Discover current Melbourne events with genuine older-kid and teenage appeal: sport, immersive experiences, live shows, workshops, history and more.
Wed 22 Jul · 4pm - 5pm
STEAM on up and explore the fun of science, technology, engineering, art and maths with these hands-on activities, held fortnightly on Wednesdays. Age: 7 to 12 years.
Until 31 Dec
From the first projections and optical illusions to the birth of film and beyond, moving images have the power to spark imagination, share stories and shape history. Discover how inventors, innovators and artists at the turn of the 20th century wielded light, split time and captured motion, heralding a technological revolution that continues today. Featuring ancient shadow puppets, Victorian-era magic lanterns, original cameras, iconic costumes, movie sets, sketches, clips and contemporary art, The Story of the Moving Image traverses time, countries and cultures in a mesmerising exploration of an art form that changed the world and illuminated our collective humanity. The Story of the Moving Image is open 364 days a year, is completely free and offers deep interactive and immersive experiences to visitors of all ages.
Wednesday, 22 July 2026 | 04:00 PM–04:45 PM
Join us for STEM which brings together Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in a fun and practical way.
Until 30 Sep
Imaginator Melbourne is a pioneering immersive experience where imagination and technology collide to create a stunning audio-visual experience from the future. Whether you choose to embark on a playful adventure with the family or take a moment for yourself to unwind, Imaginator has both adult and child in mind. Immerse yourself in shimmering light and sound sculptures, dive off a four-metre ledge into the unknown or engage in a conversation with the most advanced A.I on the planet. Get lost in the kaleidoscopic Chroma room or lay under on a giant rotating bean bag and stare up into a satellite dish of scintillating motion graphics. Whether you're on a lantern hunt with the family or seeking a moment of tranquility in the colour therapy shape room, Imaginator offers a unique, immersive form of play that invites you to slow down and connect to the moment.
Wed 22 Jul · 10am - 6pm
Step into the world's first free-roam VR expedition to Machu Picchu – a journey to the golden age of the Incan Empire. Explore sacred temples, vibrant plazas, and mythical landscapes brought to life through cinematic storytelling and cutting-edge technology. Duration approximately 60-minutes (VR experience lasts 40 minutes).
Wed 22 Jul · 10.30am - 8pm
Unleash your creativity at these Lightning Planet workshops, where everyone is a designer. Lightning Planet is a crafted workshop that provides materials and a welcoming space to perfect your handmade creations, ideal for individuals or groups. Enjoy a fun craft experience and take home your own design work with options ranging from shoes, T-shirts and bracelets to earrings and keychains.
Wed 22 Jul · 11am - 12pm
Melbourne Paint Lab is a unique and immersive art experience designed to showcase the city's rich street art culture to local residents and guests from around the world. By offering a hands-on exploration of Melbourne's dynamic art scene, Blender Studios' innovative concept aims to provide an engaging platform for art enthusiasts and novices to unleash their creativity. Melbourne Paint Lab invites participants on a 60-minute journey through the vibrant world of street art, offering hands-on opportunities to experiment with various painting techniques under the guidance of professional artists from Blender Studios. They also offer UV paint sessions in the afternoon, where you can create a beautiful light show as you make your glow-in-the-dark art masterpiece. Select your session date and time, arrive to get checked in and suited up, choose your paint, a crate of painting tools and get ready to have some fun. Suitable for age 5+, with all materials provided.
Wed 22 Jul · 9.30am - 12pm
Learn how to create a beautifully unique lamp using delicate pressed flowers to brighten up your space, in a workshop suitable for beginners. Botanical pressed flower art involves using real dried and flattened flowers and leaves to create intricate compositions. This art form is popular for home decor, often presented in floating glass frames or as part of herbarium collections. Your friendly teacher guides you through the workshop, ensuring a fun and stress-free experience. You will learn how to make a pressed flower table lamp by combining pressed botanical art with lampshade-making techniques. All materials required to make a flower lamp are provided. By the end of the workshop, you'll be able to take home your one-of-a-kind pressed flower lamp.
Wed 22 Jul · 10am - 5pm
Embark on a family adventure with Shrine Kids, an engaging program designed for discovery at every turn. Explore both indoor and outdoor areas of the Shrine, seek tips from the knowledgeable staff, and enhance your family's experience. Choose from four activity cards: Unlock the secrets; Discover how things work; Use your imagination; or Solve the mysteries; and take part in a scavenger hunt. Grab an Explorer Kit for fact-finding with tools like a magnifying glass and compass. Don't miss the walking trail with Duffy the Donkey for preschoolers.
Wed 22 Jul · 10.30am - 11am
Songs, rhymes and stories will engage your budding bookworm’s mind and introduce them to the fun and rhythm of language. Age: newborn to 18 months. Programs run during school terms and stop during school holidays. Term 1: Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April Term 2: Monday 20 April to Friday 26 June Term 3: Monday 13 July to Friday 18 September Term 4: Monday 5 October to Friday 11 December
Wednesday, 22 July 2026 | 04:15 PM–05:15 PM
A self‑paced Learn to Paint class for kids aged 5–10. Children are guided step‑by‑step to create their very own artwork from start to finish. They build creativity and independence by working on their own chosen projects on canvas or art paper, learning new skills as they grow.
Until 27 Sep
Head out on a Chocolate Adventure Day – crack clues, make chocolatey masterpieces and finish with a pancake lunch! Mayor Mr Sweet needs your help! In the tasty town of Choco-opolis, the chocolate machine has stopped working because the mischievous Fluffernutters changed the start code. Can you crack the code and save the town's chocolate supply? The day: - Themed activities to enjoy at home (optional - but highly recommended for extra fun) - Visit a cafe for choice of coffee or hot chocolate, and to collect your quest card for the day - Visit a chocolate gallery for a family chocolate painting activity - Enjoy lunch at a family friendly restaurant with chocolate and savoury options suitable for all - Bonus activities including a super fun playground nearby and more themed at-home activities to enjoy anytime This Chocolate Adventure Day is the perfect outing for families with kids aged 5-12 years who love chocolate and creative adventures.
Wed 22 Jul · 11am - 7pm
Le Petit Wonders of the Sea is an enchanting under-the-sea themed High Tea designed especially for small explorers. Set in the cozy surrounds of The Westin Melbourne’s iconic lobby lounge, the three-tier children’s High Tea experience brings the ocean to the table with a playful menu of handcrafted treats, including raspberry white-chocolate mermaid-tail cupcakes and mango and puffed rice “coral”. Little guests can enjoy free-flowing hot chocolate and ice-cream spiders throughout the experience, priced at $63 for each child. Adding to the magic, every child will go home with an exclusive The Westin Melbourne teddy bear; a special keepsake to remember their visit long after the final sweet treat has been devoured. Please note, the Westin require 24 hours advanced notice for bookings. Please call the hotel with any dietary requirements.
Until 31 Dec
Join an unforgettable day of creativity, learning, and enjoyment. Create something beautiful and make new friends in the process. With seasoned artists to help and guide you, your artwork will come together in no time and you'll finish up with your very own unique piece to take home. From wall art to coasters, make whatever you wish. You'll use premium epoxy resin, pigments, and a variety of embellishments to create your artwork so there's no need for you to bring anything. This class is beginner-friendly so all you have to do is show up and flex your creative muscle.
Wed 22 Jul · 10am - 5pm
For children, Ragnar Kjartansson has created an exhibition inspired by the idea of a theatrical feast. This concept originated in the Middle Ages and continued through the lavish festivities of European courts during the Rococo period, evolving into the modern idea of ‘dinner and a show’. Kjartansson’s studio in collaboration with the NGV have created a space for the Children’s Gallery that reimagines banquet halls and theatres. Kjartansson invites young visitors into a playful, creative environment where they can be audience members, actors, and creators – inventing and performing stories with friends and family on stage. Created for all ages, the exhibition brings together the themes of play and performance, reflecting the artist’s focus on drawing and theatre – two core elements of his practice. For children, it is designed to spark creativity and encourage free expression through drawing and theatrical play.
Tuesday, 26 May 2026–Sunday, 30 August 2026
All In - Our Community celebrates the power of community, creativity and the stories we share when we come together. The exhibition celebrates the cultural curiosity of local kindergarten and school children during National Reconciliation Week 2026.
Thursday, 23 July 2026 | 09:30 AM–11:30 AM
Chirnside Park Carers Cuppa welcomes all carers! Whether you’re a familiar face at Different Journeys events or joining us for the first time, we look forward to seeing you at the Chirnside Park Country Club.
Thursday, 23 July 2026
A clue-solving family adventure filled with delicious local picnic food, games, and fun activities.
Sat 25 Jul · 7.40pm - 10.30pm
Marvel Stadium is the place to see the Western Bulldogs and Richmond face-off in a Saturday night clash as part of AFL Round 20.
Sat 25 Jul · 1.05pm - 4.05pm
Carlton goes head-to-head with the Gold Coast SUNS on a Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium as part of AFL Round 20. Get ready for an afternoon at the footy!
Sun 26 Jul · 10am - 4pm
The Southbank Makers Market continues every Sunday during winter and into spring. Visitors can discover a curated selection of local makers showcasing handmade jewellery, art, ceramics, homewares and unique gifts from talented Melbourne creatives. Come and explore, meet the makers and artists face-to-face, and learn about their products and what inspires their work. All handmade and made in this great city; take home a piece of Melbourne. Stallholders are positioned in marquees along the Yarra River Promenade between the Evan Walker and Princes bridges. The market is complemented by some of Melbourne’s long-standing and much-loved cafes and restaurants in the Southgate complex. Please note the market will not be held on 19 July (due to Run Melbourne) or 13 September (due to Connor's Run).
Sun 26 Jul · 4.45pm - 5.15pm
The weekly Last Post Service commemorates a different moment from Australia’s military history from the First World War through to today. The brief, family-friendly ceremony takes place outside on the Shrine Forecourt and includes bugle calls and bagpipers, the Shrine Guard in historic uniform, a wreath-laying, recital of the Ode and lowering of the flags. Visitors are welcome to take photos with the Shrine Guard after the service.
Tue 28 Jul · 10.30am - 11am
Stompers is a weekly program held on Tuesdays at Library at The Dock. Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, and fun with your toddler. Age: 18 months to 3 years. Programs run during school terms and stop during school holidays. Term 1: Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April Term 2: Monday 20 April to Friday 26 June Term 3: Monday 13 July to Friday 18 September Term 4: Monday 5 October to Friday 11 December
Sat 8 Aug · 1.15pm - 4.15pm
The run to finals is heating up. Watch Melbourne and Fremantle battle it out in AFL's Round 22 on a Saturday afternoon at the MCG.
Mon 17 Aug · 11am - 11.45am
Visit City Library for immersive Japanese language storytime. Craft activities are included. For ages 0 to 5 years. These sessions are free and bookings are not required.
Thu 20 Aug · 6pm - 10pm
In Multimmersion: Upside Down V2, Taiwanese artist AKA Chang transforms the Yarra River – Birrarung into an ever-shifting canvas where laser beams dance across the water’s surface, creating kaleidoscopic patterns that feel oddly familiar yet impossible to place. Chang’s work exists on the cusp of reality and the unknown, blending technology and light to create shifting dimensions of perception. Chang’s work is an invitation to step into a portal where truth takes on shimmering new forms. The projection shifts between worlds, offering a mirror dimension that dissolves the boundaries of fact and reflection – urging us to reflect on the intangible nature of self and our connection to the world around us. Part of Now or Never.
Sat 22 Aug · 10am - 11am
The return of PAW Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue, celebrates ten years of the iconic Broadway-style production. The PAW Patrol are on a roll and live on stage. The heroic characters from the top-rated animated preschool series PAW Patrol complete a ruff-roaring 10th anniversary tour of Australia. It's the day of the Great Adventure Bay Race between Adventure Bay’s Mayor Goodway and Foggy Bottom’s Mayor Humdinger, but Mayor Goodway is nowhere to be found. PAW Patrol to the rescue! Ryder summons Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble, Rocky, Zuma and Everest to rescue Mayor Goodway and to run the race in her place. Using their unique skills and teamwork, the pups show that 'no job is too big, no pup is too small'. Presented by Nickelodeon, VStar Entertainment Group and TEG Life Like Touring.