The best things to do in Melbourne this weekend

What do you get when you cross cheese with high tea? You get High Cheese – an indulgent cheese-centric experience returning to the Westin Melbourne for its third year. Taking over the hotel’s Allegro Restaurant from May 26 to October 17, this ever-popular event sees executive chef Apoorva Kunte joining forces with Richmond specialty cheese shop Supercheese, plus Punt Road Wines for a celebration of cheese and wine. High Cheese gives your traditional high tea a delicious spin with a three-tiered menu that shines the spotlight on cheese. Think sweet and savoury bites with expertly paired wines – all designed to showcase the versatility of great (or should we say, ‘grate’?) fromage. It’s a brie-lliant excuse to spend an afternoon grazing. Supercheese owner Jeremy Spradbery has selected cheeses for their quality, provenance and personality, drawing from niche local and international producers. Guests will move through a  progression of creations by chef Kunte, including a shared centrepiece and a final sweet offering, paired with a glass of Punt Road wine. “Supercheese has an incredible eye for producers with real character,” says Kunte. “For us, it’s about showcasing cheese in a way that feels elevated, unexpected and true to the ingredient.” To keep things fresh, the experience will evolve mid-season with a refreshed menu launching in August – which gives you a gouda reason to return. High Cheese at Allegro Restaurant is available every Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm onwards...

Removing a record from its sleeve, lowering the needle and waiting for that first crackle before the music begins – there’s nothing quite like listening to a vinyl record. In a world of instant streaming and digital music, old-style music formats offer something richer and wonderfully tactile. If you love the thrill of crate-digging at record stores, this one’s for you. The Independent Music Exchange is taking over Northcote Town Hall on June 6 and 7. This free, two-day event is a celebration of independent labels, physical formats and the passionate communities that keep them spinning. More than 50 imprints from across the country will transform the venue into a music lover’s dream – think vinyl, cassettes, rare test pressings, magazines, merch and plenty of artist-signed finds you won’t find anywhere else. Originally launched as part of The Eighty-Six Festival in 2023, the Independent Music Exchange has since evolved into a standalone event, led by independent label owners Michael Kucyk (Efficient Space), Maryos Syawish and Corey Kikos (Butter Sessions). At its core, it brings together labels and fans, artists and audiences, fostering collaboration across Australia’s independent music scene. Expect to see some of the country’s most exciting labels behind the stalls, including Poison City Records, Chapter Music, Hobbies Galore, Music in Exile, Room40 and Third Eye Stimuli Records – a vibrant snapshot of the diversity and creativity driving the local scene. New for 2026,...

Even though temperatures are dropping, Melbourne’s culture calendar is just heating up. This winter, two of the city’s biggest cultural institutions, ACMI and Rising, are teaming up for a multi-sensory exhibition, celebrating music’s cultural impact and paying tribute to vinyl. From May 22 to August 31, The Vinyl Factory: Reverb will bring together some of the leading figures working in video and sound to deep dive into different eras of music, through large-scale moving image works, immersive sound installations and interactive vinyl experiences.  Spanning the early days of techno to contemporary digital art, you’ll see work from celebrated artists including Canadian media artist Stan Douglas; British-Nigerian filmmaker and visual artist Jenn Nkiru; American fashion visionary Virgil Abloh; US filmmaker and music video director Kahlil Joseph; London-based photographer and video artist Gabriel Moses; South African artist William Kentridge; Turner Prize-winning British artist Jeremy Deller; British poet and sound artist Julianknxx; Argentinian performance artist Cecilia Bengolea and German electronic music and sound art innovator Carsten Nicolai.  Highlights include hands-on access to Technics turntables with remixable loops; a fantasy rap battle; and access to The Vinyl Factory’s archive, which features 100 vinyl pressings with works by Marina Abramović and Thom York.  There’s also the chance to pick a record and take it into the Listening Room, which by day functions as a...

Bernie Dieter and her band of legendary misfits have returned to Melbourne once again, to deliver a serving of debaucherous fun and frivolity. Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett, starring the legendary queen of Weimar punk described as an "electrifying cross between Lady Gaga, Marlene Dietrich and Frank-N-Futer in sequins", has taken over North Melbourne's historic Meat Market until June 7. Audiences can expect riotous original songs, immense vocal talent and a jaw-dropping line-up of contortionists, sword swallowers, fire breathers and aerialists. For more info and to secure your tickets, head to the website. Read on for our five-star review of Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett from the 2022 Melbourne Fringe Festival. *** It’s easy to see why Dieter’s award-winning show has garnered such esteem since touching down in Australia earlier this year. Less than two minutes in and our M.C., Bernie has thrown off her tartan dress to reveal glittery tights and feather-tipped shoulder pads. Soon after, she’s straddling an audience member and enlisting the help of two others – lovingly named ‘Shaven Haven’ and ‘Silver Fox’ – to carry her back to the stage in the splits. The fourth wall is not so much brought down, as elegantly side-stepped by her sky-high stiletto heel. All the while, Bernie’s quick-wit and dirty mouth find comedic beats in the unlikeliest – or, as it were, the most unwilling – of audience members. "Tonight is about letting loose, letting go, and getting a little bit more...

Dreading winter? Here’s something to brighten your mood: Rising, Melbourne's annual festival of art, music, dance and performance, returns from May 27 to June 8 – and the final part of the program has just been announced. “Free art after dark, fresh live music, late-night dining and artist-led conversations, clubs and lounges create even more doorways into the festival’s expansive program of new art, stories, music and dance,” says Rising artistic director and CEO, Hannah Fox. ‘l’ Opening weekend sees Fed Square and Hamer Hall transformed by ‘Midéegaadi’, a spectacular projection and sound installation by Native American artist Cannupa Hanska Luger. Originally shown in New York’s Times Square, the projections will illuminate both sites as part of Calling Country: The Land Speaks Back, alongside works by Djirri Djirri Women's Dance Group. Relax in deck chairs with hot drinks and First Nations food while soaking up the atmosphere beneath the city lights. Fed Square will also host one of the festival’s most intriguing experiences: Sapporo Supper Club: Chīsai 小, the world’s smallest ramen-ya. Running Thursday to Saturday throughout the festival, this tiny dining space seats just two guests at a time for Hokkaido-style ramen and expertly poured Sapporo beer.  Hungry for more? Moon Bites returns with a late-night dining trail designed for pre- and post-show meals. Venues including Cathedral Coffee, Mr Mills, Melbourne Supper Club, Dom's Social Club and Bottega will serve...

Who needs the French Alps when a charming alpine village has popped up at Fed Square this wintertime, complete with wooden chalets, fire pits and, most importantly, bubbling cauldrons of cheese and chocolate – need we say more?  From now until July 26, the Fondue Chalet pop-up invites you to gather your mates, get rounds of mulled wine to keep warm and indulge in an après-ski French village experience without ever having to leave the city.  Brought to you by the team behind the wildly popular Raclette Igloo pop-up, this foodie extravaganza is all about indulgence – there's no such thing as 'too much'.  Step inside your own cute chalet, designed for groups of six to eight, and dive into a traditional Savoie-style cheese fondue with imported French cheeses like Beaufort, Emmental, and Vacherin. Tear apart crusty bread, swirl it through the velvety, wine-infused pot, and enjoy the charcuterie boards and curated selection of French wines that come with it. Yum. And just when you think it couldn't get any better or that you can't eat another bite, dessert arrives – a decadent chocolate fondue, ready for dunking with seasonal fruits and sweet treats.  To keep the merriment going after dinner, take the party to the après-ski bar with drinks by Casa Spirits. Exclusively for fondue diners, the spot serves up French winter cocktails, mulled wine and warming digestifs. With fire pits, music and flowing drinks, Fondue Chalet is an escape that will transport you straight to the Alps –...

Fresh outta the oven and served up hot to an adoring audience at Her Majesty’s Theatre (complete with the mouth-watering aroma of a fresh-baked pie wafting through the air), Waitress the Musical arrives in Melbourne as a sugary slice of wholesome musical theatre – but will you want to go back for a second helping?  Adapted from the 2007 cult indie flick by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress made its New York debut in 2016 with a female-led creative team (a first in the history of Broadway). That line-up included direction by Diane Paulus, a book by Jessie Nelson, choreography by Lorin Latarro and songs by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (whose knack for writing catchy, melodic pop hits are on full display here). Sprinkle in a tale of female friendship, dreaming big and finding courage – with some sugar, butter and flour, of course – and it’s no surprise Waitress ran for four successful years, with a stint on London’s West End, too. What is Waitress the Musical about? Set in the American South, Waitress follows the story of Jenna (Natalie Bassingthwaighte), a small-town waitress and baker who works at Joe’s Pie Diner, alongside her friends Becky (Gabriyel Thomas) and Dawn (Mackenzie Dunn). She’s unhappily married to the ghastly Earl (a truly brutish man played with a villainous sneer by Keanu Gonzalez), but upon discovering she’s pregnant, ends up in an (increasingly awkward) affair with her obstetrician, Dr Pomatter (Rob Mills). Mix in a looming pie-making...

There’s something special about sitting your kids down to watch the same show that you and and your parents did, decades ago. Believe it or not, Play School has been captivating little eyes since 1966 and ACMI is giving you the chance to come and explore the set brought to life, for free.  You can explore the Play School: Come and Play! exhibition at ACMI in Federation Square now until July 12. The perfect outing for two- to five-year-olds, little ones have the chance to check out the Rocket Clock, meet Big Ted, Jemima and Humpty Dumpty, sing songs and learn.  Kids can play presenter, camera operator or director – whatever tickles their fancy. The exhibition also includes Auslan translations throughout, with sensory-friendly, Auslan and audio-described sessions available. Plus, a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes and even hear from hosts like Leah Vandenberg and childhood experts in the Play School Talks series throughout April, June and September. Ready to come inside? Tickets to Play School: Come and Play! are free but make sure you book your spot here. Catch the exhibition at ACMI from 10am to 5pm until July 12.

Hey Melbourne, the Mormons are back! After wowing audiences in Sydney with plenty of "did they really just say that?” humour, The Book of Mormon has landed at the Princess Theatre until July 19. This somewhat unconventional musical comedy cleaned up at the Tony Awards after it debuted on Broadway in 2011, going on to break box office records and garner near-unanimous critical acclaim when it opened on London’s West End. When tickets for the show’s Australian debut in Melbourne were released in 2015 – nearly a year in advance of opening night – the Princess Theatre recorded its highest pre-sale period of any production in its 159-year history, also going on to win the Helpmann Award for Best Musical. For the uninitiated, The Book of Mormon follows two inept Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City on their journey to save mortal souls in a corner of Uganda ruled by a one-eyed warlord. It’s the brainchild of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone – hence, you can expect a lot of explicit language – along with Avenue Q and Frozen co-creator Robert Lopez.  So what’s the secret of the show’s success? As Time Out London’s Theatre and Dance Editor Andrzej Lukowski wrote, Mormon was always going to be a hit, but what made it into the Mormania phenomenon is the fact that non-South Park fans love it too. The songs are excellent. Filthy, witty and outrageous, but also sumptuous and note-perfect, they nod to the golden age of the American musical.  As for how the show has...

Remember when we collectively discovered just how obsessed men were with the Roman Empire? Consider this your warning: a major, Melbourne-exclusive exhibition is officially bringing Ancient Rome to Melbourne Museum in April 2026.  Rome: Empire, Power, People is a large-scale exhibition developed by Museums Victoria in collaboration with Italian partners, drawing on extraordinary loans from the Museo Nazionale Romano and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze. More than 150 original objects dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries CE will be on display from April 1 to October 25, 2026 – all shown in Australia for the very first time. You can expect original statues, mosaics, frescoes, jewellery and everyday artefacts that trace Rome’s story from the fallout of Julius Caesar’s assassination through the rise of the Empire and its eventual collapse. The exhibition will foreground the lived experience of being an ancient Roman – think experiencing the theatrics of the gladiator arena, the hustle and bustle of marketplaces, domestic life inside Roman homes, and the luxury and politics that shaped the Eternal City. Immersive scenography and multimedia elements will also be used to transport Melburnians through imperial splendour and ordinary life, revealing how Roman ideas of power, governance and spectacle continue to shape the modern world. Beyond the gallery, the Roman theme is taking over the whole museum. Expect Italian-inspired food and drink offerings, exclusive...