The Best Things To Do In Melbourne This Weekend
Searching for the best things to do in Melbourne/Naarm this weekend? You're in luck. The calendar is always full of top-tier happenings in Melbourne.
Whether it's a foodie find, a magical night market or a street festival, Melbourne is serving up another weekend of fun events and activities.
Here’s everything that’s on in Melbourne this weekend.
Gather At KAFÉ
Drip Coffee, Brunswick | 23 May–6 June
Image: KAFÉ | Supplied
For two blissful weeks, Fitzroy café Drip is transforming into something a little different. KAFÉ is an immersive residency dreamed up by Léonie Bouchet (Racine) and Trisha Mariano (Mesa Collection) and centred around the idea that coffee is a cultural anchor, not the key product.
The space will open each morning as a cafe serving a small French-Filipino menu on beautiful Mesa tableware. Think warm pandesal, seasonal tartines, calamansi cold brew soda, and the house KAFÉ Kreme (cold brew with cold foam). As the day progresses, the space shifts into a creative salon with workshops, long-table dinners, and slow gatherings in the works.
Check out the full programme and grab tickets for events here.
Relove’s Yarraville Pop-Up
60 Anderson Street, Yarraville | Mon–Sat 9.30am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm, 2–30 May
Image: Relove | Supplied
That’s it, we’re heading west. A curated preloved fashion pop-up has just landed in Yarraville, and it’s the warm and considered store of our dreams.
Relove is the project of three lifelong friends with decades of fashion experience between them, so it’s no surprise that the collection is both high-end and carefully edited. There’s a strong focus on womenswear from labels like Marimekko, Obus, COS, Alpha60, and Kowtow, with each piece selected for its quality and longevity (not just what’s on trend).
You’ll also find bags, accessories, and a small range of homewares to round out Relove’s offering, alongside beautiful jewellery from Adelaide-based Naomi Murrell, and flowers from Warrnambool flower studio, Weeds.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a one-off vintage find or just an extra-special new addition to your wardrobe, head to Relove’s Instagram to keep up with stock until they close on 30 May.
RISING
Various Locations | 27 May–8 June
Image: Australian Dance Biennale | Supplied
Melbourne's flagship winter festival RISING is back, and the 2026 program is a big ‘un. Set to run from 27 May to 8 June across theatres, galleries, town halls and public squares, it’s bringing over 100 events and 376 artists to the city (not to mention seven world premieres).
The headline drawcard this year? The inaugural Australian Dance Biennale, which will reopen the historic Flinders Street Station Ballroom as a living dance academy for the festival.
What else? Brooklyn royalty Lil' Kim will take to the stage to celebrate two multiplatinum records that ushered in a new era of rap. Director Florentina Holzinger will also return to Arts Centre Melbourne to present her latest riotous musical-comedy, A Year Without Summer. Check out the full program here.
Fondue Chalet
Skyline At Federation Square | 14 May–28 June
Image: Fondue Chalet | Supplied
The most indulgent winter pop-up is back in Melbourne, and this year it comes with a choice to make (and it’s not easy one). For seven weeks from 14 May, Fondue Chalet is returning to transform Federation Square into a glowing alpine village full of private timber chalets, each named after a French ski resort.
Brand new in 2026, guests can choose their cheese ritual. Either a bubbling fondue savoyarde with four cheeses, bread and charcuterie for dipping, or a mountain raclette (melted tableside, scraped over potatoes, pickles and cured meats). Both are delicious, and both are paired with mulled wine and a charcuterie board before the main event. Fondue Chalet is taking this very seriously: nearly two tonnes of French cheese has been expressly imported.
To finish your evening in true alpine fashion, enjoy fire pits, outdoor marshmallow roasting, and an Après-Ski Bar serving digestifs and Koko Black hot chocolate. You can even add a chocolate fondue for dessert, if you’re feeling brave.
FIRE UP THE GROUP CHAT
Ignite your winter plans with a limited-edition, fire-inspired feed.
Fancy Hank’s Firemasters Brisket Sandwich
Only available from 4 June to 4 July for lunch, the Fancy Hank’s Firemasters Brisket Sandwich packs 16-hour smoked Angus brisket, American cheese, red onion pickles, Fancy Hank's Original BBQ Sauce and Kettle Firemasters Beef Brisket & Smokey BBQ Potato Chips into a soft Martin's potato roll—inspired by Kettle Firemasters, the new fire-inspired chip range fuelling good times.
Caviar After Dark At La Madonna
La Madonna, Melbourne | Until 31 July
Image: La Madonna | Supplied
You might've had a caviar bump, but we doubt you've ever had an entire caviar degustation. That's about to change—La Madonna has just launched Melbourne’s only all-caviar degustation, and it’s an indulgent experience worth dressing up for.
Caviar After Dark is a five-course menu built by Michelin-trained chef Jacopo Degli Esposti, and places premium Anna Dutch caviar at the centre of every dish. Think bluefin tuna tartare with basil coulis and Baerii caviar, a generously finished spaghetti with caviar and lemon butter, and a surprising dessert wildcard: house-made negroni caviar (spherified from La Madonna’s barrel-aged negroni), served in an oyster shell.
La Madonna strikes the balance between luxurious and approachable, even with its moody chandelier-lit decor, and this caviar degustation is no different. Caviar After Dark is running Tuesday through Saturday until 31 July, with tickets for $220pp and an optional wine pairing at an extra cost. Find out more and book here.
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Waitress: The Hit Broadway Musical
Her Majesty’s Theatre | Until July 12
Image: Waitress The Musical | Instagram
The hit show described by New York Magazine as “sweet, sassy, passionate and delightful", has arrived in Melbourne.
Waitress: The Musical embraces universal themes of hope, resilience and camaraderie as it relays the story of Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie maker trapped in an abusive marriage. Her way out? A baking contest.
The stellar cast includes Natalie Bassingthwaite as Jenna while extraordinary talents Gabriyel Thomas and Mackenzie Dunn tread the boards as Becky and Dawn.
The ever charistmatic Rob Mills is Dr Pomatter and emerging superstar Keanu Gonzalez is Earl.
With strong language and themes of domestic violence, the show is a tale of empowerment, friendship and strength. Get tickets here.
Bubble Planet
62 Dawson St, Brunswick | From 1 April
Image credit: Bubble Planet | Supplied
Lift your spirits: Bubble Planet is floating into Brunswick on 1 April.
Bubble Planet has already mesmerised more than ten cities around the world—from London to Los Angeles, and New York to Milan—where it’s drawn over five million visitors. How does it work? Well, guests move through a spherical universe via multiple rooms, each featuring surreal, dream-like landscapes and everything from giant inflatables to floating soapy bubbles. Explore the Giant Bubble Dome, where you can relax on huge inflatable clouds while watching meditative animations above, and the continuous illusions of the Infinity Room.
There are 11 rooms to discover at Bubble Planet (hosted at Fever Melbourne). Visitors of all ages will love the colourful combination of technology, creativity, and the senses in this floor-to-ceiling sensory experience.
TarraWarra International 2026
TarraWarra Museum of Art | 21 March–5 July
What’s better than a cellar door? One paired with an art gallery alongside. TarraWarra Museum
of Art is as renowned as its vino and its hatted restaurant. The bold new exhibition, TarraWarra
International 2026: System Release, focuses on finding order in chaos and making sense of our increasingly bizarre world. Ten artists from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Mexico and Australia grapple with one of the great questions of our time: when ‘order’ collapses, can we find new and better ways of being? With a mix of sculpture, video, installations, screenprinting and textiles, some visions dive into deep sea, deep space and deep geological time, or draw from First Nations knowledge or tensions in the human relationship to the natural world.
Dinos Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne Zoo, Parkville | 3 April–12 July
Image: Melbourne Zoo | Website
Step back in time at Melbourne Zoo this weekend, because the dinos are waiting. Families with young explorers of all ages will love coming face to face with over 30 incredible animatronic dinosaurs on Melbourne Zoo’s brand-new Dino Trail, where learning about our prehistoric friends becomes unforgettable.
The dinosaurs move, blink and roar just like the real deal, making for the perfect photo opps. Kids can put their palaeontologist hats on and dig for fossils at the dinosaur excavation site, then enjoy tasty dino-themed kids packs for lunch.
Access to the Dino Trail is free with Melbourne Zoo admission—find out more here.
Main image credit: City of Melbourne | WebsiteUrban List Best Of: has our highest stamp of approval—curated lists of the very best recommendations for you to eat, do, see, buy or book, carefully chosen by our Editors.
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