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People walking through glowing lights at Lightscape.
Photograph: Mitch Lowe | Lightscape
Photograph: Mitch Lowe

Things to do in Melbourne in July

Your red-hot guide to all the fun things to do this wintery month

Leah Glynn
Written by Leah Glynn
Melbourne Editor
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Brrr! The winter chill has well and truly settled in across Melbourne, but that doesn't mean you should remain curled up on the couch with the heater blasting. Chuck on a beanie, scarf and your North Face puffer jacket, and get ready to explore everything the city has to offer this month.   

Any local knows that Melbourne in July is all about glowing and illuminated events. We're talking Lightscape in the Botanic Gardens (grab a mulled wine to really spice up the experience), Puffing Billy's magical Train of Lights and Firelight Festival in Docklands.

Regional Victoria has also turned up the heat, with a bunch of cosy festivals and events. The East Gippsland Winter Festival has fiery feasts, lantern parades and live music; Winter Glow at Adventure Park in Geelong is currently home to 300 tonnes of real snow and more than three million twinkling lights; while the Ballarat Winter Festival is serving up hot chocolates, ice skating and medieval jousting (yes, really). 

And don't forget about Sovereign Hill's Winter Wonderlights spectacular, which has transformed the Gold Rush museum into a dazzling playground. 

Back in the city, you can have a stickybeak into places usually hidden from the public eye as part of Open House Melbourne, or don a beret for the Bastille Day French Festival at the Queen Vic Market – expect plenty of cheese, croissants, crêpes and Champagne. 

The sparkly Cartier display is on at the NGV (featuring almost 400 jewels, gemstones, watches and decorative objects), while a new exhibition at the Potter Museum of Art explores the significance of the iconic gum tree. And you can support the local music industry by checking out Leaps and Bounds Festival.

Phew! If that's not enough to stop you bingeing Netflix in your Oodie, we don't know what is. See you out there. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

After more fun things to do in our city? Check out the best events happening in Melbourne this week.

Melbourne events in July

Tombo Den’s Vinyl Nights presented by Johnnie Walker Black Ruby

  • Things to do
  • Ashburton
Tombo Den’s Vinyl Nights presented by Johnnie Walker Black Ruby
Tombo Den’s Vinyl Nights presented by Johnnie Walker Black Ruby
Photograph: Supplied | Johnnie Walker
If you’ve ventured down to the Windsor end of Chapel Street you’ve likely clocked it being one of Melbourne’s hottest after-hours districts. With plenty of late-night venues packing out the area, one spot not to miss is Tombo Den, a two-storey izakaya-inspired venue from hotshot restaurateur Chris Lucas (Society, Kisume). Channeling the raucous grit of Tokyo’s alleyway eateries with an elevated twist, it’s easy to see why they pack a crowd.  From June 26 to July 24, Tombo Den wants to dial up your Friday with Vinyl Nights, a late-night spin sesh in collaboration with Johnnie Walker. Start (or end) your night upstairs at Tombo Den for a vinyl-spun soundtrack with exclusive limited-edition Johnnie Walker Black Ruby cocktails flowing.  What’s on the menu? For $15, you can take your pick from three bespoke cocktails including the Black Ruby Fizz, which mixes raspberry, davidson plum and shiso umeshu with Johnnie Walker Black Ruby. Get your caffeine fix with the Midnight Walker cocktail, a coffee, macadamia, wattleseed, matcha foam and Johnnie Walker Black Ruby concoction. There’s also Smoke and Ruby, a blend of blackberry, yuzu, pineapple, apricot, citrus bubble and Johnnie Walker Black Ruby. Alongside the drinks, a dedicated snacks menu will be on offer.  Catch the limited-time collab from 8pm till late every Friday night from June 26 to July 24. Miss the Friday festivities? The limited-edition Johnnie Walker cocktails will still be pouring all week long for $22. Find out...
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The Melbourne Fair

  • Things to do
  • Fairs and festivals
  • Caulfield East
  • Recommended
The Melbourne Fair
The Melbourne Fair
Photograph: Supplied | The Melbourne Fair
If you're looking for an excuse to kit out your home and wardrobe with high-quality items from the past, then look no further. The Melbourne Fair is back and bigger than ever with more 70 of the best international dealers offering an array of exquisite pieces. Find everything from mid-century furniture, art, jewellery, antiquities, home decor and vintage designer pieces from around the globe. The styles span everything from the Georgian era all the way through to the mid-20th century and Art Deco periods. It’s taking place at Caulfield Racecourse, which will be transformed into an opulent trove of wonders from July 30 to August 2. Across the four-day event, ticket holders can attend presentations and discussions led by some of the country’s most notable dealers or sit front row at a fashion parade showcasing vintage couture. Plenty of local and international experts will be on hand each day to share their knowledge and the stories behind many of the rare pieces for sale.  Opening night tickets are now on sale for $30, while general admission on all other days is $15. Once you’ve booked, hold onto your ticket, as it allows re-entry across all four days.  Grab your tickets here.
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World of the Book

  • Art
  • Melbourne
World of the Book
World of the Book
Photograph: Eugene Hyland
As Jane Austen wrote in Northanger Abbey, “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” So bookworms and bibliophiles, this one's for you. World of the Book, Australia’s largest and longest-running rare book exhibition, returns to State Library Victoria with more than 300 extraordinary works spanning from around 2000 BCE to the present day. This year's exhibition shines a spotlight on some of literature's most influential women writers. We're talking rare and remarkable editions by Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Octavia E. Butler, Virginia Woolf and the Brontë sisters, including a newly acquired first edition of Jane Austen's Emma (1816) in its original Regency-era binding. You'll also be able to admire special versions of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion, alongside rare editions of Agatha Christie's best-loved mysteries featuring her legendary detectives, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Head to the beautiful domed La Trobe Reading Room to check out everything from intricate miniature books to Australian punk music fanzines, early comic books and centuries-old treasures. One must-see is The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886) – Melbourne's first publishing blockbuster, which famously outsold Sherlock Holmes. “The Fund’s first ever purchase, A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf, will be displayed in a space intentionally designed to celebrate extraordinary women writers,” said State...

Open House Melbourne

  • Things to do
  • Walks and tours
  • Melbourne
  • Recommended
Open House Melbourne
Open House Melbourne
Photograph: Supplied | Open House Melbourne
Let's be honest, we'd be lying if we said we didn't have to fight the urge to peer obnoxiously through the windows when we find ourselves strolling past Melbourne's most architecturally impressive homes. Thankfully, for one weekend every year, we don't have to. Open House Melbourne Weekend is back from July 24-26, and it's once again throwing open the doors to some of Victoria's most fascinating spaces. Returning for its annual city-wide celebration of architecture, design and urban life, the beloved festival will feature more than 180 tours, talks, workshops and special experiences across Melbourne and beyond. As the largest architecture and built environment festival in the Asia-Pacific region, Open House Melbourne attracts tens of thousands of curious visitors each year – and the 2026 program is looking solid. This year's theme, 'Generous City', explores how thoughtful design, creativity and architecture can create spaces that are more welcoming, inclusive and connected. But if you're simply here for the stickybeak opportunities, there's plenty to get excited about. Among the headline attractions is a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre, where visitors can explore rehearsal studios and the costume department that helps bring performances to life. Coffee lovers can step inside the iconic St Ali Coffee Roastery to see how some of Melbourne's favourite brews are made, and music nerds can tour Thornbury's Rock Posters printing factory...
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Heartbreak Hotel

  • Drama
  • Southbank
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Heartbreak Hotel
Heartbreak Hotel
Andi Crown Photography
After winning the Critics’ Choice Best Play at the 2025 Time Out Melbourne Arts & Culture Awards, 'Heartbreak Hotel' is returning to Melbourne for a strictly limited time from July 14-19 at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio. Created by New Zealand theatre company EBKM and directed by Eleanor Bishop, the acclaimed production follows one woman’s journey through heartbreak with humour, honesty and an awesome soundtrack of break-up hits. Performed by Karin McCracken and Simon Leary, the 75-minute show blends memoir, science and music to explore what really happens to our bodies and minds when relationships fall apart. From synth-backed anthems to sharp observations on love, loss and modern dating, 'Heartbreak Hotel' moves between comedy, realism and surreal moments – including a whirlwind through Berlin’s club scene. Following sold-out performances at Rising and international tours through Edinburgh, London, Toronto and New York, this heartfelt and hilarious production returns to Melbourne for one final week. Find out more and book tickets for here. Read our five-star review of 'Heartbreak Hotel' from June 2025. *** There’s the sound of gentle sobbing in the audience when Karin McCracken gets her tax return during Heartbreak Hotel. Sitting there, also gently sobbing, I tried to remember who it was that said "There are two certainties in this world: death and taxes". I also wondered if heartbreak should be included as a third certainty, or if 'death' was close enough. It...
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The Vinyl Factory: Reverb

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Melbourne
The Vinyl Factory: Reverb
The Vinyl Factory: Reverb
Photograph: Supplied | ACMI
Even though temperatures are dropping, Melbourne’s culture calendar is just heating up. This winter, two of the city’s biggest cultural institutions, ACMI and Rising, are teaming up for a multi-sensory exhibition, celebrating music’s cultural impact and paying tribute to vinyl. From May 22 to August 31, The Vinyl Factory: Reverb will bring together some of the leading figures working in video and sound to deep dive into different eras of music, through large-scale moving image works, immersive sound installations and interactive vinyl experiences.  Spanning the early days of techno to contemporary digital art, you’ll see work from celebrated artists including Canadian media artist Stan Douglas; British-Nigerian filmmaker and visual artist Jenn Nkiru; American fashion visionary Virgil Abloh; US filmmaker and music video director Kahlil Joseph; London-based photographer and video artist Gabriel Moses; South African artist William Kentridge; Turner Prize-winning British artist Jeremy Deller; British poet and sound artist Julianknxx; Argentinian performance artist Cecilia Bengolea and German electronic music and sound art innovator Carsten Nicolai.  Highlights include hands-on access to Technics turntables with remixable loops; a fantasy rap battle; and access to The Vinyl Factory’s archive, which features 100 vinyl pressings with works by Marina Abramović and Thom York.  There’s also the chance to pick a record and take it into the Listening Room, which by day functions as a...
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Puffing Billy's Train of Lights

  • Things to do
  • Belgrave
Puffing Billy's Train of Lights
Puffing Billy's Train of Lights
Photograph: Tracy Dasler
Choo choo! The Train of Lights is back on the tracks for 2026 and ready to captivate passengers with a magical winter journey through the Dandenong Ranges for a fifith year. Australia’s favourite steam train Puffing Billy will be your conductor for this trip that illuminates the natural beauty of the region with thousands of dazzling lights. But if you want to join this glowing journey, you'll have to be quick – tickets sell out quickly every year. Here's everything you need to know to secure your spot. When is Puffing Billy Train of Lights on for 2026? This enchanting winter journey is on from June 26 to July 19, 2026.  What to expect for Puffing Billy Train of Lights? The whole experience is a two-and-a-half hour round trip. Departing from Lakeside Station, you’ll be immersed in a spectacle of neon colours that brighten up the countryside with sparkles, rainbows and hypnotic patterns. The historic train will also be adorned with stunning visual effects, which will light up the trees, tracks and passing towns along the way.  Puffing Billy will chug along the historic narrow-gauge track to Gembrook Station where guests will disembark for a 55-minute stopover. Here, you can warm up by the crackling open firepits with hot chocolate and live acoustic music, and enjoy a sausage sizzle by the Emerald and Gembrook CFA (with all money going towards their respective brigades).  How to get tickets for Pufffing Billy Train of Lights 2026? Tickets go on sale at 10am on Thursday, May...
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Waitress the Musical

  • Musicals
  • Melbourne
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Waitress the Musical
Waitress the Musical
Photograph: Jeff Busby
Fresh outta the oven and served up hot to an adoring audience at Her Majesty’s Theatre (complete with the mouth-watering aroma of a fresh-baked pie wafting through the air), Waitress the Musical arrives in Melbourne as a sugary slice of wholesome musical theatre – but will you want to go back for a second helping?  Adapted from the 2007 cult indie flick by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress made its New York debut in 2016 with a female-led creative team (a first in the history of Broadway). That line-up included direction by Diane Paulus, a book by Jessie Nelson, choreography by Lorin Latarro and songs by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (whose knack for writing catchy, melodic pop hits are on full display here). Sprinkle in a tale of female friendship, dreaming big and finding courage – with some sugar, butter and flour, of course – and it’s no surprise Waitress ran for four successful years, with a stint on London’s West End, too. What is Waitress the Musical about? Set in the American South, Waitress follows the story of Jenna (Natalie Bassingthwaighte), a small-town waitress and baker who works at Joe’s Pie Diner, alongside her friends Becky (Gabriyel Thomas) and Dawn (Mackenzie Dunn). She’s unhappily married to the ghastly Earl (a truly brutish man played with a villainous sneer by Keanu Gonzalez), but upon discovering she’s pregnant, ends up in an (increasingly awkward) affair with her obstetrician, Dr Pomatter (Rob Mills). Mix in a looming pie-making...
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Lightscape

  • Things to do
  • Pop-up locations
  • Melbourne
  • Recommended
Lightscape
Lightscape
Photograph: Kat Gollock
Melbourne's favourite illuminated event is back again in 2026, with 15 new and returning dazzling light installations to meander through in wonderment. From June 12 to August 2, take a nighttime stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and experience luminous pathways, lit-up tree canopies, soothing soundscapes and more sparkly sights. This year, highlights of the 2.1-kilometre trail are set to be the Australian premier of Bifröst by French studio Pitaya, which boasts a 20-arch tunnel of flowing light that you can walk through; and Firefly Field by Dutch studio TOER, where 200 glowing points of light will dart like fairies above the grass. Returning faves include a reimagined 30-metre Winter Cathedral, plus the epic Fire Garden installation, which will include a circular spiral of 150 candles. Plus, there's plenty more to discover by more local and international artists alike.  Most importantly, you'll also be able to grab a bite to eat and warming drinks, like hot chocolate and mulled wine, at the Welcome Zone or dotted along the trail. If you ask us, Melbourne is at its best in winter and events like Lightscape (which now holds two consecutive Gold wins at the Victorian Tourism Awards), where you can rug up and join friends for a magical experience, are a big reason why. Adult tickets start at $36 and are available through Ticketek – be quick as they tend to go fast.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city,...
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Ballarat Winter Festival

  • Things to do
  • Fairs and festivals
  • Ballarat
  • Recommended
Ballarat Winter Festival
Ballarat Winter Festival
Photograph: Supplied
Want to sip your way through 30 types of hot chocolate this winter? Head to the Ballarat Winter Festival, which is returning from June 27 to July 19.  Over three weeks that perfectly coincide with the school holidays, Ballarat will turn on the winter magic with an ice rink, medieval jousting, dazzling light installations and, yes, that aforementioned hot chocolate. A crowd favourite, the Hot Choc Showdown is back and inviting visitors to sip their way through an indulgent line-up of creations – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic – before voting for their favourite. Think rich Parisienne-style hot chocolate topped with thick whipped cream at Hideaway Coffee Bar, a white chocolate and butterscotch indulgence from Boatshed, an Espresso Martini hot choc at Market Hotel and a honeycomb-loaded version from La Miette Patisserie.  Beyond the hot chocolate trail, lace up your skates and get to the pop-up ice rink for a 45-minute sesh. Then head to Winter Wonderlights at Sovereign Hill, where spectacular projections, live music and winter bring the Gold Rush town to life. By day, try your hand at gold panning; by night, wander down Main Street as storytellers recreate scenes from the Industrial Revolution. For fantasy and fire, Kryal Castle’s Knights of Fire delivers jousting battles, daring stunts, illusionist wizards and snow queens straight out of a fairytale. From July 9-11, Ballarat Civic Hall hosts Hidden, an immersive world of giant inflatable art designed to spark wonder in...
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