The topic of cultural diversity in Australia is frequently linked to that of refugees. However, Victoria's population's diversity—representing 200 countries, 135 religions, and 260 languages and dialects—is one of the state's greatest assets.
Because of this, Melbourne has more ethnic and cultural events than any other city in Australia. The best part is that attendance at most cultural events does not cost anything. Learn more about the culture of the world's greatest liveable city by attending one of these well-attended celebrations.
Best Festival Event In Melbourne
Have a passion for attending festivals? When it comes to fun and games, there's no place like Melbourne. If you enjoy making holiday plans and are drawn to the excitement of a city in full party mode, then you won't want to miss these unforgettable events that can only be held in Melbourne.
Moomba Festival
The Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia, is the site of one of the biggest community activities, the Moomba Festival, which takes place annually over the Labour Day weekend. Each year, the celebration kicks off with a procession of floats created by members of the community and joined by dancers, performers, and schoolchildren.
Throughout the course of the four-day festival, attendees may enjoy live music, theatrical performances, culinary delights, and the incredible Birdman Rally, in which participants build their own flying machines and launch them into in the river to earn money for a good cause. At the conclusion of the parade, a King and Queen are crowned, and fireworks are set off over the Yarra River.
Let's get together, Melbourne! The Moomba Festival is a family-friendly celebration held annually in March over the lengthy Labour Day weekend. The main stage will include some of Australia's most popular acts, while Monday will feature a parade and the humorous Birdman Rally.
Along with the pyrotechnics and carnival attractions, the event also features a fire show. For families, nothing beats this yearly celebration. In addition, there will be rides, music, and other forms of street entertainment for kids along the Yarra. The Moomba festival is one of the longest-running yearly events in Melbourne and would not be the same without it.
Moomba is a massive annual community celebration in Australia. Moomba, a four-day festival held over the Labour Day weekend, is the place to go if you're seeking for a lively and memorable experience during your time in Australia. You'll go to the event nevertheless because to the thrill rides, carnival games, fireworks, and tasty treats.
Melbourne Cup Carnival
There is no other venue quite like Flemington, the pulsing centre of Australian racing and site of the world's most exciting racing event, the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which takes place over four days.
The Melbourne Cup Carnival combines the very best as to what Melbourne does have to offer — food, wine, racing, business, celebrity, and fashion — to create a jubilant atmosphere unlike any other Australian big event.
It's the type of place where new standards are set, where history is written, and where you can have an event like no other. There's more to the city's namesake race than just one November Tuesday. The races will be broadcast on large screens across the city, so get dressed up and walk to the track or one of the city's many bars to witness the action.
The Melbourne Cup itself is worth a stunning AU$175,000, making it the most valuable prise in all of Australian sport. Having a ridiculous headgear and making an absurd fashion statement are musts. Costing €74, general admission tickets are not cheap. The Melbourne Cup is the pinnacle of Australia's horse racing season. Annually during the first Tuesday of November, this event is so massive that the entire country comes to a standstill.
A plethora of activities, including as the Derby and the Oaks, take place on the days preceding and following the race. The Victoria Racing Club hosts a 3200-meter sprint at Flemington Racecourse. This racing festival has been going strong since 1861, and in 2018, the total prise pool was a whopping $6.2 million.
Melbourne Festival
The Melbourne Festival is an annual event that aims to bring together a wide variety of artistic disciplines, as well as individuals and their perspectives. We put people together through innovative cultural and artistic experiences that are at the very core of Melbourne's creative culture.
The Melbourne Festival is widely recognised as one of the world's best annual arts celebrations. Over the course of 19 days every October, the festival showcases a wide variety of artistic disciplines, including dance, drama, music, arts, multimedia, public and outdoor events, and more. The dates of this year's festival are October 4th through the 22nd.
In recent years, Melbourne has be even more of a cultural hotspot, with concerts, dance performances, art events, and photography exhibitions popping up all over the city.
AFL GRAND FINAL
Yes, it's football, but not quite like you're used to it. The rules of AFL were developed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, who wanted to come up with a way for their players to stay in shape throughout the winter.
Spend some time familiarising yourself with the rules (for example, a 'goal' is worth six points if the ball is kicked between the towering central posts) because AFL is not your typical football game. When the ball passes through the space between the two taller posts one of the two shorter ones, it is considered to have "behind," earning one point. Got it? Melbourne Cricket Ground has played host to a wide variety of events, including a Pope's service, a concert by the Police, and the AFL Grand Final, which attracted a record crowd of 130,000.
Nearly a hundred thousand people have crammed into the arena for such championship game today, and millions more are glued to TVs across the country. The vibe here is positively charged.
Run For The Kids
Melbourne is also known as the "sports capital of the world," so naturally, locals here enjoy participating in international competitions every year. The goal of this festive run is to contribute to the Good Friday Appeal at the Royal Children's Hospital.
Conclusion
Every year, on the weekend of Labor Day in March, the city of Melbourne, Australia hosts the Moomba Festival, a fun and safe event for the whole family. There will be pyrotechnics, carnival rides, and games, as well as live music, theatre, and food. After the parade concludes, a King and Queen are crowned and fireworks are launched into the air above the Yarra River. It's one of Melbourne's most enduring annual traditions, and the city just wouldn't be the same without it. Australia's Labor Day weekend is when the four-day Moomba festival takes place, and it's full of exciting attractions, carnival games, fireworks, and delicious food.
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the culmination of Australia's horse racing season and features the most lucrative prise in Australian sport, a whopping AU$175,000. Every year, people from all walks of life and all walks of the arts are invited to participate in the Melbourne Festival. Every year in October, Melbourne, Australia hosts one of the best arts festivals in the world: the Melbourne Festival. Concerts, dance performances, art events, and photography exhibitions have been springing up all around the city in recent years, making it an even bigger cultural hub. The Good Friday Appeal at the Royal Children's Hospital is receiving unprecedented donations thanks to the record 130,000 people who attended the AFL Grand Final.
Content Summary
- Diversity of culture in Australia is often discussed in relation to the plight of asylum seekers.
- Melbourne hosts more festivals celebrating different cultures and ethnicities than any other city in Australia.
- Attending one of these well-attended celebrations is a terrific way to immerse yourself in the culture of the most liveable city in the world.
- The Finest Melbourne Festival Ever
- Love going to festival events?
- The Moomba Gathering
- The Moomba Festival, one of Australia's largest annual community events, takes place on the Yarra River every Labor Day weekend in Melbourne.
- The Moomba Festival is a fun event for the whole family that takes place every year in March during the extended Labour Day weekend.
- Moomba is Australia's largest annual community festival.
- Melbourne's Annual Cup Party
- Flemington is the beating heart of Australian racing and hosts the four-day long Melbourne Cup Carnival, the world's most exciting racing event.
- The Melbourne Cup is the most lucrative prise in Australian sports at a whopping AU$175,000.
- Throughout Australia, the horse racing season culminates with the Melbourne Cup.
- Many consider the Melbourne Festival to be the best arts festival held annually anywhere in the world.
- This year's festival runs from October 4th to the 22nd.
- The Melbourne Cricket Club needed to come up with a solution for their players to stay in shape over the winter, so they developed the rules of Australian Football (AFL).
- Since AFL is not like other forms of football, it is important to take the time to learn the regulations (for instance, a "goal" is worth six points if the ball is kicked between the tall central posts).
- A record 130,000 people showed up to watch the AFL Grand Final at Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has hosted a diverse range of events, from a papal liturgy to a concert by the Police.
- Almost 100,000 fans have made the trek to the arena for today's final game, and countless more are riveted to their TVs across the country.
- Kids' Cause: A Race Against Cancer
- As one might expect from a city recognised as the "sports capital of the world," locals in Melbourne take great pride in competing in a wide variety of annual international events.
FAQs Best Festival Event In Melbourne
These places are best for cultural events in Melbourne:
- Melbourne Cup Carnival
- Moomba Festival
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival
- White Night Melbourne
- Melbourne New Year's Eve
These are the best places for kid-friendly cultural events in Melbourne:
- Moomba Festival
- Melbourne New Year's Eve
- Melbourne Chinese New Year
These are the best places for groups seeking cultural events in Melbourne:
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival
- Melbourne Cup Carnival
- Moomba Festival
Moomba Festival
Melburnians unite! Held over a lovely long Labour Day weekend in March, Moomba Festival is a free community event. Highlights include a parade on Monday, the hilarious Birdman Rally (participants strap homemade wing creations to their bodies and leap from a platform in an attempt to fly across the river) and the main stage with some of Australia’s most-loved performers.
There is also a carnival with fairground rides, a fire show with pyrotechnic wizardry. This annual event is really great for families. The children will be entertained with a variety of different rides and music, and other street entertainment along the Yarra. Melbourne just isn't Melbourne without the Moomba festival and is definitely one of Melbourne's longest-running annual events.
Melbourne International Film Festival
The Melbourne International Film Festival is now in its 61st year, and if you love films, you will be in for a real treat. A gigantic film festival is featuring films from more than 50 countries. An 18-day festival held at several city venues that showcases some of the best new films from Australia and around the world. There are also movie talks, tributes, discussion programs and acting masterclasses.
Running since 1952, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is one of the world’s oldest film festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin. Last year the festival went online and streamed more than 118 features, documentaries, and short films from 56 countries in 32 languages over three weeks.
Its famously loyal followers lapped up the films from their lounge rooms, but now film lovers can’t wait to get back into cinema seats with a bag of popcorn.
The 2021 program has yet to be finalised. Still, it will include global as well as locally produced feature films, short films, virtual reality experiences, and nostalgic movie marathons screened across 18 days—a great springboard for established and emerging film artists alike.
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
Experience and celebrate a world of gastronomy and wine at hundreds of vibrant events staged in Melbourne and throughout Victoria. Showcasing the best of Australian food and wine, there are outdoor food stalls, wine tasting, high teas, meals prepared by acclaimed chefs, cooking classes, demonstrations, and the signature event, The World's Longest Lunch.
Three hundred thousand have caught the scent of the boldest and tastiest food and wine event in Australia. Be prepared to add another notch to the belt with 20 days of gorging, swilling, chomping and savouring across 200 venues. The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival buzz ripples through the city as Melburnians grapple with a gastronomic playground that could bring you anything from sushi on private roof terraces to cosy basement beverages.
The ‘want to try this at home’ lot should sign up to one of the masterclasses and keep an eye on their website for the latest events—nom nom nom. Enjoy quality cooking demonstrations where you will get an opportunity to sample some interesting and unique culinary delights, as well as sample some quality wine. If cooking is your thing, then purchase a show bag with handy items to use in your kitchen.
Melbourne Fashion Festival
Be part of the frow (front row for the uninitiated) with bloggers and influencers galore at this week-long festival. You can buy tickets to your favourite designer shows, and if you’re a budding fashionista, some workshops and events take you behind the scenes of the industry.
Mosaic Festival
In partnership with the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition, the Market will proudly play host to the Mosaic Festival – a celebration dedicated to multicultural women in Victoria. Join a day filled with cultural performances and dance demonstrations, delicious international cuisines, and arts and crafts.
Arriba Melbourne Mexican Festival
Enjoy Mexican cuisine, folklore, celebrations, dance, music, bright costumes and mariachis. The entertainment program includes performances by various artists, live music and DJs.
Traditional Mexican cuisine such as salsa, guacamole, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, fajitas and more are available from more than 25 Mexican and Latino-American food vendors. In addition, a fully-licensed bar will serve five different Margaritas plus other alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) beverages.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne will be the nation’s hive of happiness when the Melbourne International Comedy Festival takes over the town. Comedians will take over stages in all corners of the city, delivering laughs and comedy good times to audiences in person and online.
The festival has something to tickle everyone’s funny bone, with free family entertainment, world-class special events, trail-blazing solo shows and late-night showcases that keep the vibe alive through the wee hours. There will be plenty of familiar funny faces, huge comedy stars from radio, stage and screen, as well as newbies on the scene – embracing all with the common goal of grins and good times.
One of the country’s leading platforms for budding and established stand-up comics, this festival features performances that range from hilarious to beautiful stage art. The open mic competition has served as an introduction of the wider Aussie audience to the up-and-coming comics of the country.
Held at Town Hall, the best way to enjoy the festival is to show up and pick a random show marked on the big dusty blackboard outside. You might want to book for the big shows in advance, though.
National Sustainable Living Festival
The National Sustainable Living Festival is the largest and longest-running sustainability-themed event in Australia. The festival aims to inspire and provide solutions to the sustainability and climate challenges currently faced, both now and into the future.
The month-long program showcases local and international sustainability. Climate thought leaders present critical understandings, observations, and insights to help inform and guide the stark choices that now stand before all Australians.
Cutting-edge sustainability and innovative climate change solutions will be presented in virtual and in-person formats throughout the month of February, with live-streamed presentations, interactive discussion forums, and digital workshops on various topics. Check the event website for the full event program.
The Ultimate Guide To Firelight Festival
In light of the recent Victorian Government lockdown, we have made the difficult decision to delay Firelight Festival. However, tickets for Firelight were snapped up quickly, which shows how many people were looking forward to joining us.
We are keen to host this event at a future date as soon as restrictions allow us to do so and will be in touch with more information when it becomes available.
Melbourne’s epic winter festival lights up Docklands over five nights. Be there to catch fire installations, music, and winter-themed cuisine to warm your heart and soul.
Experience the spectacular laser and light show
Each evening during the Firelight Festival, Docklands sparkles with the Oracle Liquid show. Lasers and lights create a mythical phoenix coming to life before your eyes.
The show runs for seven breathtaking minutes, with hourly sessions from 6.30 pm. Witness the magic from both festival locations. Development Victoria presents them.
Artistry and fire come together in the festival’s giant sculptures of a phoenix and a deer. Nearby, flames leap into the night from jets and cauldrons lining the two festival promenades. Look out for the roving fire-breathing trumpet player as he warms up the crowd.
Melbourne International Arts Festival
An international festival that seeks out all forms of art out there – dance, music, visual arts, theatre, and the lost art of the circus – this is the epitome of Australian festivals and celebrations. Held in the metropolis of Melbourne, over 400,000 people attended the festival.
The festival has been noted for epic art performances. It is one of those rare but popular festivals that still have performance art events or art installations.
This Melbourne festival is one of Australia’s most high profile festivals and offers an insight into the evolving cultural dialogue between the artists and their audience all around the world.
Melbourne Fringe Festival
The Melbourne Fringe Festival encompasses performances by independent artists, both emerging and established. Work presented is often original, provocative and imaginative, and ranges from theatre to comedy, dance, music, cabaret, circus and visual arts. The festival is held across various venues around the city.
Rising Festival
Back to Melbourne starts with a bang with the newest cultural arts event, Rising, bringing electrifying art, music, performances, ceremonies and new foodie experiences to the city’s heart. Over 12 nights, there are 133 events and projects – including 36 world premiere commissions – featuring more than 750 Victorian artists across multiple venues to replace the Melbourne International Arts Festival and White Night Melbourne.
The four key locations are Chinatown, Birrarung Marr, Arts Precinct and Midtown, as well as satellite sites around the city, from laneways and twisting waterways to car parks and hidden ballrooms. Its edgy line-up sees a nude disco, a gigantic glowing eel on the Yarra and a magical forest called The Wilds at the Myer Music Bowl with an on-stage ice rink.
Flinders Street Station’s majestic ballroom, hidden from the public for 35 years, will house a leading Australian artist's immersive, multi-sensory show. Her somewhat unsettling uber-real silicone sculptures merge human and animal forms, and she uses video, sound and light to enhance the experience.
Foodies can dive into the nightly banquet at the Mess Hall (in the Town Hall) or several other food extravaganzas. The adventurous can be ferried to Herring Island in the dark to partake in sonic bathing in baths with soundwaves pulsing through the water, while music lovers starved spoilt for choice.
In addition to community-wide events like Moomba, Cultural Diversity Week and NAIDOC Week, many celebrate individual cultures, including Polish, Chinese, Africans, Greeks, Japanese, Italians, Koreans, Swiss and many more.
