Melbourne Events Calendar 2026 — Every Major Event This Year

Every major event happening in Melbourne in 2026: sport, food, music, arts, and cultural festivals listed month by month with dates and suburb locations.

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Melbourne Events Calendar 2026

Melbourne runs on events. Every month has something worth leaving the house for — from international sporting events to neighbourhood street festivals. Here is the full calendar.

January

  • Australian Open (Melbourne Park) — Grand Slam tennis, third week of January
  • Midsumma Festival — LGBTQ+ arts and culture, multiple venues
  • Night Noodle Markets (Birrarung Marr) — Asian street food, evening sessions

February

  • White Night Melbourne (CBD) — all-night arts festival, free
  • Chinese New Year Festival (Chinatown, CBD) — dragon parades, food, performances
  • St Kilda Festival — Australia’s largest free music festival, beachside

March

  • Melbourne Food and Wine Festival — city-wide, events in every suburb
  • Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park) — F1 street circuit
  • Melbourne International Comedy Festival starts late March
  • Moomba Festival (Yarra River) — free, family-friendly, water activities

April

  • Melbourne International Comedy Festival — Town Hall, pubs, and pop-up venues everywhere
  • ANZAC Day (April 25) — Dawn service at Shrine of Remembrance

May

  • Melbourne Knowledge Week — tech, innovation, public talks
  • Good Beer Week — craft beer festival across multiple venues and suburbs

June

  • Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) — starts late June, runs through July
  • Rising Festival — performing arts, music, CBD and Southbank venues

July

  • MIFF continues — screenings across multiple cinemas
  • Open House Melbourne — free access to architecturally significant buildings
  • School holidays — family events across all suburbs

August

  • Melbourne Writers Festival — Federation Square and Southbank
  • Science Gallery Melbourne — free exhibitions

September

  • Melbourne Fringe Festival — independent arts, comedy, performance across the city
  • AFL Finals — MCG, the city revolves around football in September
  • Royal Melbourne Show (Showgrounds, Flemington) — rides, exhibits, show bags

October

  • Melbourne Marathon — Flemington to the CBD
  • Melbourne Cup Carnival begins (Flemington Racecourse)
  • Spring Racing Carnival — fashion, racing, events across multiple venues

November

  • Melbourne Cup (first Tuesday) — public holiday, the race that stops the nation
  • Oaks Day, Stakes Day — Flemington Racecourse
  • End-of-year market season begins

December

  • Christmas markets — Queen Victoria Market, Federation Square, South Melbourne
  • New Year’s Eve — CBD fireworks, Docklands, St Kilda Beach events
  • Boxing Day Test — MCG cricket, a Melbourne tradition

For suburb-specific event guides, check our suburb pages and food section.