This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Melbourne
Australia’s south-east metropolis is a cultural cauldron of theatre, opera, and art — and a particularly lively sports scene. Below are some of the city’s offerings that we’re most excited about this year. Do share your Melbourne highlights in the comments.
February
Art
Triennial, National Gallery of Victoria
The worlds of contemporary art, design and architecture combine at this free exhibition featuring 120 artists and designers, including Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono, Gary Hume and Julian Charrière. Until April 7; further information here
‘Watercolour Country: 100 Works from Hermannsburg’, National Gallery of Victoria
See the stunning scenery of the central Australian outback in 100 watercolours by Aranda, Western Aranda, Eastern Aranda and Kemarre/Loritja artists, including works by Albert Namatjira, one of Australia’s most celebrated landscape painters. Free entry. Until April 14; further information here
‘From the Other Side’, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
An exhibition harnessing horror to tackle the “fears of our times”, from technology to racial tension. It features the work of 19 artists from Australia and around the world, including Louise Bourgeois and Maria Kozic. Free entry. Until March 3; further information here
‘Surrealist Lee Miller’, Heide Museum of Modern Art
The extraordinary career of the pioneering photographer Lee Miller is spanned here in 100 images curated by her son Antony Penrose, from her portrait, fashion and art work in 1920s and ’30s Paris and New York to her wartime photojournalism and her wide circle of artist friends, which included Picasso, Dora Maar, Man Ray and Max Ernst. Until February 25; further information and tickets here
Linden Postcard Show, Linden New Art
Not just restricted to artworks made on traditional-size postcards, this year’s edition features pieces as wide as 60cm, as well as some in 3D. Until February 11; further information here
Performance
‘Seventeen’, Southbank Theatre
A cast of theatre veterans including Robert Menzies, Fiona Choi and Richard Piper regresses to teenagerdom in this Melbourne Theatre Company production, playing adolescents teetering on the edge of adult life. Until February 17; further information and tickets here
‘Meet Me at Dawn’, Fairfax Studio (Arts Centre Melbourne)
Sheridan Harbridge (who played the protagonist in the world debut of Prima Facie, in Sydney in 2019) stars alongside Jing-Xuan Chan in this two-hander about a couple shipwrecked on a distant shore. February 10 to March 16; further information and tickets here
‘Rent: The Musical’, State Theatre (Arts Centre Melbourne)
Jonathan Larson’s retelling of La bohème, transposed to NYC’s East Village, tackles themes such as the AIDS crisis, addiction and homelessness while celebrating the human spirit. February 17 to March 7; further information and tickets here
‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’, Playhouse (Arts Centre Melbourne)
An adaptation of Pip Williams’ acclaimed bestselling novel set around the compilation of the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in 1886, the suffragettes and the first world war. Jessica Arthur directs. February 17 to March 10; further information and tickets here
‘Ludovico Einaudi: Underwater’, Sidney Myer Music Bowl (Arts Centre Melbourne)
The contemporary classical music star performs in Australia for one night only. Underwater is Einaudi’s first solo piano record in two decades. February 7; further information and tickets here
‘Hiatus Kaiyote with The Dreamboat Orchestra’, Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne)
The Grammy-nominated Melbourne jazz/neo soul/funk ensemble will join forces with The Dreamboat Orchestra to perform arrangements by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Arthur Verocai. February 23; further information and tickets here
‘The Marriage of Figaro’, Athenaeum Theatre
Melbourne Opera’s take on the Mozart classic, with a chamber orchestra and sung in English by upcoming talent from the Richard Divall Emerging Artists programme. February 24 to 25; further information and tickets here
‘Mozart by Moonlight’, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Melbourne Opera and Shakespeare Australia present Mozart’s most famous works in the city’s beautiful botanic gardens. You can pre-order picnics for the alfresco affair. February 4; further information and tickets here
BMW Opera for All by Opera Australia, Federation Square
Fed Square is transformed into an outdoor opera house for a free, hour-long performance of beloved arias, backed by a live orchestra featuring musicians from Orchestra Victoria. February 3; further information here
Sport
Vic Open
The tournament returns to 13th Beach Golf Links with some of the world’s best players and Australia’s elite amateurs. Free entry. February 1 to 4; further information here
Event
Melbourne Fashion Week
Runway shows, shopping, screenings and workshops highlighting Australia’s fashion industry. February 24 to March 9; further information and tickets here
March
Art
‘My Country: Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions’, National Gallery Victoria
The culmination of an initiative pairing First Nations artists and designers with mentors in their industries to create the work on display in this exhibition. From March; further information here
Photo 2024
This international photography festival champions Australian and international artists with 100 free exhibitions in Melbourne and across Victoria, including Uncanny Valley: Photography, Tech and the Hyperreal and 7 Photographs that Shaped The Future. March 1 to 24; further information here
‘Emerging from Darkness: Faith, Emotion and the Body in the Baroque’, Hamilton Gallery
A significant display of European Baroque art centred around three female painters: Artemisia Gentileschi, Lavinia Fontana and Sofonisba Anguissola, whose works convey violent experiences and turmoil, while also representing women’s empowerment. These are shown alongside paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Valentin de Boulogne and Bartolomeo Manfredi, among others. Until April 14; further information and tickets here
Performance
‘37’, Southbank Theatre
Nathan Maynard’s play traces the thrilling highs and devastating lows of team sport in this dramatic story of a local Aussie Rules football team and a national obsession. March 2 to April 5; further information and tickets here
‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, State Theatre (Arts Centre Melbourne)
The Australian Ballet’s staging of British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s take on Lewis Carroll’s tale features must-see costumes, as well as set design and puppetry by the Tony-winning Bob Crowley. March 15 to 26; further information and tickets here
‘Hopelessly Devoted: A Celebration of Olivia Newton-John’, Hamer Hall
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s tribute to the late Australian singer, whose niece Tottie Goldsmith will host the event. March 7 and 9; further information and tickets here
Sport
Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park
Albert Park will play host to the best drivers in the world — and a slew of Formula 1 fans pinning their hopes on a podium finish for the Melbourne-born McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. March 21 to 24; further information and tickets here
Festivals
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
One of the globe’s biggest comedy festivals takes over Melbourne, as comedians from around the world descend on the Victorian capital, including former doctor Adam Kay (This Is Going to Hurt), Scotland’s Fern Brady and Canada’s John Hastings. The Town Hall will be the event’s hub. March 27 to April 21; further information and tickets here
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
An all-star programme of global chefs and cuisine, with a vast array of tasting events of everything from wine to sausages and pastries — and the “World’s Longest Lunch”, an annual feature with dishes served on 600m of tables set up in Kings Domain park. This year’s “longest lunch” will be helmed by chef Andrew McConnell of Gimlet at Cavendish House, which has been named one of the 100 best restaurants in the world. March 15 to 24; further information and tickets here
Moomba Festival
The annual celebration of Melburnian culture features parades, performances and partying. This year’s event includes a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl by Abba tribute act Björn Again. March 7 to 11; further information, tickets and programme here
Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show
The horticultural extravaganza returns with all kinds of gardening displays and competitions. Look out for Floral Fashion, where costumes are fangled from plants and flowers. March 20 to 24; further information and tickets here
April
Exhibition
‘World of the Book’, State Library of Victoria
April marks the final full month of this exhibition dedicated to book design, production and illustration from the Middle Ages to today via 300 rare items, including early editions of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and works by the trailblazing 18th-century mathematician Émilie du Châtelet. Until May 12; further information here
Performance
‘The Almighty Sometimes’, Southbank Theatre
Nadine Garner and Max McKenna star in Kendall Feaver’s award-winning play, which examines mental health, prescription-drug abuse and the tensions between a mother and daughter. April 15 to May 18; further information and tickets here
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Fairfax Studio (Arts Centre Melbourne)
Peter Evans directs this family-friendly reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic tale of young love, meddling fairies and comic confusion. April 25 to May 11; further information and tickets here
Sport
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
A key stop on the World Surf League Championship Tour, with the winners ringing the iconic clifftop bell to mark their victory. April 4 to 14; further information here
Event
ANZAC Day
April 25 is the annual national day of remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in war. There will be a dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance, which overlooks the city’s skyline. April 25; further information here
May
Event
The Big Design Market, Royal Exhibition Building
Find 200 of Australia’s leading designers under one roof, selling everything from homewares and ceramics to fashion, jewellery, books, art and stationery, as the Royal Exhibition Building is transformed into an “Almost Winter” festive forest. The market also has some of the best local food and drink on offer. May 24 to 26; further information here
Performance
‘Tosca’, Margaret Court Arena
An epic staging of Puccini’s political thriller by the UK’s Opera North, with sopranos Nadine Benjamin and Karah Son sharing the title role. May 24 to 30; further information and tickets here
‘Sunset Boulevard’, Princess Theatre Melbourne
A new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical starring Sarah Brightman (the original Christine in The Phantom of the Opera) in her first major stage role in almost 30 years, playing a tormented silent-movie actress. From May 21; further information and tickets here
‘Lucia di Lammermoor’, Athenaeum Theatre
Inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor, Donizetti’s tragic tale of feuding noble families, doomed romance and madness in the Scottish hills is presented here by Melbourne Opera. Soprano Elena Xanthoudakis plays Lucia; tenor Rosario La Spina is her lover Edgardo. May 3, 5 and 8; further information and tickets here
Festival
Melbourne Writers Festival
The annual event returns to venues across this Unesco City of Literature. Last year’s guests included Booker-winners Bernardine Evaristo and Shehan Karunatilaka and US novelist Gabrielle Zevin. May 6 to 12; further information here soon
June
Exhibition
‘Pharaoh’, National Gallery of Victoria
Delve into 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian art and culture via more than 500 items: monumental sculpture, temple statuary, jewellery, papyri, coffins and funerary objects. The show is in collaboration with the British Museum. From June 14; further information and tickets here
Performance
‘Julia’, Southbank Theatre
A theatrical portrait of Julia Gillard, the Welsh-born Labor politician who became Australia’s first female prime minister – and the woman who in 2012 famously delivered a speech calling out misogyny in parliament. May 31 to July 6; further information and tickets here
Festival
Rising
A two-week festival that has “Melbourne as its stage”, with musicians and artists performing in all parts of the city: streets, car parks, churches and squares, as well as its cultural venues. June 1 to 16; further information here
July
Performance
‘Dido and Aeneas’, Melba Hall
A new production of Purcell’s Baroque opera by VOYCE (Victorian Opera Youth Chorus Ensemble) in a grand Melbourne concert hall. The opera, which first premiered in 1689, tells the tale of Queen Dido, who has vowed to never marry again following the death of her husband. Enter Aeneas, a handsome hero of the Trojan War, who changes her mind. July 21 and 22; further information and tickets here.
‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Playhouse (Arts Centre Melbourne)
A striking production of the Tennessee Williams masterpiece, with Nikki Shiels as Blanche DuBois, the troubled Southern belle with a dark secret that sets her sister Stella’s and brother-in-law Stanley’s volatile marriage ablaze. July 9 to August 17; further information and tickets here
‘King Lear’, Fairfax Studio (Arts Centre Melbourne)
Robert Menzies (who also appears in the above-mentioned drama Seventeen) plays Lear in Peter Evans’ new production of the Shakespearean tragedy. July 25 to August 11; further information and tickets here
Puccini Gala Concert, Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne)
To mark the centenary of Puccini’s death, Opera Australia is dedicating a concert to his most famous (and some lesser-known) arias and duets from works such as Madama Butterfly, Tosca and La bohème, sung by a cast including tenor Joseph Calleja, soprano Nicole Car and baritone Peter Coleman-Wright. July 25 and 27; further information and tickets here
‘Breaking the Waves’, Hamer Hall (Arts Centre Melbourne)
Missy Mazzoli’s much-acclaimed operatic adaptation of Lars von Trier’s 1996 film, with soprano Jennifer Black as the devout Bess and baritone Duncan Rock as her husband, Jan. July 26 and 28; further information and tickets here
Festival
NAIDOC Week
A week-long celebration to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, people and history with events across the city at key cultural centres. July 7 to 14; further information here soon
August
Performance
‘English’, Southbank Theatre
The winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for drama is a heartwarming classroom tale of adult learners of English in Iran and their often comic experiences as they work towards their exams. July 29 to August 24; further information and tickets here
‘La Rondine (The Swallow)’, Palais Theatre
Puccini’s exquisite opera about love at first sight comes to Melbourne for a limited run in St Kilda’s Art Deco Palais Theatre. August 8 and 10; further information and tickets here
Festival
Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF)
One of the world’s oldest film festivals, with an innovative and wide-reaching programme featuring short works and feature-length productions from Australia and around the world. August 8 to 25; further information and tickets here
September
Performance
‘Topdog/Underdog’, Southbank Theatre
Suzan-Lori Parks’ prizewinning tragicomedy, starring Damon Manns and Ras-Samuel as impoverished brothers struggling to get by who grow to resent each other — until they stumble upon their true family history. August 23 to September 21; further information and tickets here
‘Oscar’, Regent Theatre
The Australian Ballet is staging the world premiere of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s work, commissioned especially for the company, based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. From September 13 until 24; further information and tickets here.
Sport
AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Aussie Rules season culminates at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with the country’s top two teams battling it out to win the league. September 28; further information and tickets here soon
October
Performance
‘Études/Circle Electric’, Regent Theatre
The Australian Ballet’s double bill features Harald Lander’s Études from 1948 — a stylised staging of a dancer’s warm-up — and Circle Electric, resident choreographer Stephanie Lake’s commission for the company set to Robin Fox’s score. October 2 to 9; further information and tickets here
‘Eucalyptus’, Palais Theatre
“Part Australian fairy tale and part musical evocation of the Australian bush”, this opera is an adaptation of Murray Bail’s famed novel, directed by Australian Michael Gow. October 16 to 19; further information and tickets here
Sport
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is the hub for this thrilling motorsports event. October 18 to 20; further information and tickets here
Festival
Melbourne Fringe
Independent arts festival featuring more than 300 music, theatre, comedy and drag productions at dozens of venues across the city. October 1 to 20; further information and tickets here
Melbourne International Jazz Festival
Since 1998, this annual deep dive into all things jazz has taken “the underground above ground”, with performances by Australian and international musicians across the city. Dates to be announced; further information and tickets here soon
November
Art
‘CCP Summer Salon’, Centre for Contemporary Photography
This annual exhibition, now on its 32nd edition, is an important Australian showcase of contemporary photography and an open-entry competition. Dates to be announced; further information here soon
Performance
‘The Magic Flute’, Geelong Arts Centre
A Sydney Opera House production of Mozart’s opera comes to Geelong in Victoria November under the direction of Kate Gaul. From November 9 until 16; further information and tickets here.
Sport
Melbourne Cup Carnival
A week of horseracing and first-rate food and fashion. A highlight in Melbourne’s packed sporting calendar. November 2 to 9; further information and tickets here
Festival
Always Live
A music festival sprawling across Melbourne and the state of Victoria dedicated to local and global talent, with a jam-packed programme of performances encompassing a patchwork of genres. Dates to be announced; further information and tickets here soon
December
Exhibition
2024 NGV Architecture Commission, National Gallery of Victoria
An annual architecture and design contest with the winning work installed in the gallery’s garden. Dates to be announced; further information here soon
Performance
‘My Brilliant Career’, Southbank Theatre
A new musical based on Miles Franklin’s novel following the early life of Sybylla, a free-spirited young woman in 1890s rural Australia. November 7 to December 18; further information and tickets here
Festival
Meredith Music Festival
A three-day fest covering everything from rock and punk to soul and hip hop. The setting is the rural Supernatural Amphitheatre, near Meredith, Victoria (about 90 minutes by car from central Melbourne). Last year’s headliners included Caroline Polacheck and Kraftwerk. Dates to be announced; further information and tickets here soon
Please tell us in the comments below about any other 2024 calendar highlights for Melbourne that other readers might like to know about
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