Things to do in Melbourne this week

For the first time ever, the iconic Albert Park F1 circuit will open its gates at the beginning of the race weekend, giving everyday runners the chance to hit the Formula One Australian Grand Prix track before the race cars do. Gatorade Run The Track is taking place at 5.30am on Thursday, March 5 – just one day before the high-octane action roars into Melbourne. Runners, walkers and F1 fanatics can complete the legendary circuit – the very same stretch of tarmac the world’s fastest drivers will tackle in their bid to win the first race of the 2026 F1 season. Normally completely off-limits during race week, this is a bucket-list moment for anyone who loves running as much as they love Oscar Piastri.  Gates open at the crack of dawn, with the run kicking off at sunrise. Expect the track lights blazing, the official Mercedes-AMG safety car leading the pack and live race-style commentary from elite athlete and broadcaster Kate McCarthy alongside Australian trail runner Majell Backhausen. Every participant will receive a custom race bib linked to official track timing technology, ensuring a fully timed experience. Gatorade will keep everyone fuelled and firing on all cylinders during the event and post-race, with former AFL player Dan Gorringe stepping in as chief hydration officer Fast feet followed by even faster cars – we’re in! Tickets are $99 plus fees, with space for just 2,400 runners. You can score yours here.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne...

One of the city's most vibrant street parties is back for its 38th year with a weekend of festivities. On February 28 and March 1, the Greek Antipodes Festival will take over Lonsdale Street – aka Melbourne CBD's unofficial 'Little Greece' – for two days of Greek street food, traditional dancing, live music and roving performers. Love souvlaki? Enjoy a delicious Greek feast with food vendors serving up everything from sizzling gyros to loukoumades and other sweet treats. Flavours of Greece, the festival’s live cooking stage, brings some of Australia’s most exciting Greek food masters who will fire up the pans and spill a few kitchen secrets as they serve up stories and food. Come hungry. Headlining the 2026 program is acclaimed Greek singer Ioulia Karapataki along with Konstantina Touni and Nikos Pontiakakis. With three stages, you're sure to be entertained by contemporary Greek music, traditional ensembles, DJs and dance performances.  Whatever you do, don't forget to wear your dancing shoes for the very popular Zorba 'Til You Drop dance competition – you'll need to dance the Zorba for as long as possible to win return flights to Greece. For more details, check out the website.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Looking for more things to do in Melbourne? Check out our guide to what's hot right now. 

Did you know that Ballarat is home to thousands of begonias, including more than 600 unique varieties? In fact, the impressive collection is the rarest in the Southern Hemisphere, and they're all housed in the city's historic botanical gardens. To celebrate this floral feat, the city has hosted the Ballarat Begonia Festival annually since 1953 – yup, it's been held for more than 70 years.  When is the Ballarat Begonia Festival taking place?  If you're keen to see the colourful (and highly 'grammable) flower fest in full bloom, make your way to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on the Labour Day long weekend from March 7-9, 2026. The floral festivities run across three days, so you'll have ample opportunity to explore the vibrant floral displays that fill these historic gardens.  What kinds of begonias will be on display? At the heart of it all is the stunning Robert Clark Conservatory, home to Ballarat’s renowned begonia collection. Each year, the Botanical Gardens team grows more than 600 begonia varieties, from heirlooms to unique hybrids cultivated exclusively for the festival. The result? A bountiful display of begonias that draws everyone from green thumbs and nature enthusiasts to families and interstate visitors. What else is on at the Ballarat Begonia Festival?  The 2026 program goes beyond the blooms. Making its debut is The Musical Plants by Playable Streets, an installation that turns living plants into musical instruments you can actually play on. The Begonia...

Merri-bek dwellers are spoiled for choice when it comes to musical talent, and never more than during the annual Brunswick Music Festival, when international and local acts come together for a celebration of great music. 2026 marks the 38th year of the festival, and you can look forward to eight jam-packed days, featuring more than 40 gigs across the suburb and surrounds. Everything kicks off with the famous Sydney Road Street Party on Sunday, March 1. This free one-day festival takes over Brunswick’s main road  – which happens to be the longest continuous shopping strip in the southern hemisphere. Expect roving performers, amazing beats and pop-up acoustic sets, with rhythm happening everywhere you turn. The festival is also bringing in a whole lot of international headliners, with each one providing a special something. From French disco lord François K and Cretan sibling-duo Xylourides to Japanese hip-hop powerhouse DJ Krush, the globe is well represented.  You can also expect to get down with a heap of homegrown talent, dance to the uproarious bellow of Horns of Leroy's big brass brand, and hop through a series of epic, special sets at some of Brunswick's best live music locales, including Howler, the Retreat and Jazzlab.  This year, there'll also be an exciting return of the Merri-Bek 'Neighbourhood Noise' program. Creative spaces like Brunswick Library, Next Wave, Balam Balam Place and Blak Dot Gallery are all set to fling open their doors and become home to live...

Pack a picnic rug and head to Narre Warren where the south east’s creative hub Bunjil Place is throwing its biggest outdoor event of all time.  Open Space is a free, evening festival running across seven Saturdays from February 7, packed with live music, an open-air cinema, food trucks (or BYO dinner), and family-friendly fun that’ll keep you going and coming back for more. Opening night sets the bar high with a stellar line-up of musical acts including the soulful Canisha, smooth reggae from Paulo Almeida and his band and then an ace team-up of two Aussie powerhouses as Kutcha Edwards takes the stage with Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. Highlights don’t stop there: cozy up for a Valentine’s Day screening of the sci-fi horror classic Tarantula!; catch a performance from the Hung Hing Lion Dance in action; relive the ‘80s with synth-pop legends Pseudo Echo; swoon to country ballads from Golden Guitar winner Andrew Swift; or get funky with Cookin’ On 3 Burners, Stella Angelico, and the GRID Series Launch Party featuring Kiid KODA, ACP Martha and Jordz. The finale? A full-on spectacle with Kerfew Collective, Hari Sivanesan, Studio J Dance, and Wild Gloriosa. Plus catch an exclusive first look at the new gallery exhibition The Offbeat Sari. Open Space Bunjil Place will run every Saturday from 6pm to 9.30pm from February 7 to March 21. Find the full program here. 

It's your last chance to power up, unlock that final level and beat the big boss, because ACMI's Game Worlds is about to be clocked (aka it's finishing up soon). So don't let it be game over before you get a chance to enter this immersive, fully playable exhibition. Perfect for fans of The Sims, Neopets or World of Warcraft, this blockbuster celebration of video games will transport you into the worlds of more than 30 iconic titles, including Final Fantasy XIV Online, Minecraft, Doom and Stardew Valley. Also featured are classics like Maze War and Zork, fan faves with cult followings like The Elder Scrolls Online, and new releases like Guardian Maia. Spanning games from the 1970s right through to this year, you'll be able to check out rare concept art, original design materials, early hands-on protoypes and so much more. There are 44 fully playable experiences (think Celeste speedruns on two huge screens), and four new microgames by emerging and established Aussie game developers have been specially commissioned for the exhibition.   “Our exhibition honours the real-life experiences that are made possible by and through videogames, highlighting the players and developers – and stories that bring videogame worlds to life,” said co-curators Bethan Johnson and Jini Maxwell. Want to take a part of the exhibition home with you? There's limited-edition merch and exclusive books available for purchase at the ACMI shop. Game Worlds is now on at ACMI until March 29. For more...

If you only do one thing for this year's Brunswick Music Festival, then make it the famous opening party. This mammoth one-day music festival takes over sprawling Sydney Road, and will spotlight a bunch of musicians playing rock, hip-hop, reggae, soul, jazz, gospel and everything in between. Taking place on Sunday, March 1, it will feature a massive program of musical acts across multiple stages and venues, stretching between Brunswick Road and Victoria Street. All your favourite local venues are also getting in on the action, including the Bergy Bandroom, the Retreat, Bar Spontana, Stay Gold and Brunswick Ballroom. Sydney Road will be bursting with energy and every year, without fail, there are multiple spontaneous dance parties.  You can also expect plenty of delicious food, market stalls, roving street performers and more. Plan your day here.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Want more? These are the best things happening in Melbourne on the weekend.

From Cleopatra and Mark Antony's empire-toppling romance to Romeo and Juliet's family-defying affair, love has often been an act of rebellion. Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations takes matters of the heart seriously in this sweeping, immersive new exhibition at the State Library, drawing on its extraordinary archives to trace how people have dared to love across centuries of Australian history. The exhibition runs for almost a year and brings together handwritten letters, private diaries, rare manuscripts and deeply personal objects to weave a tapestry of passion, heartbreak and devotion. You’ll encounter Victorian-era same-sex couples living together against the odds, a mid-century interracial marriage that challenged the White Australia policy, and the prison romance between bushrangers Captain Moonlight and James Nesbitt. Fragile keepsakes are also featured in the show, including a haunting 1853 mourning brooch woven from lovers’ hair, alongside letters that read like a late-night confessional. What makes Rebel Heart especially distinctive is how it bridges the past with the present. Historical stories are amplified by newly commissioned music from Australian artists Angie McMahon, Mindy Meng Wang, Mo’Ju and Amos Roach, each responding to real love stories held in the library’s collection.  The exhibition also explores how rebellion and romance play out today – from DMs and fandoms to fan fiction and even AI relationships. It’s set to be a smart,...

Expansive and dreamy, bright and whimsical, and with a strong 'no dickhead' policy, there's a whole lot to love about Golden Plains. Known as the younger sister to Victoria's much-loved Meredith Music Festival, Golden Plains is also held at the Supernatural Amphitheatre in Meredith, and 2026 marks its 18th year on the block.  As always, you can expect no commercial sponsors, free range camping, BYO and a heap of good times over two days and two nights, with this year's festival running from March 7-9, just in time for the Labour Day long weekend.  The full line-up for 2026 is absolutely stacked with in-demand international artists as well as local favourites. The headliners for this year are revered Canadian jazz gods BADBADNOTGOOD, the incredible Basement Jaxx, dreamy toned Marlon Williams, the ethereal sounds of Ty Seagall and the dancing frenzied magic of DEVAURA.  You can also expect to get down with Frankston local lads, The Gnomes, groove with Way Dynamic, and get blissed out with techno beats from Hybrid Man duo. You can see the full-line-up in all its glory here.  Although tickets are currently sold out, you can keep your eyes peeled for updates on  the website.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Keen to get to a gig? Head to one of the best live music venues in Melbourne. 

It's officially that time of year again when the Moonlight Cinema returns to Melbourne for the summer. There's just something special about snuggling into a bean bag and catching a film under the stars in the Royal Botanic Gardens – with an ice cream or a wine in hand, of course.  Australia's favourite outdoor cinema has dropped its summer screening schedule, with tons of  blockbusters, nostalgic favourites and comedies on the program. February and March highlights include new releases like Wuthering Heights, Hamnet, Marty Supreme and a special screening of Charli xcx’s mockumentary The Moment. Those looking to splurge can opt for Singapore Airlines' Gold Grass that comes with prime viewing, express entry and food and drinks delivered to your seat. Anothere cool option is the Connoisseur Lounge ticket that includes a bean bed plus a yum Connoisseur ice cream. And did you know the Moonlight Cinema is pooch friendly? For the first time ever you'll also be able to order a doggie bag meal from the food menu thanks to Lyka. Doggy date night, anyone? Screenings kick off at sundown, so bring your picnic rug, your snacks and your friends. Tickets are now available via the website. Want more fun in the sun? Here are the best things to do in Melbourne this December.