summer destinations stitched into a single precinct.
Riverwalk, Crown Precinct, Southbank
Australian Cheese Takes Over the Summer Night Market
Australian dairy steps into the spotlight at Queen Victoria Market’s Summer Night Market with Make It an Aussie Dairy Summer, a four-week pop-up celebrating the country’s best cheeses. Running from 28th January to 18th February, the activation pairs tastings of award-winning Australian cheeses with live demonstrations hosted by Amanda Menegazzo and a rotating line-up of chefs, producers and experts.
Get set for champion cheeses from the 2025 Australian Grand Dairy Awards, practical tips for summer entertaining, and plenty of reasons to stay a little longer at the market.
28th January to 18th February
Summer Night Market: Every Wednesday until 11th March
Queen Victoria Market
LE SPLASH Rooftop Pool Bar, Le Méridien Melbourne
Summer’s most coveted pool pass is back. Le Méridien Melbourne has reopened its LE SPLASH Rooftop Pool Bar to the public, offering early swims, golden-hour dips and sweeping views over Parliament House. Morning and Sunset Pool Passes unlock the hotel’s 28°C heated pool, open-air sun deck, a complimentary scoop of Le Scoop gelato and a drink of your choice. For the first time, the rooftop is also open on Friday and Saturday evenings for sunset dining, drinks and live summer sounds.
20 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Melbourne, Mask Up: Bridgerton Is Throwing a Masquerade
Dearest gentle reader, Melbourne has been summoned. Ahead of the debut of Bridgerton season four, Netflix is opening the doors to The Bridgerton Masquerade Parlour, a free, first-come experience landing in the CBD for one very elegant weekend. Running 31st January to 1st February at 362 Little Collins Street, the immersive pop-up invites fans to step into Regency-era opulence, complete with pampering stations, photo moments and ballroom-worthy portraits.
The event celebrates season four’s new romantic chapter, starring Australian breakout Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek opposite Luke Thompson’s Benedict Bridgerton. Consider this your official excuse to dress up, romanticise your weekend and pretend you’re part of the ton.
31st January to 1st February, 2026
Bridgerton Season 4 details: Part 1 drops on Netflix on January 29th, 2026; Part 2 on February 26th, 2026
362 Little Collins Street, Melbourne CBD
Australian Open 2026
January in Melbourne belongs to the Australian Open. For two weeks, the city shifts into a sun-soaked, tennis-adjacent mood where daytime plans blur into night sessions and every catch-up seems to orbit around Rod Laver Arena. Even if you never set foot inside Melbourne Park, the energy is unavoidable: pop-ups spill into laneways, bars lean into Grand Slam theatrics, and the city’s hospitality scene goes full main-character.
These days, it’s as much about who’s serving as where you’re eating, drinking and being seen between matches. Consider this your cue to lean in — Melbourne does January best when the tennis is on.
Sunday, 12th January to Sunday, 1st February, 2026
Two Fashion Rebels, One Daring Exhibition: Westwood | Kawakubo at NGV
NGV’s summer centrepiece brings two fashion radicals into electrifying dialogue: Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo. Nearly 150 works reveal their lifelong practice of breaking rules, from Westwood’s era-defining punk pieces to her shimmering MacAndreas tartan gown and the corseted wedding dress later immortalised by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.
Kawakubo’s sculptural imagination appears in full force, including the petal-like masterpiece Rihanna wore to the Met Gala and the abstract silhouettes that reshaped contemporary fashion.
Archival footage, runway moments and rare international loans make this a world-premiere exhibition that feels urgent, ambitious and utterly transportive. Don’t miss it this summer.
Runs from 7th December until 19th April 2026
NGV International
The Night Market Returns to Queen Victoria Market
Twenty-five summers in, and the Night Market still knows how to light up a Wednesday. Queen Victoria Market transforms again with global eats (yes, even buttery snails), icy cocktails, CherryHill’s pop-up cherry bar, handmade fashion, homewares and all the festive browsing you didn’t know you needed. Add roving performers and sunset DJs and you’ve got Melbourne’s midweek happy place — free entry, maximum vibes.
Wednesdays, until 11th March 2026 (excluding 24th & 31st December)
Queen Victoria Market
Raid Your Cellar: CIRCL’s New BYO Tuesday for Sentimental Drinkers
CIRCL is blessing us with a new midweek ritual called Raid Your Cellar — a Tuesday night BYO series built for the bottles you’ve been saving for “the right moment”. For $30 corkage, each guest can bring one special bottle to open over CIRCL’s modern European menu and Punch Lane intimacy.
Think laughter shared, memories uncorked and dinner enlivened by the wine you’ve been waiting to pour. A midweek mood worth booking this month in Melbourne.
22 Punch Lane, Melbourne
A Four-Billion-Year Story Lands at Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum has thrown open the doors to its most ambitious gallery yet — Our Wondrous Planet, a 1,800-square-metre plunge into the machinery of Earth. One moment you’re gliding through rainforest canopy; the next, you’re riding atmospheric currents or brushing against glowing root systems underfoot. Creatures preserved in time sit beside First Peoples knowledge and cinematic storytelling, pulling you into a world that feels both ancient and electric. It’s science, spectacle and a touch of sorcery. If you needed a reason to revisit the museum, here it is.
Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Summer of Hits: Colosso Arrives in Melbourne with World-Class Padel and Design-Led Hospitality
Colosso has opened in Brighton and Southland, bringing Melbourne a new lifestyle destination built around world-class padel and design-led hospitality. The clubs feature state-of-the-art courts, Europe-trained coaches, private change rooms, curated retail and a full cafe and bar serving ST. ALi coffee and premium drinks. Free intro sessions, Colosso Cubs and social programs make the space welcoming for all levels, while the Colosso x Osaka racquet range adds high-performance appeal. Blending sport, style and community, Colosso delivers a fresh way to play, connect and unwind.
End of Breen Drive, Brighton
corner of Chesterville Road and Jamieson Street, Cheltenham
Moonlight Cinema
Moonlight Cinema returns to the Royal Botanic Gardens this December, celebrating 30 summers under the stars. Grab a blanket, your crew, and settle in for movie night done a little differently. From new releases and family favourites to Christmas classics and retro hits, there’s something for everyone, and you can even vote for your favourites in The People’s Program. Popcorn in hand, chilled drinks at the ready — and for the first time this summer, pups can snack on a Lyka doggie bag meal too.
See the full program here.
December 3rd 2025 to April 5th, 2026
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne / Wurundjeri of the Kulin Nation via Domain Road Gate
Maho Magic Bar at Spiegel Haus Melbourne
Direct from Tokyo with a cocktail in hand and a trick up every sleeve, Maho Magic Bar is back to bewitch Melbourne audiences. After its sell-out 2023 run, the neon-lit spectacle returns with a fresh line-up of Japan’s finest sleight-of-hand prodigies — all charm, mischief and jaw-dropping illusions performed right at your table. Pair the gasp-inducing tricks with a curated menu of Japanese libations and you’ve got the closest thing to a night out in Shinjuku, without leaving Lonsdale Street.
November 25th to February 15th
Tickets from $71 + bf
Spiegel Haus Melbourne, 217 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
NGV’s Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday
From mushroom leather handbags to seaweed straws, NGV’s Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday proves the future of design is as practical as it is visionary. More than 50 Australian and international innovators are reshaping the way we live — air-purifying paint freshens your walls, clothes grow with your child, and oyster shells are reborn as terrazzo tiles. Part science lab, part style guide, this free exhibition is a lively blueprint for a world where sustainability doesn’t just look chic, it feels inevitable.
Free entry
29th August, 2025 to 1st February, 2026
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square
What’s On in Melbourne This Month: Regional Adventures
Djaara Lights in Bendigo
Step into the story of the land at Djaara Lights, a mesmerising fusion of art, culture, and technology illuminating Bendigo’s Oscars Walk and Bath Lane Precinct. Through stunning Dja Dja Wurrung artwork and augmented reality, experience the six seasons of Djandak as told by the Traditional Owners. It’s immersive, moving, and a must-see this month.
Daily, 7pm to 11pm
Until March 2027
Bendigo, Victoria
Looking for more fun things to do in Melbourne this summer? 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.
