Federation Square

While rugging up in front of the TV is best suited to cooler months, summer doesn’t mean the end of movie nights. In fact, they’re getting a major upgrade this season thanks to a free program of classics, blockbusters and festival screenings that’s set to roll out in Fed Square from January 3 until March 25. The exciting crop of mini-programs includes three nights of Christopher Nolan’s collaborations with composer Hans Zimmer (Inception, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight), a celebration of the queen of country Dolly Parton (just in time for her 79th birthday), and a trio of boot scootin’ westerns (yee-haw). On the festival front, you can bring the whole family along to 2000s cult-comedy Best in Show as part of the NGV Kids Summer Festival, or close out your Midsumma celebrations at a showing of 1978 classic The Wiz, starring Diana Ross. The gem in the program’s crown is three days of silent cinema with live scores – an unusual treat. Gather your picnic supplies, movie buffs and music nerds, and settle in for rare screenings of three transportative, uproarious silent films.  Catch the carefully-restored classical Indian folk story Ramayana and other tales, Hollywood dino-romp The Lost World or rip-roaring Buster Keaton physical comedies One Week and Sherlock Jr. Find out more and start scheduling your free summer movie nights. Want more? These are the best outdoor cinemas in Melbourne. 

Are you free the first two weekends in March? No? Well, cancel your plans, chuck a sickie, flake on your friends – do whatever you must to attend these two free gigs. This summer, Fed Square is putting on two unmissable nights of live music, featuring three all-star acts each. On Saturday, March 1, Fed Square will become a kaleidoscopic soundscape of Afro-futurism, electronica and cosmic jazz, with local legends Wax'o Paradiso up first to get the good times grooving. Next, 70+ year-old Chicago-born, Grammy-nominated band Sun Ra Arkestra take the stage to fill the space with their big-band, free-jazz energy.  Mildlife are set to bring this awesome night of music home with their euphoric,  jazz-funk fuelled sound. The very next weekend, on Sunday, March 9, three high-energy Australian pop acts will take over the stage to deliver a free, all-ages dance party that’ll thrill pop fans and have sceptics dancing despite themselves.  Indie guitar-pop artist Carla Wehbe will kick off the night, teleporting you straight to the ’80s with her nostalgia-filled melodies.  Former Triple J Unearthed High-winner George Alice is next, taking the night to dreamy, alt-pop heights, before the Moomba fireworks light up the sky just in time for TikTok sensation and pop icon Peach PRC to take the stage. So, clear your calendars for these two free open-air gigs this summer, and find out more about each one here and here. Need to feel the bass now? Here are the best gigs happening this month.