The Victorian school holidays land 27 June to 12 July this year, and if you’re a parent in the Guides area, you already know the drill: the kids are off, the sun sets before 5pm, and “let’s go to the park” stops working by day two. It’s cold, it’s often wet, and you need a plan. Here’s what’s actually on this winter — a mix of free and ticketed, city-wide and local, so you can pick what fits your weekend or your week.
1. NGV Winter Masterpieces: Cartier — for the older kids and teens
Ticketed / NGV International, St Kilda Rd
The NGV’s marquee winter show this year is Cartier, running 12 June to 4 October at NGV International on St Kilda Rd. It’s ticketed and best suited to older kids and teenagers who can engage with jewellery, design history and craftsmanship — not really one for restless under-sevens. That said, it’s a genuinely impressive exhibition and a strong wet-weather anchor for a city trip. Book online in advance; queues on weekends are real.
2. NGV Free Permanent Galleries — for younger children
Free / NGV International and NGV Australia, Federation Square
If you’re heading to the NGV anyway, the permanent collection across both buildings is free. There’s enough variety — sculpture, textiles, decorative arts — to hold younger kids’ attention for an hour or two without the ticket spend. Pair it with lunch nearby and you’ve used up a solid morning.
3. Firelight Festival, Docklands — a free night out
Free / Harbour Esplanade, Docklands — 3 to 5 July 2026
Three nights of light installations, water projections and fire effects along Harbour Esplanade. Shows run at 6.30pm and 8.30pm nightly, with food trucks on site. Yes, it’s winter and yes, it’s dark — but that’s exactly why it works. Rug up, grab something warm to eat, and make an evening of it. Free entry. This is one of the more memorable things on the calendar these holidays and it falls right in the middle of the break, so plan early if you want to avoid the busiest night (Sunday 5 July is likely to be the most crowded).
4. Queen Victoria Winter Night Market — midweek warmth
Free entry / Queen Victoria Market, every Wednesday 5–10pm, until 26 August
Already running through the holidays. Free to enter, with open fire pits, street food from dozens of stalls and enough movement and warmth to make a cold Wednesday evening feel like a treat. Better on a dry night than a wet one, but the covered sections help. It fills up after 7pm, so arriving at opening is smarter with younger children.
5. Ice Skating at O’Brien Icehouse, Docklands
Ticketed / Docklands
Purpose-built ice rink with a dedicated area for under-eights and skate aids available for hire. This one tends to be popular in school holidays — book a session time online before you go rather than showing up and hoping. It’s not cheap once you factor in skate hire, but for kids who haven’t skated before, the skate aids make it manageable. Allow a couple of hours including the wait to get on and off the ice.
6. Snow Day-Trip to Lake Mountain
Ticketed / Lake Mountain near Marysville — about 2 to 2.5 hours each way
The snow-play season runs 6 June to 6 September at Lake Mountain, and it’s the closer of the two main snow options from Melbourne. There’s a snow-play area, toboggan hire (around $33 for ages six and up), and it doesn’t require ski gear or lessons. Be honest with yourself about this one: it’s a full-day commitment, the drive takes the better part of three hours return in good conditions, and the roads require care. Check snow cover reports before you commit — a low-snow day is a long trip for a patchy result. Mt Buller is an option if you want more terrain, but it’s further and more expensive. Go mid-week if you can; weekends in peak school holidays are busy.
7. Your Local Council Library — free school holiday sessions
Free / book through your council’s Eventbrite or website
Every Melbourne council runs school holiday craft, storytime and activity sessions through their library branches, and most of them are free. The catch: they fill up fast. Check your council’s events page or Eventbrite listing now, not the week before holidays start. Sessions are usually an hour or so and well-suited to primary-age children. This is genuinely one of the better free options available — low stress, indoors, and often genuinely good quality.
8. Vacation Care — the practical option for working parents
Booked through your local council or YMCA
If you’re working through part of the break, council-run and YMCA vacation care programs run 8am to 6pm and typically include themed activity days across the holiday period. Spots go quickly — if you haven’t already booked, check availability now. It’s not a weekend outing, but it’s worth naming because for many families, it’s the thing that makes the rest of the holidays work.
9. Your Nearest Heated Indoor Pool
Budget / check your local leisure centre
When it’s properly cold and you need somewhere the kids can burn energy for two hours without you standing in the wind, a heated indoor pool is hard to beat. Most Melbourne councils have a leisure centre with a lap pool and a warmer recreational pool. School holiday surcharges can apply, so check the timetable and pricing online before you go. Early morning sessions are quieter if you can manage it.
10. Indoor Play Centres and Trampoline Parks
Ticketed / check your nearest centre for holiday session times
Not everyone’s preference, but genuinely useful on a wet Tuesday when you need somewhere physically active for younger children. Most areas in and around Melbourne have an indoor play centre or a trampoline park within reasonable driving distance. Book a session slot ahead rather than walking in during holidays — capacity limits are common during the break and turning up without a booking wastes the trip.
11. A Warm Cafe or Bakery for Hot Chocolate and a Slow Morning
Budget / your neighbourhood
This one doesn’t need a booking or a plan. On the mornings when you don’t have somewhere to be, a proper hot chocolate at a local cafe — somewhere with a window and a table big enough for a drawing pad or a book — is underrated as a school holiday move. It’s a gentle start to the day before you tackle whatever’s next.
One planning tip: the two things that fill fastest are council library sessions (book now through your council’s Eventbrite page) and O’Brien Icehouse session slots during the first week of holidays. Get those locked in before anything else, and the rest of the break is easier to build around.