The Best Things to Do in Melbourne This Long Weekend
Spend your long weekend scoffing pierogis at a Polish Easter feast, giggling the night away at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival or falling into a food coma after eating an epic 29-cheese gnocchi.
Weekends are precious — that's why we've curated a special selection of the best things to do in Melbourne from Friday through to Sunday — and Thursday evenings, Friday daytimes and Mondays when Easter hits. We want to make sure no one spends their days off doing something dull or unnecessarily expensive.
Luckily, Melbourne's got plenty happening for those looking to have a damn good time — whether that includes discovering new bars, absorbing art or feasting your way through food markets. Here are our picks for what's on in Melbourne this weekend.
Recommended Reads:
The Best Things to Do in Melbourne This Week
The Best Films and TV Shows to Stream This Month
What's On in Melbourne This Month
The Best Melbourne Date Ideas For This Week
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Event
Wicked Little Letters
Thursday, March 21 - Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Various cinemas in Melbourne
This entertaining Olivia Colman- and Jessie Buckley-starring dramedy is based on a true tale about profanity-filled mail scandalising an English town in the 1920s.
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Event
Ministry of Crab
Thursday, March 28 - Saturday, April 27, 2024
Evergreen, Southbank
Scuttle on down to Crown Towers to try some of the world's greatest crab dishes during the month-long residency.
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Event
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Wednesday, March 27 - Sunday, April 21, 2024
Various Melbourne venues, Melbourne
Catch Rose Matafeo, Joel Kim Booster, Hannah Gadsby, Sam Simmons and drunken Shakespeare among MICF's 600-plus 2024 shows.
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Event
Polish Easter Feast
Friday, March 29 - Saturday, March 30, 2024
Eat Pierogi Make Love, Brunswick East
Eat pierogis and fall in love with some Polish Easter traditions up in Brunswick East.
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Souled Out
Friday, March 29, 2024
Caribbean Gardens, Scoresby
This new wave R&B festival is hitting Melbourne with Summer Walker, PartyNextDoor and Tinashe.
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Immaculate
Thursday, March 21 - Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Various cinemas in Melbourne
Sydney Sweeney turns in a stunning scream-queen performance worth worshipping in this excellent convent-set horror film.
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Event
Twenty-Nine Cheese Gnocchi
Monday, April 1 - Sunday, April 14, 2024
Cucinetta, South Yarra
South Yarra's Cucinetta is serving up this extremely cheesy gnocchi for two weeks only.
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Event
Love Lies Bleeding
Thursday, March 14 - Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Select cinemas in Melbourne, Various locations
Kristen Stewart plunges into a wild 80s-set tale of love, lust, blood and violence in the latest standout from 'Saint Maud' filmmaker Rose Glass.
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Event
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Thursday, March 21 - Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Various cinemas in Melbourne
A return to New York helps boost this sequel to 2021's 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife', but it's still worlds away from the franchise's 80s flicks.
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Event
Tesselaar Kabloom: Festival of Flowers
Saturday, March 23 - Sunday, April 21, 2024
Tesselaar Tulip Farm, Silvan
Watch pixies, fairies and sprites soar above a flowerbed stage as part of a circus at this year's Tesselaar Kabloom Festival of Flowers in the Dandenong Ranges.
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Free Yum Cha at David's
Saturday, March 16, 2024, Saturday, March 23, 2024, Saturday, March 30, 2024 and Saturday, April 6, 2024
David's, Prahran
Free unlimited yum cha is up for grabs every Saturday arvo in Prahran for anyone named David.
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LUZIA — Cirque du Soleil
Sunday, March 24 - Sunday, May 19, 2024
Flemington Racecourse, Flemington
This spectacular Mexican-inspired production is also Cirque du Soleil's first touring performance to feature rain in its acrobatic and artistic scenes.
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Event
All You Can Spritzza
Saturday, February 24, 2024, Sunday, February 25, 2024, Saturday, March 2, 2024 and Sunday, March 3, 2024
400 Gradi, East Brunswick
400 Gradi in Brunswick and Mornington Peninsula is serving up unlimited spritzes and pizza every weekend throughout summer and beyond.
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Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius
Saturday, March 16 - Sunday, June 16, 2024
THE LUME Melbourne, South Wharf
Hello 'Mona Lisa': Melbourne digital art gallery The Lume's big multi-sensory 2024 exhibition is dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci.
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Margarita March at Mamas Dining Group
Friday, March 1 - Sunday, March 31, 2024
Various Melbourne venues, Melbourne
Nab $15 margaritas all day, every day, at these four Melbourne restaurants.
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Not Natural — Science Gallery Melbourne
Saturday, February 17 - Saturday, June 29, 2024
Science Gallery Melbourne, Parkville
Explore the boundary between natural and artificial at this free exhibit in University of Melbourne's Science Gallery.
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Marshmallow Laser Feast: Works of Nature
Thursday, November 23, 2023 - Sunday, April 14, 2024
ACMI, Melbourne
This spectacular world-premiere experimental digital exhibition about nature is taking over Melbourne's ACMI.
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Event
Alliance Française French Film Festival
Wednesday, March 6 - Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Select cinemas in Melbourne, Various locations
From 'The Three Musketeers' to the latest film by Michel Gondry, this year's 41-movie lineup isn't short on highlights.
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Amaro Tasting Flight Experience at Navi
Friday, March 1 - Sunday, March 31, 2024
Navi, Yarraville
Learn more about this Italian liqueur that's popping up all over Melbourne.
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Event
Non-Stop Noods at New Quarter
Saturday, January 20 - Sunday, December 29, 2024
New Quarter, Richmond
Sip and slurp your way through bottomless margaritas and never-ending bowls of Vietnamese noodles.
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Event
The Greatest Rita Show
Monday, March 18 - Sunday, April 7, 2024
El Camino Cantina Fitzroy, Fitzroy
Royal Easter Show time in Sydney means a new round of creative margarita flavours in Melbourne, including bubblegum, sour lemonade and chilli triple-buttered popcorn.
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NGV Triennial 2023
Sunday, December 3, 2023 - Sunday, April 7, 2024
NGV International, Melbourne
NGV International's free three-yearly showcase features robot dogs, Yoko Ono's art, a giant thumbs up and a room-sized ode to plants.
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Event
Groundhog Day The Musical
Wednesday, January 24 - Sunday, April 7, 2024
Princess Theatre, Melbourne
Tim Minchin's stage musical version of the 90s film favourite is finally looking for a shadow in Australia.
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(This is) Air
Thursday, November 23, 2023 - Sunday, June 30, 2024
NGV International, Melbourne
Meet Australia's new big thing: a 14-metre-tall inflatable sphere that breathes air is the National Gallery of Victoria's 2023 Architecture Commission.
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Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition
Saturday, December 16, 2023 - Sunday, April 21, 2024
Melbourne Museum, Carlton
The king of all Titanic exhibitions has dropped anchor in Melbourne with 200-plus artefacts.
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Event
Moonlight Cinema Melbourne 2023–24
Friday, December 1, 2023 - Saturday, March 30, 2024
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, South Yarra
Grab your picnic basket and get ready for a dress-up 'Barbie' party, festive flicks, and nostalgic sessions of 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Mighty Ducks’.
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Rain Room 2023
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 - Sunday, March 31, 2024
Jackalope Pavilion, St Kilda
The immersive, Instagram-fave Rain Room returns for another season, offering a rainstorm experience that won't mess up your hair.