NGV's Famed Friday Night Parties Are Returning Next Month

As the nights heat up each summer, the NGV proves it knows how to party like the best of them, serving up its signature after-hours summertime sessions filled with tunes, food, pop-up bars and more. In excellent news for all you lockdown-weary souls — this year will be no different.

The much-loved NGV Friday Nights are set to make their sweet return from December 10, running every Friday night — except Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve — until April 22 next year.

Happening from 6–10pm each week, the sessions have something for gallery-lovers and general night owls alike. Guests will gain exclusive after-hours access to explore the new Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition, browsing its impressive collection of over 100 vintage garments and peering into the career of one of fashion's most influential designers.

After it launches on December 17, guests will also be able to take a spin around major ground floor exhibition Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala to see bark paintings and larrakitj (painted hollow poles) by a collective of women artists from the Buku Larrngay Mulka Centre (Buku) in Northeast Arnhem Land.

Meanwhile, across the ground level and the NGV Garden, a rotation of top Melbourne DJs is set to deliver a sparkling soundtrack to these summertime soirees. Gracing the decks, expect local favourites including Andras, MzRizk, DJ Jnett, The Dollar Bin Darlings, Hot Wax Sound System, Banoffee, Edd Fisher and a whole host more.

To wash it all down, you'll find three different bars serving a hefty array of refreshments. Hit the Four Pillars Gin Bar in the Grollo Equiset Garden for crisp G&Ts and signature cocktails, or swing past the Pommery Champagne Bar for fine bubbles and oysters — a Coco-worthy option if ever there was one.

There's also a Yering Station pop-up pouring a selection of acclaimed Yarra Valley wines, where you can even do a tasting flight of three different house drops while you're soaking up those DJ sounds. And in the garden, there'll be a few cheeky giveaways on offer from the David Jones Vault, which will open for a fleeting time each Friday.

NGV Friday Nights will run weekly from December 10–April 22 (not including December 24 and 31) at NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Jump online to see the full lineup and book entry tickets to the exhibition.