Curious about the future, or love playing with gadgets? See incredible inventions and learn about game-changing innovations first-hand at Melbourne Knowledge Week (naarm ngarrgu), an annual festival that brings together Melbourne's best and brightest minds. It takes place from May 9 to 15, and you'll get to explore a program of more than 100 interactive events, workshops and performances with other thinkers, innovators and explorers.
This is the first time that the festival is going by an English name and a Woi Wurrung name, following consultation with Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung traditional owners. This year, the festival's four themes will also be dual named: community and culture (marra ba gurrkwugel), earth (biik), economy (tartbanerra) and technology (parren).
At Prototype Street at Wesley Place, you can play a round of rock, paper, scissors with a humanoid robot and marvel at next-generation sensor and energy technology. If you're interested in creepy crawlies, head to A Bug's (After) Life to learn how our tiny friends could be the ticket to reshaping the global food system and addressing climate change. Music lovers can head to Musical Monoliths to conduct their very own symphonic masterpiece using movement-activated sensors, and kiddos can explore the Wood Wide Web, an interactive underground forest simulation of rooms and tunnels filled with light and sound.
Browse the full program and purchase tickets through the website.
Looking for more fun things to do? Check out our round-up of the best things happening in Melbourne this week.