Fire Up Your Wednesdays: QVM's Winter Night Market Is Returning for 2025 with Comfort Food, Spiced Drinks and Roving Entertainment

Break out the cocoa and firelight as QVM's long-running Winter Night Market returns for another 13-week schedule loaded with heartwarming highlights. Taking place from 5pm every Wednesday between Wednesday, June 4–Wednesday, August 27, this after-dark fiesta comes to life with Melbourne's standout street food, warming beverages, specialty retail shopping, live music and free entertainment.

Spread across Queen Victoria Market's labyrinth of laneways and sheds, the sensory overload on display is an easy way to breathe a little more fun into your mid-week schedule. Wander the space searching for the most tantalising aromas, then catch an array of lively musicians and roving street performers as they produce magic by the moonlight. Plus, roaring fires mean keeping the brisk at bay is made simple.

So, what sumptuous bites await? Spanning returning favourites and new offerings, one of the first-timers for this year is Cannoleria, with Sicilian-style treats featuring flavours from tiramisu to pistachio and Nutella. Keeping the Italian theme going, La Trafila will serve up its artisan pasta dishes, while The Little Paris offers crowd-pleasing French cuisine, like raclette and garlic butter snails.

As for faves from past years, the Churro Kitchen is back with their famous churro bowls, served warm with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Plus, Smashville will flip juicy burgers and Southern fried chicken, while the Soup Factory ladles soothing options like king crab chowder into bread rolls. ReWine will also pour its signature spiced mulled wine, while visitors can maximise the cosy vibe with a spiced milo cocktail or a warm butter beer.

Good food and drink are essential to any winter night market, but this extravaganza also presents over 60 specialty stores and stalls. Roam for a vintage fashion bargain or add some handmade jewellery to your collection. For something a little more mystic, sit for a tarot card reading or dance like nobody's watching as the Guru Dudu Silent Disco returns with its 20-minute walking tours.

Though the chilly season is about to descend on Melbourne, there's no reason to stay on the couch when Wednesday comes around. Instead, let yourself get swept up by QVM's Winter Night Market's toasty treats, upbeat entertainment and community spirit.