Melbourne is a real show-off when it comes to festivals. Name your most obscure interest and this city will answer with a festival, parade or some sort of shindig.

The exhaustive calendar of events starts in summer, which delivers outdoor theatre, Carols by Candlelight, cricket at the MCG, the Australian Open tennis championship, the St Kilda Festival, the Victoria Street Lunar Festival, Chinese New Year celebrations and the three-week-long gay and lesbian Midsumma Festival. Autumn features the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, the Moomba Family Festival, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Greek Antipodes Festival, the start of the football season, the International Flower and Garden Show and the International Comedy Festival.

Winter launches its anti-hibernation attack with football, the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Melbourne Writers' Festival. Spring sees the football finals (phew), Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Royal Melbourne Show, Oktoberfest, Spring Racing Carnival (including the Melbourne Cup), Italian Lygon St Festa and Hispanic Community Festival, all wrapping up just in time for the festive season. Are you ready to get going again?

Browse by Month

January

Australian Open

Jan

festival/event

Chinese New Year

Jan-Feb

festival/event

Midsumma Festival

Jan-Feb

festival/event

New Year's Day

1 Jan

official holiday

Australia Day

26 Jan

official holiday

Back to top ^

Related Travel Stories

  1. Place To Be - The party that stops a nation, Melbourne

    Place To Be - The party that stops a nation, Melbourne

    article by Katie Falkiner, November 2005

    At 3.20pm, on the first Tuesday in November, Melbourne is silent; there's not a car on the road and the streets are deserted. Read the full article ›

    Tags: Sports • Festivals & Events • Melbourne

Read more Related Travel Stories ›

Shop Online

Advertisement

Hotels & Hostels

Booking hotels is simple with Lonely Planet. See our reviewed and recommended hotels in one place and book online. Browse hotels ›

Lonely Planet Newsletters

Updates, offers and inspiration - straight to your inbox.
Subscribe now ›

Disclaimer: We've tried to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety, customs and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel.

Lonely Planet