Things to do in Melbourne this weekend

Here's a guaranteed way to not cure your fear of flying: step inside a plane cabin recreated inside a 40-foot shipping container, don a pair of high quality binaural headphones and plunge headfirst into complete darkness. Flight – an immersive and truly terrifying Darkfield experience – returns to Melbourne by popular demand after a successful run in 2022. It takes you on a turbulance-filled journey through two worlds, two realities and two outcomes. Just know that there are many ways in which the plane lands safely – but will that be your final destination? Flight will run for a three-month season at the Art Centre Melbourne forecourt from December 13. Tickets are on sale now via the website. This review was originally written in 2022, when Flight was last in Melbourne – please be aware that some elements may have changed. You know the drill: check your boarding pass, find your assigned seat, stow your baggage in the overhead bin and fasten your seatbelt. Make sure your tray table is in the upright position, and make sure your window blind is open for take-off. On a monitor in front of you, a flight attendant in a blue uniform details the safety features of this aircraft. She explains that you should take a minute to find your nearest exit, bearing in mind it might be behind you. As she adjusts her pink scarf, she... wait a minute, wasn't her uniform blue? The screen flickers and she's back to blue, and you wonder if you imagined the pink. And then the lights go out. ...

Tina Turner was the bread and butter of our household TV screen. She belted alongside Mick Jagger at Live Aid, leather-clad and big hair, raced her supercharged engine across Coober Pedy in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and assured the world that everything would be alright as David Bowie slipped out of the shadows during her Private Dancer Tour. She was one of music’s indomitable icons, a powerhouse; she was the Queen of Rock‘n’Roll. When Tina – The Tina Turner Musical finally rolled into Melbourne’s Princess Theatre after its West End debut and national run, it arrived with sky-high expectations. Having stacked up Tony and Olivier nominations as well as praise from Rolling Stone for its ability to simultaneously “entertain and enlighten”, I’m relieved to say that this Melbourne production did not disappoint. Leather, shoulder pads and sequins that would make Tina herself proud, danced across the red carpet on opening night with hundreds, including local Australian stars, paying homage. For someone like me, who never experienced Tina live beyond the glow of a television screen, the energy certainly made it feel like the real deal.  The musical, written by Katori Hall alongside Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, stays true to Tina’s journey – thanks, in part, to Tina herself. From her early days in Nutbush, Tennessee, with gospel choirs and dusty churches, to the St. Louis blues scene where she met Ike Turner, across the globe to the soggy streets...

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 wine in hand, of course.  Australia's favourite outdoor cinema has just dropped its first glimpse of the screening schedule, with blockbusters, nostalgic favourites and plenty of romcoms on the program. Highlights include Gladiator II, The Substance, It Ends With Us and Wicked. And the December line-up wouldn't be complete without a festive flick or two, so lovers of a Christmas film will be thrilled to see classics like The Holiday, Love Actually, Elf and Home Alone featured. Those looking to splurge can opt for either the Platinum Experience, which includes a deluxe double bean bed (including a blanket you can take home!) for two with waiter service or the Singapore Airlines Gold Grass, with a prime position in front of the screen and an exclusive menu of delicious treats. The Official Aperol Spritz Bar is also returning, so you can sip on that iconic orange cocktail all summer long. Screenings kick off at sundown and even your pooch is welcome. Tickets are now available via the website. Want more fun in the sun? Here are the best things to do in Melbourne this December.

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. Only this time round, the lavish set design is augmented with cleverly integrated digital screens. It’s just one of several updates that ensure this reimagined production of the beloved fairytale keeps up with the times. From the moment the curtain rises, it’s clear this is a large-scale musical with all the belles, whistles and big bucks. Visual splendour is the MO here – think kaleidoscopic costumes, gasp-inducing illusions and spectacular lighting – and it’s easy to see why this show broke box office records at Brisbane’s QPAC.  However, all that Disney investment would be useless without the gifted cast. Shubshri Kandiah exudes whimsy-with-a-backbone as bookworm Belle, charming us with her sweet songs and sassy moments – though the folks in her provincial town just don’t get it.  Brendan Xavier’s beast is alternately ferocious and boyish. His startled squeals and hair-twirling moments help make Belle’s dramatic change in feelings a touch more believable. Both leads shine in their solo numbers, with Xavier’s ‘If...

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. No two visits to this spray can alley are ever the same, but from December 12 there’ll be another more stable artistic delight to enjoy on the famous corner. 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.  Street art legend Rone says the pair, often known as ‘Sandrew’, have been “champions of Melbourne’s street art community for over a decade”. Now, they’re drawing on their personal collection to create a ripper of a free exhibition, running from December 12 until May 2025 at 167 Flinders Lane (right on the aforementioned iconic corner).  The Outsiders Melbourne will feature more than 100 works from Sandrew’s collection, including art never before displayed in public. Expect gems from local names like Rone, Adnate, Sofles, Vexta, Fintan Magee, Meggs, Kaff-eine and more.  On the international side, feast your eyes on art from Barry McGee, Vhils, Swoon, Invader, Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Elle and an entire room dedicated to Banksy himself. Fans of the mystery artist will be pleased to know that this exhibition will also see his new work ‘Firework’ on display in Australia for the...

Dickens' A Christmas Carol is returning to the Melbourne stage. Set for a pre-Christmas season from November 22 to December 29, the smash hit staging of the timeless holiday story will be playing at the Comedy Theatre.  A Christmas Carol was the most-awarded play of 2021, sweeping the Tonys with five award wins. Two Tony Award winners themselves created the magical rendition: director Matthew Warchus (Matilda the Musical) and playwright Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). The production delivers striking staging, moving storytelling and 12 traditional Christmas carols, including ‘Joy to the World’ and ‘Silent Night’. The cast announced for 2024 stars Erik Thomson as Ebenezer Scrooge, alongside an exceptional cast of sixteen performers including Tim Wright and Alison Whyte. 'A Christmas Carol' is showing at the Comedy Theatre until December 29, 2024. For more information and to book your tickets, head to the website. Read our four-star review of the 2023 production here: One of the defining aspects of Christmas that delights and frustrates, depending on your inclination, is its inexorability; it comes around again and again, like the white horse on a carousal. Maybe this will also be the case with the Old Vic production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which proved a great success last year and is back to spread its Yuletide cheer around the Comedy Theatre once more. The central change – in fact, the only significant change – is the casting of the villain who...

When Tony, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar-winning star of stage and screen Maggie Smith departed this mortal coil on September 27, the wave of social media adulation celebrating her life’s remarkable work was tear-jerking, rabble-rousing and chuckle-inducing in equal measure. In the mix was, of course, her withering wonder as Mother Superior, trained on Whoopi Goldberg’s lounge singer on the run and in disguise as a nun in 1992’s cinematic Sister Act.     Joseph Maher’s Bishop O’Hara reminds her of her duty, “You took a vow of hospitality for all in need,” as she tartly replies, with only the most meagre hint of regret, “I lied.”   One of the wittiest lines in the film, directed by Dirty Dancing helmer Emile Ardolino, receives a show-stealing twist in the goofily splendid musical. Helpmann Award-winning actor Genevieve Lemon scored one of the biggest laughs of the night when she stepped into Mother Superior’s habit on opening night of the Melbourne staging, held within the hallowed hall of the Regent Theatre, opposite Australian Idol alum Casey Donovan as irrepressible singer Deloris van Cartier.   They’re a mighty double act playing off each other with abundant charm in this musical version that’s been transplanted from Reno/San Francisco in the ‘90s to Philadelphia in the ‘70s, replacing the original soundtrack with a funkier soul train thanks to mellifluous music from EGOT-winner – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony – Alan Menken, cheeky lyrics by Glenn Slater and a sassy book...

We're just as sad as you are that cherry blossom season is over, but the good news is that it heralds the start of the cherry-picking season. And if you can't get enough of those sweet and juicy red morsels, then make your way to CherryHill Orchards this summer to pick and eat as many cherries as your heart desires. This year's cherry-picking season kicked off early on November 2 at CherryHill's 40-hectare orchard in Coldstream. On November 25, CherryHill's original orchard in Wandin East will follow suit and open its gates to eager pickers.  Sessions last for two hours, and cherries are charged per kilogram – trust us when we say these are some of the largest, sweetest cherries going around. And the fun doesn't stop at picking cherries; the orchard will host on-site food trucks and stalls hawking food and cherry-flavoured products. On top of the famed cherry ice cream, you can also shop pantry goods like cherry vinaigrette, cherry syrup, cherry barbecue sauce and cherry glaze. You can also bring your own picnic, or pre-order a box of goodies to enjoy on the orchard grounds. The sweet specialists at Mary Eats Cake have created three different-sized packs featuring treats like shakshuka quiche, cherry delight doughnuts and a selection of cheeses. And if you visit on a weekend or public holidays, you'll be treated to the sweet sounds of live tunes performed by a rotating line-up of local musos. The cherry-picking festival will run until late December at the Coldstream...

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) will take over the entire ground floor of the gallery, with works from the artist best known for her unique use of dots. Opening on December 15, this world-premiere exhibition will feature 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'. Many of the works coming to Melbourne for this impressive exhibition have never been seen locally before, including the Australian debut of 'Dancing Pumpkin', a towering five-metre-tall bronze sculpture that visitors can view by walking underneath. As if five metres wasn’t tall enough, Melbourne will also score the Aussie premiere of Kusama’s six-metre-tall tentacle-esque sculpture, named 'The Hope of the Polkadots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe'.  We’re particularly excited about the global premiere of a brand new Yayoi Kusama infinity room work, which will be part of a collection of immersive spaces included in the exhibition. Kusama’s infinity rooms employ the clever use of mirrors to create an illusion of never-ending space, making for a fun and mind-bending experience for visitors of all ages. Lucky for us, the artist has created a new room just for Melbourne!  Even more fortunately for Melburnians, it...

After a bit of a hectic run last year, Australia's biggest New Year's festival is back again and we're beyond keen for a boogie.   We've been waiting impatiently for a line-up, and finally the Beyond the Valley team have delivered the goods. This year's program is jam-packed with international and local artists who'll soundtrack a NYE to remember and we've got all the juicy deets so you can stop daydreaming and start planning. Here's everything you need to know about the festival.   When is Beyond the Valley? Beyond the Valley (BTV) will take place once again at Barunah Plains (a 30 min drive from Geelong, 90 minutes from Melbourne) and will run from December 28 this year until January 1, 2025. We've got our fingers crossed for better weather this year. Who is on the line-up for Beyond the Valley?  Finally, the line-up for Beyond the Valley has been released! There are too many hot local and international artists to include them all here, but these are some of our faves: Barkaa, Chase and Status, Confidence Man, Fisher, Horsegirl, Ice Spice, Joy (Anonymous), Marlon Hoffstadt, Natasha Bedingfield, Neil Frances, Odd Mob, Royal Otis, Sammy Virji, SG Lewis, Sugababes, Tinashe. We weren't expecting any noughties pop princesses on the line-up, but we're delightfully surprised! Jump on over to the BTV website to get a look at the full line-up. What can you expect at Beyond the Valley? In addition to the killer music line-up, the podcast stage will have hosts bringing their pods...