Go bananas! 20 things to do this summer in Melbourne and beyond

From free international art exhibitions to big-name concerts, model train exhibitions and movies under the stars, now is the time to start planning your summer adventures. Whether you’re staying in town or hitting the road, consider this your cultural hit list for the next three months.

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1. NGV Triennial

Every three years, the NGV hosts this expansive, state-of-the-art show featuring the work of more than 200 contemporary artists, from international superstars such as Tracey Emin and Yoko Ono to a vast woven fish fence from the community of Maningrida in central-west Arnhem Land and Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian, aka the banana taped to a wall. Follow the giant David Shrigley thumb into three floors of thought-provoking and playful works. December 3 to April 7, National Gallery of Victoria, free.

2. Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition

More than a century after it sailed into an iceberg, the Titanic still draws a crowd. This exhibition tells the story of the doomed voyage through more than 200 artefacts among full-scale reconstructions of some of the ship’s interiors. December 16 to April 14, Melbourne Museum, $32.50 (adult), $18 (child), $22.50 (concession).

3. CCP x Hahnemuhle Summer Salon 2023

Back for its 31st summer, the Salon fills the Centre for Contemporary Photography floor to ceiling with the work of Melbourne photographers in this community-focused group show. It’s a great way to see dozens of works from unfamiliar names, and even buy a piece or two. Until December 17, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Wednesday-Sunday, free.

4. Meredith Music Festival

Raise a shoe in the air for another three days of sun, song, and staying hydrated in the bush, with some of the world’s finest acts, such as Kraftwerk and the City of Ballarat Municipal Brass Band. If you didn’t manage to get tickets (it’s not easy), catch Melbourne sideshows from headliners Kraftwerk (December 8, Margaret Court Arena) and Caroline Polachek (December 10-11, Forum Melbourne). December 8-10, Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, $488 (but well and truly sold out).

5. Summer Night Market

It’s not summer in Melbourne without balmy nights at the Queen Victoria Market, queuing for gyoza. Come for the food, stay for DJs, a choir, and roving circus acts. Wednesday nights, until March 13, 5pm-10pm, free.

6. Palace Penny Lane Cinemas

Reports of streaming killing cinemas have been greatly exaggerated. Moonee Ponds now has its own picture house, with 11 screens and a rooftop cinema (opening later in the summer). The grand opening on December 20 is the Australian premiere of Michael Mann’s Ferrari, starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz. Open daily from December 21 at 17 Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds. General tickets $25 (adult), $16 (child), $21.50 (concession). Cheaper for members and $12 for everyone on Tuesdays.

7. Moonlight Cinema

All your Christmas cinema needs, served with dinner and an Aperol spritz in the botanical gardens. Barbie! Elf! Die Hard! Love Actually! Dogs are welcome, too. Until March 30, after dark, Central Lawn at Royal Botanic Gardens, tickets from $22.

8. Marshmallow Laser Feast

This world-premiere exhibition features four massive digital artworks from the London-based collective, immersing us in tree roots, black holes and human breath. Come for, as The Age’s Rob Harris put it, “a remarkable sense of wonder and a reminder of the deep link between humans and nature”. Featuring collaborations with Terrence Malick, Cate Blanchett, and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. Until April 14, daily at ACMI, Fed Square. $20 (adult), $5 (child), $10 (concession).

9. Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023

Straight from London’s Natural History Museum, this show presents more than 100 astounding images from all over the world, capturing nature in its most sublime and alien. I have never heard of a tri-spine horseshoe crab, for instance – as best as I can work out, it’s a kind of deep-sea tank. December 8 to May 9, National Wool Museum, Geelong, $12 (adult), $7 (child), $9 (concession).

10. Heaps Good Festival

The Falls Festival takes a well-earned break this year, but it’s subbed by this New Year’s Eve party at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, featuring Flume, Foals, The Avalanches, SBTRKT, Basement Jaxx, and many more. December 31, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, tickets from $189.90.

11. Seventeen

Kicking off the 2024 Melbourne Theatre Company season, Seventeen takes an unusual look at adolescence, with a cast of senior actors portraying teenagers, led by Pamela Rabe. Written by Matthew Whittet (Girl Asleep) and directed by Matt Edgerton. January 15 to February 17, Southbank Theatre, tickets from $75 (plus booking fee).

12. Midsumma Festival

The biggest thing on the queer calendar this summer is a diverse and inclusive program flooding the city with pure queer joy. There are more than 200 events, including the annual “queer day out” Midsumma Carnival (January 21), and the Pride March (February 4), to A Brave(R) Space, a new program of artwork from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. January 21 to February 11, across Melbourne, many free events, including the Carnival and Pride March.

13. Phillip Island Model Railway Exhibition

Dedicated craftspeople construct tiny dioramas of idyllic infrastructure. It’s an excuse to get out of town, really. You’ll have to drive because ironically, there’s no train there. January 20-21, 10am-5pm, Cowes Senior Citizens’ Club, Phillip Island, $8 (adult), $5 (child), $20 (family).

14. Groundhog Day the Musical

The new musical version of the classic film, with a book by Danny Rubin and music by Tim Minchin, makes its Australian debut. When it launched in New York, Bill Murray – star of the original film – went twice, and reportedly wept the second time through. “The idea that we just have to try again,” he said. “We just have to try again. It’s such a beautiful, powerful idea.” January 24 to March 3, 6.30/7.30pm, Princess Theatre, tickets from $89.

15. Connection

Immersion is the latest trend in visual art. Connection is a vivid collage of nearly 650 works from 110 First Nations visual and musical artists, digitally projected onto every surface. It’s moving in more ways than one. Until February 4, The Lume, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, $49 (adult), $34 (child), $44 (concession).

16. Chinese Lunar New Year Dragon Festival

We’re coming into the Year of the Dragon, boding strength, confidence and health. Chinatown, already the liveliest and most colourful bit of the city, will light up with performances, costumes and market stalls. February 11, from 10.30am, Chinatown, free.

17. The Millenial nostalgia tour circuit

The schedules for the city’s stadiums are starting to look like Big Day Out line-up circa 2000. No one is complaining. Foo Fighters (December 4 and 6, AAMI Park, $229.90), Queens of the Stone Age (February 19, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, from $153.25) and Blink-182 (February 13-14, 26-27 and 29, Rod Laver Arena, from $119.90). All have new records out and they’re playing big summer shows.

18. Riverboats Music Festival

Echuca-Moama, on Yorta Yorta Country right on the NSW border, is a sleepy town known for its paddlesteamers and annual waterski race. This February, it’s also a great place to see Peter Garret, Missy Higgins, Regurgitator, Russell Morris and more, on the banks of the Murray River. February 16-18, full weekend passes are $230 (adults), $115 ages 13-17), $20 (ages 5-12); family passes and individual day tickets also available.

19. St Kilda Festival

Return to the foreshore for one of the city’s oldest and most beloved music festivals. This year it’s over one weekend, with Saturday dedicated to First Nations artists. The line-up is due to be announced in the new year, but last year featured Confidence Man and Genesis Owusu. February 17-18, South Beach Reserve, free.

20. Melbourne Art Fair

Whether you’re in the market for art or not, it’s always a fantastic way to see a range of work and do some people-watching, with 60 commercial galleries from Prahran to Papanya exhibiting. February 22-25, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, tickets $32 (adult), $28 (concession), $10 (child).

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