Max your summer in Melbourne

Put Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne on your radar for a pit stop because the Lego F1-themed Build the Thrill event has rolled into town just in time for the Australian Grand Prix.  From now until April 27, your ticket purchase to the brick wonderland includes a pit pass to some wheel-y cool Lego of epic proportions. Check out a 3D Brick-built Lego F1 car made from more than 21,000 bricks and then build your own version.  You’ll get to choose an F1 team, build your own Minifigure driver and then pop your driver into a custom-built race car. Race on the track, claim all the glory of pole position and celebrate on the Build the Thrill podium. The fun doesn’t stop there. Guests can enjoy interactive challenges, epic photo opportunities, and an exclusive Lego F1 display in Miniland The kids-at-heart can get in on the action too, with an adults-only night on Friday, March 14. Enjoy all of Legoland kid-free and really let your competitive side loose on the track from 6pm to 9pm.  The Build the Thrill event is running at Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne until April 27. Your pit pass is included in entry, which starts from $36 per person and is free for little ones under two. Purchase your ticket here.

You don't have to wait until spring to enjoy the delights of frolicking through a field of flowers, because autumn will bring the arrival of the KaBloom Festival of Flowers. Head to Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges for a festival that combines fields of flowers with spectacular circus art, from the Tesselaar team who also bring us the beloved annual Dutch tulip festival.  Wander through fields filled with sunflowers, salvias, marigolds, dahlias and more, arranged in enchanting intricate patterns. It's an Instagrammer's dream, but don't forget to bring some allergy medication if you're prone to hay fever. This year is the first that the Kabloom Ferris Wheel will allow floral fanatics to see the flower arrangements from above, making for a beautiful view. The festival also features a host of kid-friendly events among the flower fields. Keep an eye out for the flower fairies and pixies who will entertain the masses among the colourful blooms every day. Talented performers from Circus Oz will showcase jaw-dropping circus acts and lead workshops for the little ones. There'll also be a bubble show, with jaw-droppingly huge floating bubbles, and scenic rides on a tractor train.    When is the Tesselaar KaBloom Festival on?  The festival runs every day between March 29 to April 27, even on the Easter weekend public holidays. Its opening times are 10am to 5pm.  How much are tickets to the Tesselaar KaBloom Festival? Kids under 16 get free entry into the festival when accompanied by...

Put Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne on your radar for a pit stop because the Lego F1-themed Build the Thrill event has rolled into town just in time for the Australian Grand Prix.  From now until April 27, your ticket purchase to the brick wonderland includes a pit pass to some wheel-y cool Lego of epic proportions. Check out a 3D Brick-built Lego F1 car made from more than 21,000 bricks and then build your own version.  You’ll get to choose an F1 team, build your own Minifigure driver and then pop your driver into a custom-built race car. Race on the track, claim all the glory of pole position and celebrate on the Build the Thrill podium. The fun doesn’t stop there. Guests can enjoy interactive challenges, epic photo opportunities, and an exclusive Lego F1 display in Miniland The kids-at-heart can get in on the action too, with an adults-only night on Friday, March 14. Enjoy all of Legoland kid-free and really let your competitive side loose on the track from 6pm to 9pm.  The Build the Thrill event is running at Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne until April 27. Your pit pass is included in entry, which starts from $36 per person and is free for little ones under two. Purchase your ticket here.

Wyndham Park is getting a literal glow-up this March with a dazzling after dark experience returning to the Werribee recreation area. Lit at Wyndham Park is a free, after-hours art experience that turns the space into a glowing wonderland through a number of immersive attractions.  This year, highlights include several large-scale installations, including more than 50 gigantic, iridescent bubbles, a 27-metre illuminated skink sculpture representing the culture of the First Nations Kaurna people and an interactive artwork that allows you to create a holographic projection of yourself. Plus, there's a light trail and a colourful installation celebrating Australian wildflowers.  To make a night of it, there's plenty of restaurants, bars, pubs and more within the city centre of Werribee.  Lit at Wyndham Park is free to enjoy and will run nightly Thursday to Sunday from March 27 to April 13, open between 7pm and 11pm. There will also be sensory friendly nights on April 2 and 9. Head to the website for more information about the event. Looking for more fun? Here's our guide to what's on in Melbourne this weekend.

You don't have to wait until spring to enjoy the delights of frolicking through a field of flowers, because autumn will bring the arrival of the KaBloom Festival of Flowers. Head to Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges for a festival that combines fields of flowers with spectacular circus art, from the Tesselaar team who also bring us the beloved annual Dutch tulip festival.  Wander through fields filled with sunflowers, salvias, marigolds, dahlias and more, arranged in enchanting intricate patterns. It's an Instagrammer's dream, but don't forget to bring some allergy medication if you're prone to hay fever. This year is the first that the Kabloom Ferris Wheel will allow floral fanatics to see the flower arrangements from above, making for a beautiful view. The festival also features a host of kid-friendly events among the flower fields. Keep an eye out for the flower fairies and pixies who will entertain the masses among the colourful blooms every day. Talented performers from Circus Oz will showcase jaw-dropping circus acts and lead workshops for the little ones. There'll also be a bubble show, with jaw-droppingly huge floating bubbles, and scenic rides on a tractor train.    When is the Tesselaar KaBloom Festival on?  The festival runs every day between March 29 to April 27, even on the Easter weekend public holidays. Its opening times are 10am to 5pm.  How much are tickets to the Tesselaar KaBloom Festival? Kids under 16 get free entry into the festival when accompanied by...

Flowers can brighten up any day, but what can make it even brighter is the simple pleasure of getting to pick them yourself. Beloved community garden CERES is spreading this blooming joy throughout the warmer months, welcoming visitors every weekend to come and harvest a fresh bunch.  On Friday and Saturday mornings from 9.30am, head to the Coburg site for the Festival of Flowers, where you can pick your own blooms at Joe's Market Garden. There are blossoming sunflowers, zinnias and cosmos to choose from, and you'll be able to build a beautiful bouquet with up to ten individual stems. Sessions are $30 and while walk-ins are welcome, bookings are recommended. You can book a spot here.  Plus, there'll also be special floral events held on some Saturdays, including workshops on how to put together the perfect bouquet, flower vase arranging with floral experts and even eco-dyeing tote bag classes for kids. Book your place in an upcoming workshop here.  And because nothing says romance quite like a beautiful bouquet, CERES is also hosting some romantic floral-themed events. Weed Dating is back, with a session running on February 1. On Valentine's Day, there'll be a special evening flower picking session, as well as drinks, wood-fired pizzas and DJs creating a swoon-worthy vibe.  The Festival of Flowers will run until the end of April, with U-pick flower sessions happening every weekend. Find out more on the CERES website.  Are you a floral fanatic? Here's a guide on where to...

Melbourne's giant beer, cider and fun festival GABS is back for 2025, so get ready to get sipping. Wacky flavours have just been announced, featuring brews inspired by peanut and butter, vegemite toast, rainbow ice cream cones, gingerbread pastry and warheads. Sign us up! In previous years, the cult fave event has been held at the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Showgrounds, but for this edition, it's landing with a frothy splash at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Despite the rotating digs, the GABS brief fortunately remains the same: go on a deep dive with some of the best and most experimental local and interstate brewers on the scene right now. Each year, breweries are invited to submit an expression of interest to create a GABS Festival Brew, but only 120 make the cut. Famed for their weird and wonderful flavour combos (think sushi beer, cookie stouts and lollipop sours), some of the exclusive Festival brews have gone on to become top sellers. For 2025, several exciting European guest breweries have been confirmed in the program already. Bamburg's famous smoked beer brewery, Schlenkerla, will be crossing the oceans to showcase their offerings while the fest will also be joined by the world's oldest brewery Weihenstephan (who had so much fun in 2024, they're coming back!) And of course, the serious drawcard of GABS each year involves the roster of never brewed before, never to be seen again beers and ciders made just for the fest. In 2025, the...

Whack on something dazzling and dust off your dancing shoes as the much-loved NGV Friday Nights returns this summer. The popular event returns for 18 weeks during the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at NGV International.  This world-premiere exhibition features more than 180 works, including an NGV-specific piece transforming the iconic Waterwall and an installation of giant balloons in the Great Hall called 'Dots Obsession'. The blockbuster showing has taken over the entire ground floor of the gallery, filling it with works from the artist best known for her unique use of dots. From December 20 until April 18, you can take an after-hours journey through immersive installations, including Kusama’s beloved infinity rooms. Grab a tipple from one of the multiple bars (including the Moët and Chandon Champagne Bar and the Four Pillars Gin Bar), or enjoy a set menu at the NGV Garden Restaurant from acclaimed Aussie chef Martin Benn. If a snack is more your vibe, head to the Great Hall or Gallery Kitchen for a Japanese-inspired menu. The trendy tunes are another key drawcard of NGV Friday nights, with DJs performing in the Great Hall every night. These musicians have been chosen to compliment the energy of Kusama’s work with upbeat J-pop and electro rhythms. The stacked line-up includes Small Fry, Jnett, Aqueerius, Rainbow Chan and takeovers from both Midsumma and Asia TOPA.  NGV Friday Nights runs from December 20 until April 18. For further information and to book tickets visit the NGV...

Whether you’re yet to grace restaurateur Chris Lucas’ opulent Society with a visit or you’re a die-hard dinnertime loyalist, it’s well worth a look in for a weekend lunch. From Friday to Sunday in the afternoons, the swish restaurant is hosting the Society Social, an extravagant multi-course affair featuring a generous array of savoury dishes and a roving dessert trolley to dazzle you at the end.  The offering was inspired by Lucas’ recent adventures in Paris and New York, cities where palatial dining rooms reign supreme and lunch is a social occasion in and of itself. Expect a fine dining experience but with a casual, unstuffy air and minus the enormous price tag (it costs just $77 per person for your choice of two courses or $99 if you opt for a third). You’ll start with artisanal housemade bread and butter and a rainbow of market-fresh crudité hand-picked daily from local farms. Opt for a crisp disc of radish dunked into taramasalata or a tree-like cauliflower bud smothered with smoked eggplant or crème fraiche. Repeat and relish the lavish assortment of textures and flavours before easing into your meal with one of Society’s signature drinks – or a bottle of Champers to make it a long and lazy one.  If you’ve got your eye on another varietal, just ask for the beverage director Loic Avril and his team of sommeliers, one of which will assist you in selecting the perfect drop from the impressive 10,000-bottle cellar. A selection of Society’s cult favourite snacks follow,...