Visiting Melbourne
Welcome to Melbourne
If you are flying into Melbourne, make sure you go to visitvictoria.com to find out everything you need to know about the city and its attractions, Victoria's must-see destinations, accommodation options and travel ideas for every budget.
For business visitors stay up to date with meetings and events at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre or plan your next conference with the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau.
Here are some of the many cultural and sporting events coming up in the city and around Victoria:
Enchanted dome: the Library and imagination
The State Library's domed La Trobe Reading Room is a Melbourne icon, a space that has inspired writers and artists since it opened on 14 November 1913.
This exhibition celebrates the dome's forthcoming 100th anniversary, featuring representations of the dome in art and literature from the 1950s to today. They include prints by Marco Luccio, paintings by Louise Forthun, cartoons by Oslo Davis and Barry Dickins, and photographs by John Gollings and Mark Strizic. Writers represented include Ray Lawler, Shane Maloney and Arnold Zable.
Historian Stuart Macintyre described the dome as a 'magical hidden place'. This idea resonates through this display, from Cernak's whimsical ink drawings to Rick Amor's brooding canvas of the dome at night.
This is a free event, open during Library hours.
Airborne
As part of the City of Melbourne 2013 Arts Grants Program, artist Lloyd Godman will install Airborne - the world's largest series of super-sustainable rotating air gardens - at the Queensbridge Pedestrian Precinct, Northbank.
The first installation will coincide with the Sustainable Living Festival (9 February) and further air gardens will be installed throughout 2013.
Airborne features simple structures adorned with bromeliad plants that take all water and nutrients through their leaves, requiring no soil medium or water. Stepping beyond earthly confines, these 'gardens' rotate independently on the slightest breeze and throw intricate animated shadows on the ground or adjacent walls, constantly altering with the movement of the sun and the seasons.
Source: City of Melbourne What's On
Corporate Challenge Netball
Bring your workplace together for Melbourne's premiere lunchtime sports competition. Netball is a great team sport and anyone can do it!
Basketball is another sport offered through the Corporate Challenge program. Visit the website for competition information.
The Corporate Challenge allows workplaces the opportunity to participate in thirty minute games and experience the enjoyment of team sports during lunchtime.
Registrations are now open for the autumn season. Commencing in February 2012, teams play weekly over 14 rounds followed by finals rounds. Women's and mixed divisions available for all levels.
Season end dates exclude the catch up round and two rounds of finals. 30 minute games are scheduled during lunchtime between 12pm and 2pm.
Source: City of Melbourne What's On
Bea Maddock
The National Gallery of Victoria's survey of the career of Australian artist Bea Maddock spans her early prints of the 1960s, the incorporation of photo-etching and mass-media imagery in the 1970s, as well as her profound later works that explore Australia’s Indigenous history.
Bea Maddock is one of Australia’s most acclaimed artists, recognised in particular for her innovative and evocative prints. This exhibition presents over 50 prints, drawings, artist’s books and paintings selected from the NGV’s strong-holdings, collected over a 30-year period.
Twenty metres of her masterpiece 'Terra Spiritus...with a darker shade of pale' (1993–98), a 40-metre panoramic drawing which depicts Tasmania’s coastal profile in red ochre, will also be on display as part of the exhibition.
Source: City of Melbourne What's On
Corporate Cup
Bring your workplace together and get involved in Melbourne’s famous Corporate Cup program.
Now in its 30th year, this team-based lunchtime program held at the Tan Track encourages runners and walkers to participate in regular exercise while still providing a self-challenging and motivating competition. Consisting of categories for men, women, mixed and walkers, participants meet every Thursday fortnight between noon and 2pm and record their time around the track. Part of the appeal of the program is the ability to participate even if you are unable to make it on the day.
The Corporate Cup is a great way to incorporate fitness into your busy schedule, while socialising with others in the community during your lunch break. Everyone is welcome to take part.
Presented by Active Melbourne City Sports.
This event takes place every second Thursday at the Tan Track. Runners and walkers can complete their lap between noon and 2pm. Individual team members who do not compete on the specified 'event' dates have until 5pm the following Thursday to forward times to Active Melbourne City Sports.
See online for more details.
Source: City of Melbourne What's On
A creative decade: 10 years of Creative Fellows
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Library's annual Creative Fellowships program. Reflecting its place as a hub for intellectual and cultural inquiry, the Library awards fellowships to those working in creative and scholarly spheres.
Over the past decade, fellowships have been awarded to artists, writers, composers and others engaged in cultural endeavours. All have created new ways of understanding and interpreting the Library's unique collections.
This display in the dome dais (pulpit cases) of the La Trobe Reading Room presents a snapshot of publications by some of the recipients.
FortyFiveDownstairs Late Night Fridays
If regular gallery hours don't fit your lifestyle schedules then fortyfivedownstairs has a solution!
Get your culture fix and expand your social life at Friday night extended hours.
a) Unwind after a busy week.
b) Enjoy a drink from the bar.
c) Ponder thought-provoking exhibitions.
d) Descend one level further and take in a show.
e) Partake in all of the above.
Gallery open late every Friday evening until the box office opens.
Creative Movement for Adults
Naomi is a qualified Chinese medical practitioner, counsellor and musician with a background in Yoga and Creative dance. Her classes for adults combine simple movements specifically designed to increase and balance the body's energy. Exercises are joyful and relaxing and are done to music. They can be further practised at home (if desired) to prepare for potentially stressful situations and help to realise personal goals. This will be followed by a short relaxatin.
Accessible Animation Project
Wild@heART Community Arts presents a 12-week fully accessible animation project for people with disability or mental heath issues.
Project participants will work with a professional animator to create an original short animation film. The project will explore storytelling, storyboarding, film production and various animation techniques, using iPads as animation devices.
Check out Wild@heART's 2012 animation project, You See Me, on Wild@heART's youtube channel.
Every Saturday afternoon.
Bazaar Tales Storytelling
Bazaar Tales is a live story-telling show that brings together some of Australia's (and the world's) best storytelling comedians, musicians, writers, poets, taxi drivers, journalists and eccentrics to tell their very best stories based on a different theme every show.
Bazaar Tales runs on the first and third Tuesday of every month and entry is completely free.
The first and third Tuesday of each month.
Art Afterhours
Andrew Pearson's 'Fading Dynasties' is an exhibition of new works on canvas - a retro pop art exploration of a new world.
The opening night event includes free musical entertainment, party pies and pastries as well as $3 beer and bubbles.
'Fading Dynasties' is a retro pop art referential exploration of a new world where lines are blurred, political doctrine is less and less defined and childhood and privacy are hijacked and then sold back to us. In this world, money has gone missing, the cult of Individualism ( ironically) exists in a culture where dissidence is viewed with increasing suspicion, materialism and celebrity are new religions and things are not as they appear. But it's not all bad.
Exhibition open daily, business hours. Opening night 4pm to 7pm.
flowerchildren: the story of the Mamas and the Papas
Magnormos theatre company is thrilled to present the return of 'flowerchildren', the exciting musical about the turbulent private lives of The Mamas and Papas between their spectacular rise to fame in 1966 and their tragic demise only four years later.
The critically acclaimed Green Room Award Winning musical stars Matt Hetherington (The Voice, Next To Normal), Laura Fitzpatrick ([title of show]), Dan Hamphris (Anyone Can Whistle) and Casey Donovan(Australian Idol, The Sapphires).
Penned by AFI winning writer, Peter Fitzpatrick, the musical explores the distrust, dangerous passions, and unhealthy co-dependencies behind this group who sold 100 million records worldwide, were the first group to knock The Beatles from the number one spot on the Billboard charts and left a legacy of timeless hits such as Monday Monday, Dedicated to the One I Love, Creeque Alley, Words of Love, and the iconic California Dreamin'.
If you weren't there at the time, this is your chance to take a wild and wonderful ride with the group whose music defined a generation. A new musical by Peter Fitzpatrick. Featuring the songs of The Mamas and The Papas. Musical adaptation and arrangements by Simon Stone.
Free, secular and democratic
This free exhibition traces the first 60 years of the Melbourne Public Library (now the State Library of Victoria), from its founding in 1853 to the opening of the magnificent dome in 1913. The Library and the cultural institutions that shared its site - the museum, gallery and art schools - were established by a group of colonial liberals including judge Sir Redmond Barry and architect Joseph Reed. They aimed to create a civic centre that was secular, democratic and enlightened.
The exhibition is curated by Harriet Edquist, Professor of Architecture at RMIT, as part of the Library's Dome Centenary celebrations.
Free secular and democratic: building the Public Library 1853-1913
Discover the cultural centrepiece of 19th-century Melbourne and the grand vision that inspired it
This free exhibition traces the first 60 years of the Melbourne Public Library (now the State Library of Victoria), from its founding in 1853 to the opening of the magnificent dome in 1913. The Library and the cultural institutions that shared its site - the museum, gallery and art schools - were established by a group of colonial liberals including judge Sir Redmond Barry and architect Joseph Reed. They aimed to create a civic centre that was secular, democratic and enlightened.
The exhibition is curated by Harriet Edquist, Professor of Architecture at RMIT, as part of the Library's Dome Centenary celebrations.
Ducks in a Row
Taxi Dining Room and Melbourne Food & Wine present 'Ducks in a Row' - a five-course duck degustation, part of PVOYT's Roast Collection.
Running each Sunday in June, 'Ducks in a Row' showcases delicious local produce in a five-course degustation masterfully crafted by executive chef Tony Twitchett.
Tony sources the duck from Greg and Jodi Clarke at Great Ocean Ducks, suppliers who take great pride in quality produce and animal welfare. In summer the ducks eat strawberries from a neighbouring grove and in winter apples from the orchard.
Guests will be treated to a range of tasty duck dishes including Taxi favourite, the roasted Sichuan duck with fresh lime and sriracha salt.
Every Sunday in June.
Ganagan (Deep Water): Waterways in Koorie Life and Art
Ganagan is a Taungurung word meaning 'deep water'. Ganagan encourages visitors to see Victorian waters through Koorie eyes.
Treasures on show from the Koorie Heritage Trust's collections include canoes, eel traps, fishing spears, paintings, photographs and oral histories from over 40 Victorian Koorie artists.
Guided River Walks will run from Federation Square on Friday 21 June and Wednesday 10 July 1pm - 2pm. The walks will commence from the Foyer of the Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square.
A Curator floor talk will be held on Wednesday 10 July 10am - 11am. The floor talk will provide background from the Curators in the development of the exhibition and insights into the works shared through the exhibition.
A coloring in table and a reading corner help make this a child friendly exhibition.
A range of other public programs including children's activities are being planned to run in conjunction with Ganagan. Please keep an eye on their website for updates.
Experience 130 years of history - Hotel Windsor High Tea
The Hotel Windsor in Melbourne has been serving traditional afternoon tea since 1883.
Our luxury hotel in Melbourne serves its renowned afternoon tea of freshly baked scones with jam and cream, exquisite pastries and finger sandwiches on tiered silver stands daily.
Upon arrival at The Hotel Windsor Melbourne, enjoy a glass of sparkling wine, whilst afternoon delicacies and unlimited freshly brewed tea and coffee is brought to your table.
Vegetarian and gluten free options can be catered for at no extra cost. Please advise any dietary requirements at the time of booking.
Our Luxury Melbourne hotel Afternoon Tea is served in our signature Melbourne hotel restaurant, 111 Spring Street every day of the week.
Please contact reservations for more details regarding session times.
Reservations are essential. We recommend at least three to four weeks advance notice for weekend bookings.
Australian Impressionists in France
For the first time, the remarkable story of the Australian artists who lived and worked in France from 1855 to 1915 is presented in an exhibition of over 120 stunning works of art. Australian Impressionists in France challenges our understanding of Australian art during these revolutionary decades.
Beginning with the first group of Australians to study in the French ateliers in the late 1880s, including E. Phillips Fox, Tudor St George Tucker and John Longstaff, the exhibition will show how Australian artists engaged with contemporary trends and examine their subsequent influence upon art in Australia.
Australian Impressionists in France will show the complex web of artistic exchange and friendships between Australian, French and other expatriate artists. Claude Monet demonstrated his Impressionist technique to John Russell; Charles Conder trawled the cabarets of Montmartre with Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, and; Vincent van Gogh considered Russell a friend. In France, Australian artists engaged in personal and artistic exchanges with artists from around the world.
Australian Impressionists in France brings together over 120 paintings, prints and drawings from major public and private collections around the world. It includes important paintings by John Russell, E.Phillips Fox and Charles Conder, as well as never before seen works by lesser-known artists.
Don't Throw the Game Away by Covering a Trick
Anna and Renee Miller-Yeaman’s art practice consists of an exchange between manipulated environments, sculptural objects and drawings.
Their practice highlights and disrupts existing architectures both in the gallery and public space. Through injecting calculated objects and strange surface additions to selected structures, Anna and Renee’s installations operate with and against the logic of the site whilst alluding to alternative scenarios.
Circus Oz – Cranked Up
Premiering in Melbourne last year, Circus Oz sizzles back into the Big Top at Birrarung Marr with their reconstructed 2013 show - cranked up from touring regional Australia, a New York City run of standing ovations and hot from an extended season across America.
Circus Oz 2013: Cranked Up hurls the 2012 show to new heights. It is a production that has been honed, road-hardened, made tight and allowed to play hilariously fast and loose.
Expect the irreverent Circus Oz spirit, revel in seeing some of the company's much-loved characters and thrill at some daring new feats of gravity-defying acrobatics destined to disrupt Circus Oz's ongoing brand of ridiculous tomfoolery that leaves audiences howling for more. With a hot live band, Circus Oz shows are suitable for audiences of all ages.
Credited with revitalising a traditional artform in a uniquely Australian way, Circus Oz is a rock 'n' roll, animal-free circus that has influenced the development of circus arts around the world since its foundation in 1978 - and this year turns 35!
Circus Oz: Cranked Up runs in the evenings Wednesday to Saturday and matinees on selected Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Five Boroughs Comedy
Melbourne's best quality night of comedy is here! Every Thursday night in the city, Five Boroughs Comedy has some of the biggest names in Australian comedy, in a funky inner-city surrounding.
Get out of the house on Thursday night, get dinner and watch big TV and radio names, plus some of the best new Melbourne faces, at Five Boroughs Comedy! Five Boroughs has hosted Dave Hughes, Jimeoin, Adam Hills, Sarah Silverman, Wil Anderson, Claire Hooper, Charlie Pickering, Glenn Robbins, Hannibal Buress, Tom Ballard, Dave Callan and heaps more!
* formerly Softbelly Comedy
80s Enuff - Live Every Friday Night
80s Enuff will be playing 'all the greaties from the eighties' so bust out your fluoro, brush up on your Madonna and Prince and join us every Friday night to be taken back to the 80s!
To secure free entry contact The Local on (03) 9810 0076 or email us.
An Evening with Molly Ringwald
Critically-acclaimed actress, author and singer, Molly Ringwald, brings her love of American standards to Melbourne for one-night only. Inspired and taught by her father, acclaimed jazz pianist Bob Ringwald, the iconic actress presents an intimate and revealing night of stories and song.
Often called one of the 'greatest teen stars' (Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Facts of Life), Molly has also starred in Broadway revivals of Cabaret and Sweet Charity. Touring Australia for the first time after the release of her debut CD 'Except...Sometimes', Ringwald is joined on stage by her quartet.
Presented by the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Fed Square Book Market
Love books? Join Melbourne's bibliophiles at the Fed Square Book Market, one of the largest weekly book markets in Melbourne, in The Atrium at Fed Square.
Each week you can immerse yourself in over 5000 new and pre-loved titles, including literature, history, gardening, travel, art and kids stories.
The Book Market regularly features around fifteen of Melbourne's most experienced book dealers as well as authors and illustrators.
ACO Richard Tognetti Presents ACO2
ACO2, the Australian Chamber Orchestra's precocious little sister, brings together Australia's finest young string players and ACO musicians, creating a combined ensemble with a fresh, energetic performance style.
Featuring several of the greatest works for string orchestra, this program showcases ACO2's virtuosity and vivacity, in high-octane Baroque and neoclassical music directed by Richard Tognetti.
'Magnetic' young German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott performs two Vivaldi Cello Concertos and Bloch's intensely melancholic From Jewish Life.
A Taste of the Market
A Taste of the Market is the latest street food festival to hit Queen Victoria Market. Taking over the Queen Street precinct for ten Sundays only, A Taste of the Market features some of your favourite traders from Suzuki Night Market and Luna1878, serving up local and international fare from Sicilian BBQ to Malaysian dumplings.
With free entry and entertainment, Sundays just became even more exciting at Queen Victoria Market!
Arts Centre Melbourne Sunday Market
Arts Centre Melbourne Sunday Market brings over 80 of Victoria's finest artisans right into the heart of Melbourne.
Every Sunday local artists and producers line the path in front of the Arts Centre lawn to showcase a variety of unique, handmade goods ranging from arts and crafts to freshly made delicacies.
Everything on offer at the Arts Centre Melbourne Sunday Market is made locally, making the market a real favourite for those seeking one-of-a-kind treasures, either as a gift or just as a treat for themselves.
Just a short walk over the bridge from Flinders Street Station, the Arts Centre Sunday Market is a much-loved weekly event, with the relaxed feel of a regional craft market against the backdrop of Melbourne's buzzing arts precinct.
Source: City of Melbourne What's On
2013 British & Irish Lions Tour
The British & Irish Lions are one of the most iconic sporting teams in the world, steeped in history and tradition. Drawn from the best players in England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland the British and Irish Lions tour Australia just once every 12 years.
Never playing at home and only assembled for overseas visits, the Lions travel to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia on a rotational basis every four year and take with them a passionate supporter base numbering in its tens of thousands.
Behind the Rugby World Cup, there is no bigger event in international Rugby than a British and Irish Lions Tour.
Finale
Finale, a life-affirming cabaret staged in the sepulchral basement of the Old Treasury building, opens for a limited season as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
Finale is narrated by death row Prisoner Z as he prepares to meet his maker. Prodigious talent Tracy Bourne brings Prisoner Z's closing moments to life with songs, stories and black humour.
Finale is the last show for Prisoner Z and he will do anything to delay the inevitable. He will lie, flatter, seduce and frighten you. He will sing opera, hard rock, plaintive ballads, even a Bee Gees song to distract you. But the end will come, as it must. He will have to face up to his past - and you will make sure that he does.
Written and performed by the unstoppable talent Tracy Bourne, with musical direction by Sophie Thomas (Flowerchildren) and original direction by Fiona Blair, the show features songs by Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Dresden Dolls, Cat Stevens, Sondheim, Debussy, Handel ... and the Bee Gees.
Following on from its success at the Ballarat Cabaret Festival, this immersive cabaret experience is reprised as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
Cosi Fan Tutte
See a film of Mozart's opera 'Cosi fan tutte', reinvented as a hippie musical in this 2002 production and featuring soloists and chorus of the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin.
The State Library of Victoria screens music, dance and plays every second Wednesday. Bookings not required but seating is limited, so come early.
Feel Young
Drawing from ancient Chinese traditions, Feel Young combines gentle exercise and dance in a program for all ages and levels of fitness.
Led by expert instructors from the Federation of Chinese Associations, Feel Young is designed to invigorate the mind and the body, building fitness, balance and mobility.
All ages are welcome and bookings not required.
Held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
Source: City of Melbourne What's On
A Room Without a View by Gosia Wlodarczak
Drawing performance, drawing installation and sensory limitation - artist Gosia Wlodarczak will spend time in a specially designed cube, drawing without any exposure to the outside world.
Gosia will be literally 'drawing' from her imagination from 10am to 5pm daily within the sensory limitation box in RMIT Gallery. Audiences will be able to view her progress via the live web cam streaming onto a screen within the gallery. This unique creative situation is in contrast to the artist's socially focused practice.
Public program: on Friday 5 July from 1pm to 2pm, Gosia will emerge from the enclosed drawing box after 17 days to talk about her experience.
A Parliament of Lines
In a continuing dialogue that RMIT Gallery has engaged in about the role of drawing in contemporary art practice, this international drawing exhibition questions what constitutes a drawing, exploring its boundary with painting, animation and photography.
Drawing has remained at the heart of Scottish art education for more than 250 years, and Scottish curator Euan Gray has highlighted the creative richness and diversity of the work of artists who are either Scottish or who have passed through the Scottish education system.
Public program: Friday 28 June, 12:30pm to 1:30pm: Euan Gray, curator's talk.
A Head in a Hive of Bees – Selected Drawings
Strange animals and insects, alien characters and abstract forms, dredged from subconscious thoughts often without a preconceived idea. These are the images that permeate artist Peter Ellis' drawings.
Ellis has produced these bizarre works for over 38 years and is well known for his innovative use of animal imagery. The extensive collection of drawings will also showcase Ellis' scrapbooks and notebooks, which the artist calls 'the beginning of things'.
Public program: Thursday 25 July, 5:30pm to 7pm: L'Âge d'Or: Surrealism, drawing and Me. Peter Ellis will speak about the influence of surrealism and automatic drawing on his work, and introduce the influential surrealist film L'Âge d'Or, Luis Buñuel's long-banned classic short film.
Thursday 1 August, 12:30pm to 1:30pm: Peter Ellis artist floor talk.
Edit
We would like to invite you to rain check your friday night of the 28th June to get involved for a night of serious love for House music.
This event is held at our new home ground Aka Brown Alley where we will be hosting the main room with a bounty of fresh local support and far afield Australian talent, we also have a couple of upcoming Dj's from the UK to bring some deep bass sound to the system.
Our newly hand picked crew of Dj's / Artists promise to deliver the newest in House / Tech House / Future 2step / Bass House on the night to flutter the brain cells and illuminate the mind, expect nothing but the best !
The dress code is blue and a smile but not essential, a mighty low door tax / ticket price of fifteen dollars, you can't lose !
Car Club Showcase
See your favourite cars up close and meet the proud owners at the Fed Square Car Club Showcase - a free monthly motor show in the heart of Melbourne.
On the last Sunday of every month car aficionados transform the Flinders Street frontage of Federation Square into the most glamorous car park in town. Classic cars one month, vintage the next and modern sports cars another. All lovingly restored and cared for.
Bend and Snap Market
Bend and Snap is a design market held the on last Sunday of each month at 1000 £ Bend. The market showcases the fine work of local talented creatives such as illustrators, fashion designers, jewellers and textile artists.
Their 'Crafternoon Corner' offers all Bend and Snap shoppers a chance to join in and get gluey, with new crafts every month. With a tasty café out front, artwork adorned walls, natural lighting and fabulous tunes, Bend and Snap makes the perfect recipe for an atmospheric Sunday afternoon - you're invited to join in!
Classics at Fed Square
Enjoy your favourite music all year round with Classics at Fed Square.
Held in the stunning surrounds of The Edge, these free monthly concerts offer something for everyone, from classical and swing to big band, jazz and even contemporary pop!
The program include plenty of old favourites from the Police Band to some of the best creative schools across Victoria. Bring a friend and make a day of it, with free exhibitions at ACMI and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and plenty of great cafes open for lunch or coffee.
CAMP!
OutBlack and Songlines present CAMP! A night of drag kings and queens, funk, soul, hip-hop and disco.
Last year's NAIDOC Celebration honoured family and community ties, and this year will celebrate sovereignty, survival and strength.
Dates and performers are yet to be finalised. Watch this space, more details coming soon.
Can Existentialist Categories Save Christian Theology?
The Existentialist Society's free monthly public lecture program is for those who question whether life has a meaning and a purpose.
This month, Dr Paul Tonson will address the society on 'Can Existentialist Categories Save Christian Theology?'. The public lecture is followed by an extended period of questions and discussion.
The Existentialist Society explores ideas surrounding a life without self-deception or hedonistic escapism, while searching for purpose and authentic existence.
Lectures are held on the first Tuesday of every month, except January.
Confessions of a Romantic – Selby and Friends
Unashamedly filled with gorgeous romantic flair and melody, pianist Kathryn Selby brings together two brilliant Finnish artists for the first time with Vesa-Matti Leppänen (concertmaster New Zealand Symphony) and ACO Principal Cellist Timo-Veikko Valve.
Performing three highly impassioned works in a single program by three giants in Grieg, Mendelssohn and Brahms will provide plenty of romance for a thrilling evening of masterful music making.
Between the Cracks
Melbourne's very own Diva extraordinaire - the feather ruffler, the rabble rouser, the cabaret provocateur Yana Alana, takes to the stage with her first solo show (with two people in it).
Between the Cracks traverses the private places and deepest holes of this multi- award winning diva as she opens up and bares all in this bent night of blues, burlesque and blame.
Directed by Anni Davey, performed by Sarah Ward & Louise Goh.
'Whether you're a long-term fan, or have never seen her perform, you'll never regret seeing Yana Alana, up-close and rather personal. She is a pure force of nature (a blue one, of course), full of wit, a delightful lack of self-dignity, and laugh-out-loud moments' - Aussie Theatre review, February 2013.
Warning: nudity
Fundamentals of a Successful Yoga Practice
This free lecture and demonstration is the introduction to a full-day workshop on Saturday 6th July. This Friday evening introduction is free for the general public to attend.
Beginners to advanced welcome!
Presented by Duncan Ewing, the workshop will cover:
- right understanding of purification through Yoga
- right understanding of energy conductivity
- right understanding of technical applications
- right understanding of effective protocols in practice·
No booking required for this session, however if you wish to attend the workshop on Saturday 6 July you must book!
Artist Mentoring Program
Wild@heART Community Arts presents a new Artist Mentoring Program aimed at emerging musicians and performing artists with disability or mental illness.
This is a fortnightly workshop program working with industry mentors, and peer exchange of skills, ideas and experiences, to achieve artistic and career goals.
This program starts in July, held at the North Melbourne Town Hall. To register your interest, email Wild@heART Community Arts or call 9326 9970.
Fed Square Laughter Club
Join in a 30-minute laughter session at Federation Square at 11:00am on the 1st Sunday of each month.
Laughter Clubs come together for a session and people laugh for no reason without having to resort to jokes or humour. The sessions last about half an hour and are mostly held outdoors. They are run along the lines established by Dr Madan Kataria, who founded the global laughter movement 14 years ago with one club, and there are now over 5,000 clubs worldwide.
Everyone is welcome to experience first-hand the fun of a laughter session, and gain the benefits of laughter, which improves the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social health of individuals, workplaces, and society.
Carnival of Curiosity
Marvel at stilt walkers and magicians, march alongside an old-time brass band, enjoy tours, talks and performances.
Whether you are one or 101 there will be surprises galore, free for all.
This is one of many Dome Centenary events taking place in 2013, to celebrate the State Library of Victoria's iconic dome and all that it enables.
Carnival of curiosity
Join us for a day of curious delights from across time!
Marvel at stilt walkers and magicians, march alongside an old-time brass band, enjoy tours, talks and performances.
Whether you're 1 or 101 there will be surprises galore, free for all.
This is one of many Dome Centenary events taking place in 2013, to celebrate our iconic dome and all that it enables.
A Quilt for the Maynards
Join Glenda and the 'Six Stitchers' for an informative and entertaining look at the process to create the beautiful Maynard Quilt. You can even have a try at making a cushion to accompany the quilt.
If sewing isn't you thing, perhaps you'd like to play a game of cards or the children's games of yesteryear, or just relax and listen to tales of that era from a lady who lived them. Travel back to the years gone by, with everyday people doing everyday things but in an extraordinary place.
From Catholicism to Humanism
The Atheist Society is hosting a public lecture on 'From Catholicism to Humanism' with Dr Joe Sampson from the Humanist Society of Victoria. The lecture will be followed by questions and discussion.
The Atheist Society is for atheists, agnostics and free thinkers who agree to disagree.
Coffee and conversation from 7pm.
African Arts
Multicultural Arts Victoria in partnership with the Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery present
'African Arts' By Nickel Mundabi Ngadwa
Enjoy a vast and diverse collection of works created in Congo and Australia with a distinctly African texture. From tribal statuettes to stunning patterns of dynamic colour on canvas, Ngadwa captures the essence of Congolese design with a contemporary flair.
This unique solo exhibition features paintings and sculptures created in African and Australian woods including masks, land animals, birds, jewellery and decorative household objects.
Nickel Mundabi Ngadwa was born in the democratic Republic of Congo. He lives with his wife and three children in Shepparton where is an active member of the Congolese and artistic community.
Presented by Multicultural Arts Victoria & Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery
Cool Kids Cook: Warm Saucing Puddings for Winter
A hands-on winter puddings cooking class for children aged 6 to 11 years.
Kids crave puddings. It's the gooey, yummy, runny centre and the warmth of a winter dessert that catches them. In this class they will help make the puddings then sit and eat them before Mum returns. Puddings on the menu include caramel sticky date pudding, chocolate mania pudding and tangy lemon delicious.
Build and Renovating Expo
Running in partnership with the Master Builders Association of Victoria for eight years, the Building & Home Improvement Expo has undergone its own renovation. More than just a name change, the Build & Renovating Expo reflects a shift in focus and puts the visitor in the spotlight. Last year's feedback from the serious builder and renovator was listened to - and this year's B&RE was designed accordingly.
Now featuring an exciting new Home Interiors Zone (presented by Australian House & Garden), the Build & Renovating Expo is a one stop shop showcasing a handpicked line-up of over 250 industry leaders specialising in innovative building materials and products. Free industry seminars and the `Ask an Expert' feature will continue as key highlights and, to keep the little ones entertained, the family activity area by The Lighthouse Foundation is not to be missed.
As well as including some of Australia's most recognised brands, the Build & Renovating Expo is a major launching pad for many new products and services that are entering the market. Visitors are spoilt for choice in the areas of bathrooms, kitchens, flooring, lighting, heating/cooling, doors & windows, energy efficiency & solar products, roofing, fencing & gates, building materials, outdoor living, pools & spas, finance and sustainability solutions and more.
If you're building or renovating, you can't afford to miss the Build & Renovating Expo!
Bernadette Robinson
Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday - three legends of American music, each from a different chapter of the American Songbook - are celebrated and brought to life in this fabulous show with Bernadette Robinson.
Judy Garland was the queen of Broadway and film; Patsy Cline was the most successful country music star of her time; and Billie Holiday was the lady who sang the blues.
Join Bernadette Robinson, direct from her triumphant performances in Songs for Nobodies, as she brings to life the songs of these incandescent somebodies. The performance will include Judy's iconic version of Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg's 'Somewhere over the Rainbow', Willie Nelson's 'Crazy', which Patsy was the first to record, and Billie's signature song 'Lady Sings the Blues'.
Celebrate Bastille Day
In celebration of Bastille Day, put on your beret and enjoy a classic French banquet at Mr Mason.
Sit down to a bountiful three course long table feast and enjoy classic dishes such as beef bourguignon, seafood bouillabaisse and chocolate soufflé all accompanied by a variety of free flowing Chateau de Sours wines and Kronenbourg beer.
Bastille Day: La Fête Nationale
Celebrate the French national day by paying homage to some of the best brasseries in France. The chef and team at the French Brasserie will re-create some of the best dishes from France's top establishments.
Bastille Day celebrations begin with a kir royale on arrival, followed by a four-course degustation dinner and entertainment from Noria Letts and her Taste of Paris, one of Melbourne's most acclaimed and popular jazz shows.
Noria melds her innovative jazz with classic French chansons and adds a touch of the Maghreb to create a vibrant, entertaining and original performance.
Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition Finals
Co-presented by Chamber Music Australia and Melbourne Recital Centre, the 2013 Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition is internationally regarded as a launching pad to a performing career on the world stage.
String quartets and piano trios from Australia, China, Japan and Singapore will compete in public recitals at the ABC's Iwaki Auditorium and the finals will be held at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Lovers of chamber music who are unable to attend the concerts can tune in to the week-long live broadcast on ABC Classic FM.
Piano trio final 2:30pm, string quartet final 7pm.
Air & Flame Photographic Exhibition by Ken Spence
Rise above the bustle of daily life and see the world from a new perspective with Air & Flame, a stunning exhibition by Melbourne photographer Ken Spence.
As Melbourne's Hotel For The Arts, Sofitel Melbourne On Collins is excited to present this glorious pictorial essay on the beauty, colour and tranquility of ballooning both in Melbourne and the Yarra Valley, and over the golden temples of Burma.
While Air & Flame marks his first solo exhibition, Ken has been capturing unique images of Melbourne for the past 20 years. He has produced scenic calendars featuring South Gippsland and Wilsons Promontory for the past four years and also produced a `Balloons Over Melbourne' photographic calendar for 2013. Hot air balloon photography is his specialty.
"Pop up" Speakeasy
As part of its public programs during the Underbelly: Squizzy Exhibition the Old Melbourne Gaol will be hosting an exclusive 'Pop up' Speakeasy!
A Speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, was an establishment that would have illegally sold alcoholic beverages during the period in the United States that was known as Prohibition. During this time it was illegal to sell, manufacture or transport alcoholic beverages.
The Squizzy, 'Pop up' Speakeasy will take you on a journey back to the 20's where you will sample prohibition style cocktails made by fantastic creative team behind Trink Tank and Bar Americano!
You will also have the opportunity to uncover the story of one of Melbourne's first gangsters through an after dark viewing of the exhibition and sampling the excessive lifestyle that Squizzy and his associated were accustom to through song, dance and all the trappings of a decadent 20's lifestyle.
The speakeasy is a strictly 18+ event
First Peoples Exhibition at Bunjilaka, Melbourne Museum
Bunjilaka at the Melbourne Museum is a living Aboriginal cultural centre that celebrates the strength and vitality of Koorie people in Victoria. Members of the exhibition team will discuss their experiences of creating 'First Peoples', the new major exhibition at Bunjilaka, opening in September.
The exhibition has been created with extensive community consultation and co-curation by members of Victoria's Aboriginal community. The First Peoples Yulendj Group has brought stories, culture and knowledge to every aspect of the exhibition development.
Beautiful Books: Rare Book Week Launch
In the midst of the e-revolution, where we're as likely to download as to leaf through a book, the idea of the book as an object of beauty is being lost. Or is it?
To celebrate the launch of Melbourne Rare Book Week, a panel of passionate bibliophiles, including collector Des Cowley, designer W.H. Chong and booki.sh co-founder Virginia Murdoch, will explore changing perspectives on what makes us keep, treasure and admire a beautiful book.
Hosted at The Wheeler Centre - the centrepiece of Melbourne's designation as a UNESCO City of Literature.
Extended Play
Melbourne's acclaimed The Raah Project joins musical forces with Vienna's world-renowned Johann Strauss Ensemble for a unique one-off event. Together they present re-workings of the Raah Project's acclaimed album 'Score' and forthcoming record 'Take Me Elsewhere', alongside bold reimaginings and remixes of works by Austria's founding romantic composer Johann Strauss.
The Raah Project is a collaborative performance and recording project formed in 2003 by virtuoso composers/performers Tamil Rogeon and Ryan Ritchie. Since its formation the Project has been building bridges between diverse music genres, encapsulating classical, jazz, hip hop, jungle, soul and electronica.
The Johann Strauss Ensemble is one of the most authentic interpreters of its namesake, Johann Strauss. The Ensemble performs in the original 'Stehgeiger' style adopted by Strauss himself where the leader is both conductor and soloist. Australia's very own violinist Russell McGregor leads the ensemble on their return to Australia following a sold-out 2011 tour.
Combining the ensemble's 22-piece orchestra with the rhythm section, samples, synths and drum machines of The Raah Project, this is a unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a night of genre-bending modern music.
'Infusing their own original arrangements with electrifying strings, big-band beats and electronica, and with sublime vocals that span jazz to beat poetry, The Raah Project create staggeringly beautiful live shows' - The Independent.
Books and Culture in La Trobe’s Melbourne
Founded in 2001, the La Trobe Society was established to promote recognition and understanding of the achievements of Charles Joseph La Trobe.
Initially appointed in 1839 as Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, then part of New South Wales, he became the first Lieutenant Governor of the new colony of Victoria after separation in 1851. Dr Dianne Reilly, co-founder and Secretary of the Society, presents a lecture highlighting the cultural foundations on which the modern day state of Victoria is built.
Presented by The C. J. La Trobe Society, this event is part of Melbourne Rare Book Week, 2013.
Bank Street Market
The Bank Street Market is set in the heritage grounds of the South Melbourne Commons. The Market runs on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 9am - 2pm.
Wander around inside the hall, the courtyard and garden stalls to see some of the best vintage, handmade, homemade, vintage, antique and flea stalls in Melbourne.
Have breakfast or lunch in the Commons Cafe and check out the children's workshop space upstairs.
A Passion for Words
Kate Burridge, a prominent Australian linguist specializing in the Germanic languages, will be presenting a lecture at the Old Treasury Building.
She currently occupies the Chair of Linguistics in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University and has appeared regularly as a panelist on the ABC TV's 'Can We Help'.
Australian Chamber Orchestra presents Barefoot Fiddler
A free spirit who approaches music with an unquenchable sense of fun and discovery, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja is a joy to play with and watch.
Patricia performs Bach and Mendelssohn violin concertos and a haunting work by Argentinian composer Ginastera, featuring solos for five principal musicians from the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Trust this enchanting violinist with your ears and she'll lead you a merry dance, bare feet and all.
An Evening with Jason Alexander and His Hair
After three hugely successful tours of Australia, Jason Alexander returns to perform his hilarious one man show for the very first time.
An evening with Jason Alexander and His Hair is a comedy variety show that features stand-up comedy, music, Jason's amazing voice, a Seinfeld Q & A and audience participation.
Bookwallah Exhibition
Take a 2000km train ride across India with Asialink's 'The Bookwallah', the world's first roving writers' festival. This free exhibition charts the epic literary adventure of five writers and their ingenious luggage - a travelling library housed in kangaroo-leather suitcases - on a month-long quest to explore Indian writing and culture.
In partnership with the Melbourne Writers Festival, you'll have the chance to meet some of the Indian and Australian authors before they pack the exhibition into their suitcases and catch a train north for the Bookwallah's Australian tour.
Artist's Books – Art and Collaboration
Bruno Leti is a painter, printmaker and book artist who made his first artist's book in 1982. It was a small bound volume of 74 line sketches drawn into a commercially-made black-page notebook while visiting Milan.
Since then, making books has become part of his normal art practice, an activity firmly integrated into his daily life in the studio.
Bruno will talk about how these limited edition books are created, the relationships he has developed with poets (in particular Chris Wallace-Crabb), paper makers, book binders and even the makers of the box housing or slip case his books are sold in.
A selection of Bruno's artist's books and monographs will be on display in the Library throughout the week.
This event is part of Melbourne Rare Book Week.
Please see the website for further details regarding event time.
From Architecture to Ornament
In celebration of the centenary of the domed La Trobe Reading Room, Professor Harriet Edquist (RMIT) will reflect on the intersections of design and architectural history with the history of Melbourne and its public library, now the State Library of Victoria.
Professor Edquist will also look at Owen Jones' book, The Grammar of Ornament (one of the featured items in the Free, Secular and Democratic exhibition), its influence on colonial liberals such as judge Sir Redmond Barry and architect Joseph Reed, and the design of Melbourne's historic public buildings.
This event is part of Melbourne Rare Book Week.
Einstein on the Beach
Widely recognized as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century, Einstein on the Beach will return to Australia for an exclusive season at Arts Centre Melbourne as part of a major international tour, bringing this ground-breaking work to a new generation.
Rarely performed due to its epic scale, Einstein On The Beach, An Opera in Four Acts launched its director Robert Wilson and composer Philip Glass to international success when it was first produced.
Now, nearly four decades after it was first performed and 21 years since it was last seen in Australia, a remarkable revival by Wilson, Glass, and choreographer Lucinda Childs has critics and audiences in raptures all over again.
'Einstein remains a masterpiece; it has, thus far triumphantly withstood the test of time. Einstein is constantly involving and almost religiously moving ... an experience to cherish for a lifetime.' The New York Times
Aftermath: Sites and Sources of History and Memory
This seminar explores how scholars and archivists incorporate sources encompassing memoirs, architecture, testimonies, photographs and moving image footage into the writing of the Holocaust in particular, and genocides more broadly.
This seminar forms part of the public program of the third Dr Jan Randa Conference in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, hosted by the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, in partnership with the History Program at Monash University and the University of Warwick.
2013 Family History Feast
The annual Family History Feast is a day of free information sessions for family history researchers.
Discover the major Victorian government agencies for genealogical research and how they can help with your family history research.
The information day is held annually during National Family History Week and includes the Victorian Association of Family History Organisations' Don Grant Lecture.
The event is organised jointly by the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), National Archives of Australia (Victorian office), Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Immigration Museum and the State Library of Victoria.
The 10th annual Family History Feast will be held on Monday 5 August 2013. Online bookings through PROV will open on 17 June 2013.
You can also watch and listen to a selection of past Family History Feast lectures on the website.
Grant Burge Wine Dinner
Experience the wines of Grant Burge at a special wine dinner at No35. At this event, proprietor and Barossa Valley winemaker, Grant Burge, will present the inaugural public tasting of the new 2004 Helene Grand Cuvée from Tasmania. The Filsell Shiraz and 20 Year Old Tawny Port will also be featured.
Book now for this Grant Burge experience matched with a four course menu crafted by No35 head chef Martin Horsley.
Dead Symphony
What do you hear when you die? A fusion of social documentary, art, biological science and music, Dead Symphony is a performance like no other - a sound world and lighting installation, performed in the hidden, unknown depths of Arts Centre Melbourne.
Sound is understood to be one of the last senses present before death. While most descriptions of near-death experiences focus on the visual, award-winning Melbourne artist, Saskia Moore takes a different perspective by asking: what does it sound like?
Working with people who encountered near death experiences, Saskia discovered that many hear astonishing music, incredibly beautiful miniature symphonies.
The resulting work is a contemporary symphony that is lyrical, abstract, and beautiful. Performed in the secret ravines of Arts Centre Melbourne, audiences will embark on an astonishing exploration of mortality and understanding, of the collision between art and science.
Developed with and performed by award-winning UK music ensemble Apartment House.
Botanica
'Breathtaking, beautiful and inspiring...take along every little dancer in your family' - Buzz Magazine, Chicago Entertainment
Following their sell-out season of Opus Cactus in 2003, Momix returns with Botanica, the perfect show for the whole family.
Beautiful and enthralling, Botanica follows the rhythms of the seasons, the changing shape of life on Earth and the passing of a day. Set to an eclectic score ranging from birdsong to Vivaldi, nature's changing imagery is revealed in Momix's signature illusionary style.
Botanica shows off the endlessly renewable energy of Momix's superb performers, enhanced by spectacular costumes, exquisite projections and puppetry designed by Michael Curry, acclaimed production designer for Cirque du Soleil and the Metropolitan Opera.
This is dance at its most organic and inventive. The seasons will never be the same!
'The audience floats out on a dizzying high of pleasure' Chicago Tribune
Coonawarra Wine Tasting Roadshow
The Coonawarra Roadshow is a highly anticipated event which travels to capital cities during the month of August. Coonawarra winemakers, winery owners and their families embark on a nation wide road trip to conduct tastings and chat to you about their wines in very special venues in your home towns. Don't miss this rare opportunity to experience the best Coonawarra has to offer all in the one place!
#ONEWorld Summit
#ONEWorld Summit is the event from the new and fast-growing OnelyHUB movement, bringing together social change-makers, entrepreneurs and leaders to discuss a united vision.
With a huge range of speakers on topics such as climate change, social entrepreneurship and leading, they all speak from experience and here to 'entertain'!
This event is designed to be extremely experiential, fun, informative, and change-orientated.
Asian Food Festival
The Asian Food Festival 'rolls' into Melbourne this Spring with a multicultural celebration of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines 1 September - 15 October 2013.
Centered within Melbourne's vibrant Chinatown Precinct in the heart of the CBD and including over 50 participating restaurants across the city; special banquets, menus and dining offers will abound to delight every tastebud with a special celebration of Asian cuisine.
The Asian Food Festival will also feature a dedicated program of special events that include Progressive Dinners, Buffet Cruises on the Yarra, Pop Up Markets, Cooking Demonstrations, Cuisine Competitions and Fundraising Events. Highlights of this year's Festival include The Mid Autumn Lantern Festival where Chinatown will be awash in glowing lantern lighting as well as 'The Biggest Yum' - an outdoor communal tables dining experience in the centre of the Chinatown Precinct.
Featuring the iconic and colorful traditional Chinese arches, Melbourne's Chinatown is a distinctive and lively area of Australia's foodie capitol, dating back to the Gold Rush days of the 1850's and is the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World. The precinct's essential character and main focus is along Little Bourke St. between Swanston and Spring St., with a variety of laneways and alleys that are home to casual and fine dining restaurants, arcade noodle houses, Chinese groceries, herbalists, bookstores, souvenir shops and hidden treasures.
For a full list of participating restaurants, events and booking information, please visit the website.
Four Last Songs: Ensemble Liaison with Emma Matthews
Internationally acclaimed Melbourne-based Ensemble Liaison (clarinet, cello and piano) will be joined by soprano Emma Matthews for an evening of romantic classics including:
Chopin: Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No.1
Brahms: Sonata for clarinet and piano in E flat major, Op.120, No.2
Schubert: The Shepherd on the Rock, D.965 (Op. post. 129)
Schubert: Notturno
Strauss: Four Last Songs (chamber arrangement)
Emma Matthews is one of Australia's most critically acclaimed and in-demand sopranos. In 2012 she appeared in the title role of 'Lucia di Lammermoor' with Opera Australia.
Australian Football League Finals Series
Don't miss the spectacular crescendo of 23 weeks of fantastic competition in the 2013 AFL Finals Series.
From March to September Australian Rules Football (AFL) teams fight it out to make the top eight and qualify for the final series.
This titanic contest is between two teams with one emerging as the premier side for the year.
Close to 95,000 fans pack the stands of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the grand final while millions watch it worldwide on cable, satellite and free to air television.
The final series offers sheer atmosphere and excitement and is a truly unique Australian experience.
Cinderella
Cinders is getting a brand new dress! Alexei Ratmansky, formerly artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet and now resident choreographer of American Ballet Theatre, is creating a new version of Cinderella for The Australian Ballet.
Set to Prokofiev’s beguiling score and featuring Surrealism-inspired sets and costumes, this new Cinderella will be eagerly awaited both here and abroad. Ratmansky has been hailed as the saviour of traditional ballet, injecting fresh life into classical technique. His take on the original girl-made-good story promises true enchantment.
'A new choreographer has come to light – and the dance world is a better place'. New York Post on Alexei Ratmansky
Dates and starting times vary. Please refer to australianballet.com.au for full details.
Australian World Orchestra
The Australian World Orchestra is bringing together the very best of Australia's classical music talent from all around the world for an exciting program of events in 2013, culminating in three spectacular concerts conducted by one of the world's finest conductors, Maestro Zubin Mehta, taking place at Melbourne's Hamer Hall and the Sydney Opera House in October 2013.
The Australian World Orchestra was created in 2011 by Alexander Briger, an internationally acclaimed conductor with a vision: to bring together Australia's finest musicians from home and around the world to form one of the country's most electrifying orchestras.
In a triumph of logistics and passion, more than 110 performers will be taking part in the 2013 series, with 54 internationally based artists joining 56 acclaimed musicians from across the country.
The Australian World Orchestra concerts are an opportunity for these globally renowned musicians at the height of their game to come together and perform on home soil, resulting in events with an incredible energy and atmosphere.
Brief Encounter – Melbourne Festival
Remembered as one of the most haunting love stories ever, Noël Coward's Brief Encounter is retold by one of the UK's most admired, award-winning theatre companies.
Switching seamlessly between theatre and film, using a combination of Coward's original stage play, still life, and footage inspired by David Lean's classic 1945 film, Brief Encounter takes us back to a bygone age of romance and the silver screen.
The irresistible passion of the chance encounter by Laura, a married woman, and the handsome Dr Alec Harvey in the famous railway station tea room is again brought to life in a breathtaking, delightfully funny and touching show interspersed with Coward's typically debonair and witty songs.
Nominated for 4 Olivier and 2 Tony Awards, Melbourne audiences will see Brief Encounter in the original production that has already captured the imagination of audiences from London's West End to Broadway, New York.
No 11am matinee on Wednesday 9 October
2013 Melbourne Festival
Melbourne Festival is one of the world's leading arts festivals and Australia's premier celebration of art and culture from around the world. Each Festival brings an unparalleled feast of theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film and outdoor events to Melbourne each October.
Melbourne Festival exclusively debuts and premieres the finest local, national and international events, ensuring that Melbourne is the only place in Australia that many of them are seen.
Through excellence, diversity and accessibility, the Festival presents the best possible experience to as many people as possible by proudly offering a wide variety of ticket prices and venues, plus many free programs.
2013 Melbourne Marathon Festival
The 2013 Melbourne Marathon Festival will be held on Sunday October 13.
This year, with over 28,000 registered competitors we will head 'Back to the G' for another action packed weekend of events!
Check back on our website in March 2013 for the official dates, as well as information on registration.
Australian Audio & AV Show
Bigger and better than ever with more demonstration suites, attractions and extended opening times.
Building on the success of the Melbourne Show in 2011 and the Sydney Show in 2012, Melbourne is once again the place to be in 2013 for Australia's finest audio and video technology showcase.
Enjoy the experience of wonderful music and movie entertainment in the comfort of more than 60 hotel suites - it's the closest you'll come to the real home experience, without sitting in your own chair.
The Intercontinental Melbourne The Rialto hotel is the venue. A fabulous, heritage listed building combining all the ambience and old world charm, with the comfort and modern facilities required to present and maximise the performance of today's sophisticated home entertainment technologies.
Not just an exhibition, the Australian Audio & AV Show is pure entertainment, whether your choice is high-end systems or iPod docks, high definition TV and projection or the personal musical experience of headphones it's all here at the Intercontinental Melbourne The Rialto hotel in October.
There is much more to enjoy, visit 'headzones', a dedicated area where you can personally audition the finest in headphone and headsets from around the world, with experts on hand to help you choose what's best for you. The 'Wheat' Suite is a dedicated theatre for the presentation of lectures/seminars from some of the world's audio/video 'gurus'.
Bupa Around the Bay
Over the past 20 years Bupa Around the Bay - Fundraise for The Smith Family has grown to become Australia's largest mass participation bike ride and one of Melbourne's major sporting events. With five ride options to select from, there is a ride to suit everyone. With limited places available, claim your spot in cycling history now by registering on the website.
Australian Chamber Orchestra presents Brahms 4 & Steven Isserlis
The Fourth is Brahms' final powerful symphonic statement. Here, Brahms takes flight, as he melds the soaring sounds of Romanticism to classical structure in a constantly evolving drama.
Brahms premiered the symphony with a small orchestra of forty-eight musicians, which he declined to augment. The Australian Chamber Orchestra follows his lead and performs with wind instruments from Brahms' time.
Steven Isserlis is one of the ACO's favourite collaborators - the epitome of the intelligent and passionate cellist. There could be no better soloist for Dvo?ák's ardent and much-loved concerto. Isserlis first played it as a child. 'I used to think it was so joyous,' he says. 'As I've got older, the more tragic it seems.'
6000 Miles Away
Witness a unique collaboration with three world-renowned contemporary choreographers - Jirí Kylián, William Forsythe and Mats Ek.
The Melbourne Festival season follows great reviews from Adelaide and Sydney earlier in 2013 and previous sell-out performances at London's Sadler's Wells, Venice's Dance Biennale and New York's Lincoln Centre.
First up is a duet from Jirí Kylián's work 27'52' performed by former Nederlands Dans Theater dancers Aurélie Cayla and Lukas Timulak to the music of Dirk Haubrich.
The second performance features iconic dance-maker William Forsythe's new duet, Rearray, for her and Teatro alla Scala Ballet étoile Massimo Murru, with music by David Morrow.
Completing the event, acclaimed Swedish choreographer Mats Ek's new solo, Bye, also stars Guillem and is set to Beethoven's last piano sonata.
This is a rare opportunity to experience some of the most technically sophisticated work of Guillem's incredible career and a once in a lifetime chance to see both 6000 miles away and PUSH (a Melbourne exclusive) in the same program.
Australian Chamber Orchestra presents Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Martin Fröst is probably the greatest clarinettist in the world, but more than that, he's a marvellous communicator and fantastic to watch. Astonishingly, he can dance while he plays, and his brother's new work has him performing as a marionette!
Martin Fröst's recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto was named the best in the world by specialist magazine Classica-Repertoire and his performance has been watched more than half a million times on YouTube - testament to the popularity of both musician and work. ABC Classic FM listeners voted the Mozart one of their top ten favourite concertos and many remember it from the film Out of Africa.
Satu Vänskä leads music from her homeland Finland and plays Paganini-inspired music on the Australian Chamber Orchestra's Stradivarius violin.
Contrasts: Ensemble Liaison with Anthony Marwood
Internationally acclaimed and Melbourne-based Ensemble Liaison (clarinet, cello and piano) are joined by renowned British violinist Anthony Marwood in an evening of chamber music.
Anthony Marwood is recognised throughout the world for his great versatility as an orchestral soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and ensemble director has enthralled audiences and critics around the globe.
Program includes:
Bruch: Eight Pieces for clarinet, cello and piano, Op. 83
Bartok: Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano
Ravel: Kaddisch from Deux melodies hebraiques
Schumann: Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47
Creative Innovation 2013 - Asia Pacific
Creative Innovation 2013 Asia Pacific
The Race to the Future - E6: Environment, Energy, Economy, Education, Entrepreneurship, Ethical Leadership
27-29 November
Melbourne, Australia
Never before has one species been able to conquer or impact so many elements on Earth so dramatically. We are racing into the future. The rate of change astonishes us.
But, are we the masters of our future? Will we set the direction for the economy and the environment? Will we set out the nature of the ethical society we want to live in? Or will events and mistakes overtake us?
Actions we take now will impact future generations in a most powerful way. Can we find innovative solutions to the great problems of today? What will it take to get the economies of the developed world growing again? How will we address the great problems of the present and those that threaten us in the future, including climate change, poverty, high energy costs, scarcity of food, water and key resources?
We must find the great and small ideas and the human energy to drive forward in a world of huge potential - thanks to technological innovation and burgeoning human capital - while facing enormous problems now and on the horizon. Yes, we live in interesting and challenging times.
Ci2013 will bring together big and small business, entrepreneurs, educators, creative and government representatives, emerging leaders and leading thinkers from around the world across sectors to jointly tackle critical issues and opportunities. This is a must-attend event for everyone seeking fresh insights and tools. Join us in The Race to the Future!
ACO Christmas Oratorio
This Christmas, hear Bach's joyful telling of the Christmas story. The Christmas Oratorio comprises six cantatas, each depicting a scene from Christ's birth.
Richard Tognetti directs from the lead violin with his trademark infectious vigour. Those who attended our recent Beethoven 9 concerts will attest to Richard's captivating ability to marshal orchestral and choral forces. A review in The Age read: 'Tognetti's direction energised all his artists to deliver a jubilant performance'.
We are joined by acclaimed singers from the Choir of London who are hand-picked from Britain's leading choral baroque specialists, professional choirs and opera companies. This performance of the Christmas Oratorio, in the week before Christmas is an event not to be missed.
Australian Open - The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific
Summer in Australia is tennis. Balmy nights, world-class tennis players, colourful fans, live entertainment at Grand Slam® Oval and all the tennis action live on the big screen at Garden Square. For two weeks in January, Melbourne Park has it all.
Witness the drama unfold as the world's greatest athletes dominate the courts at Melbourne Park and test each other's skill, determination, courage and endurance. More than mere sporting heroes, the likes of Rafa, Roger, Novak, Andy, Maria, Victoria, Caroline and Serena are global superstars, all striving to claim the first Grand Slam® title of the tennis season. Every year the Australian Open gets bigger, better, more intense and more breathtaking as these stunning athletes leave nothing to chance in their quest for the ultimate prize.
Visit the Australian Open website, or sign up to Australian Open Update for all the latest news and offers from the Australian Open.
Melbourne is getting ready to play in 2013.
Have you signed up?
FORMULA 1(TM) Australian Grand Prix
There's nothing as exciting as a Formula 1™ race. It has the power to stop traffic in Asia, make America sit up and take notice and rouse Europe from its slumber. The 2014 Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix will be no exception, with the world's fastest cars, coolest celebrities and latest technology converging on Melbourne for four days of breathtaking action.
There are many ticket options available, from corporate to general admission. Don't miss your chance to book and join a crowd of thousands to watch the world's premier drivers light up Melbourne and the Albert Park circuit in March.
Be there as the world watches Melbourne.