21 things to do on Labour Day weekend in Melbourne

Did you know that Ballarat is home to thousands of begonias, including more than 500 unique varieties? In fact, the impressive collection is the rarest in the Southern Hemisphere. They're all housed in the city's historic botanical gardens, and to celebrate this floral feat, the city has hosted the Ballarat Begonia Festival annually since 1953.  If you're keen to see the colourful (and highly 'grammable) flower fest in full bloom, make your way to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens from March 8-10.

Australia's largest community festival is back this Labour Day weekend, and it's the perfect opportunity to make the most of Melbourne's still-warm March weather. From March 7 to 11, enjoy a jam-packed and mostly free program of family-friendly fun, including events like dance workshops, skate competitions, face painting and so much more. 

Golden Plains is set to return to Victoria in March 2025 for yet another gathering of excellent musical acts all set within the best that nature has to offer. The sister festival to December's much-loved Meredith Music Festival is also held at the dazzling Supernatural Amphitheatre in Meredith, a small township just over an hour outside Melbourne. Golden Plains boasts one stage, no corporate sponsorship, a famed 'no dickhead policy', and eclectic line-ups that put scrappy local musicians beside international indie acts. 

From the story’s origins hundreds of years ago, to its transformation into the classic 1991 Disney film, Beauty and the Beast really is a tale as old as time. In its musical form, the production hasn’t been seen in Melbourne since the ’90s, when Hugh Jackman famously performed as Gaston in his first professional role.

Fast forward three decades and we’re once again seeing a Melbourne stage transformed into the provincial town and Baroque castle we know so well. Take your chance to see this classic while it’s in town. The narrative might be a little old fashioned, but in the words of Cogsworth, “If it’s not baroque, don’t fix it”.

The Moonlight Cinema has once again taken over the Botanic Gardens this summer, with a stellar line-up of blockbuster hits and cult classics for keen filmgoers to watch under the stars with a choc top in hand. 

The best thing about the great outdoors is that it’s for everyone to enjoy – whether you’re an experienced caravanner, a glamper or a fresh-faced camper. The most important thing to remember though is this is a shared space you’re setting your tent down in, not your own backyard. When camping out at one of these great campsites around Victoria remember to be respectful, clean up after yourself and take heed of travel advice and closures from Parks Victoria. 

Not too sure if camping is for you? Here’s where you can go glamping around Victoria.

Dust off your doof sticks, because the festival will return in 2025 for its eighth edition. Across four days from March 7-11, Pitch will be headlined by Colombian-born, Berlin-based Fuunk Tribu, Chicago house icon Honey Dijon, electro duo 2manydjs, Italy’s self-described “rave demolition crew" 999999999, and a back-to-back set from Daria Kolosova and SPFDJ. 

Melburnians, it’s time to get dotty, because NGV International is playing host to the largest collection of Yayoi Kusama’s work ever seen in Australia. The exhibition (aptly named Yayoi Kusama) has taken over the entire ground floor of the gallery, with works from the artist best known for her unique use of dots. 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'.

After being stuck in five or ten-kilometre bubbles for so long, you're probably itching for an out-of-town adventure. Luckily, there is an abundance of stunning nature and bountiful wildlife at these national parks in Victoria. They're all within a day's drive from Melbourne, so start planning a post-lockdown road trip in search of Victoria's best-looking natural landscapes. 

Merri-bek dwellers are spoiled for choice when it comes to musical talent, never more than during the annual Brunswick Music Festival, when international and local acts come together for a celebration of great music. This year, you can look forward to nine jam-packed days, featuring more than 40 gigs across the suburb and surrounds.

While the capital cities have Mardi Gras and Midsumma, out in regional Victoria, Daylesford has ChillOut. The festival is Australia's premier and longest running regional LGBTQIA+ pride festival, taking place on the March long weekend every year. This year the theme is 'Rainbow Circus Spectacular', which sounds about as camp as it gets. The festival will host stacks of fun events, including plenty of family-friendly activities, with disco diva Marcia Hines headlining.

Would-be detectives, can you solve this simple mystery? Which of British crime writer extraordinaire Agatha Christie’s 66 novels is her best seller?  It’s And Then There Were None, one of Christie’s handful of books featuring no recurring characters. That’s because there aren’t many left standing after a group of ten perfect strangers are summoned to a mysterious, storm-lashed island and promptly accused of murder most horrid. As gripping a whodunnit as it’s possible to be, the tightly-plotted head-scratcher has long captivated readers the world over. Snap up tickets to Christie’s darkest tale of twisted fates over here. 

If you're looking for a break from the inner-city grid, there's no better cure than a day trip from Melbourne. The state of Victoria is full of friendly neighbourhood towns, whether you're in the mood for a winery tour, a road trip or a national park to explore. These one-day escapes are just what the doctor ordered, so get out there and explore Melbourne's beautiful backyard. 

We hope you're hungry, because the Port Phillip Mussel and Jazz Festival is back for a celebration of music and molluscs. On March 8 and 9, the South Melbourne Market will come alive as some of the market's best loved restaurants shell out (see what we did there?) plenty of dishes showcasing mussels. 

There's nothing quite like escaping the rat race, going off grid and getting back to nature. Of course, going bush doesn't have to mean going without. Enter glamping. A number of businesses around Victoria now provide spacious, comfortable and (importantly) already set-up tents for folks to hire out. 

Arrive at the corner of Flinders Lane and Hosier Lane on pretty much any day of the week and you’ll run into a throng of tourists jostling to get ‘the shot’ of Melbourne’s ever-evolving street art hotspot. To those in the know, Sandra Powell and Andrew King have become shining lights of the Aussie street art scene, known for supporting up-and-coming artists through acquisitions for their extensive private collection 15 years in the making. Find out more about this unusual exhibition at the website.

We can picture it now – the sun is shining, we’ve got a bev in hand, and we’re at the glorious Royal Botanic Gardens ready to enjoy some live music. It’s an idyllic daydream, but it’s one that could soon become a reality. All you have to do is snap up tickets.

Live at the Gardens is a brand new gig series popping up in Melbourne, where the lush, expansive lawns of the Royal Botanic Gardens hosts up to 5,000 people for an eclectic mix of musical acts.  On Sunday, March 9 English electronic legends Groove Armada will play a high-energy DJ set, with special guests still to be announced. For more info and to grab your tickets before they sell out, mosey on over here.

The annual Port Fairy Folk Festival is back in 2025 in a big way. Set across the March long weekend, the festival invites lovers of folk and country to come enjoy four days of world-class music. Headlining the festival is Missy Higgins, joined by other big names like Peter Garrett, Kutcha Edwards, Cat Power, Troy Cassar-Daley, Bonny Light Horseman, Vika and Linda and much more.

Melbourne’s cutting edge digital art gallery, the Lume, is bringing back its beloved opening exhibition for a summer season. Van Gogh will have an encore run starting on Boxing Day, after breaking attendance records in 2021. Last time, the immersive experience attracted a whopping 1.8 million visitors between Australia and New Zealand, making it the region’s most visited ticketed cultural event. 

If you've been daydreaming about your next adventure, Wotif just announced its roundup of the top ten Australian towns to visit. Taking the top spot is Launceston, but three Victorian spots have made the cut: Yarra Valley, Bright and Halls Gap. From gorgeous vineyard-laden valleys, picturesque alpine peaks and hiking bases that lead to craggy adventures, there's heaps to see. To help you decide which one is best suited for your next road trip, we've rounded them up with our best suggestions and guides to each area. 

Screen culture is so often where our ideas of the future are formed, which is why ACMI is hosting an entire exhibition dedicated to the topic. The Future and Other Fictions is a collection of sets, props, artworks, scripts, costumes and more, all underpinned by their shared exploration of a fictional tomorrow. With more than 180 items on display spanning Black Panther to Björk, this one’s sure to stimulate your imagination and spark reflection in equal measure.