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Things To Do

The Best Things To Do In Melbourne This Weekend

17th Sep 2026
Written by: Urban List Writers
  • best things to do in melbourne this weekend 2026

Consider yourself a matcha lover? Thanks to T2, three cult names from LA, Japan and Korea are landing in Australia exclusively for eight weeks. Get the lowdown here.

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. 

Bianca Spender Warehouse Sale

935-939 High Street, Armadale | 17–20 September

Beloved Australian label Bianca Spender is opening its archives this weekend, giving shoppers the chance to score the brand's modern silhouettes and signature draping at reduced prices.

There'll be past collections, one-off samples and archival pieces available to shop at the four day warehouse sale, with prices sarting at $100 and nothing over $290. 

Doors will be open 9am until 5pm Saturday and 10am until 4pm Sunday. 

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

Tesselaar Flower Farm, Silvan | 12 September–11 October 


Image: The Tesselaar Tulip Festival | Website

Head to beautiful Silvan this spring for a full month of tulips and Dutch charm. The Tesselaar Tulip Festival will see stunning spring bulbs in bloom across the friendly farm, and the flowers will be complemented by daily live entertainment, a tractor train tour, clog dancing workshops, a Dutch cheese market, and replica windmills dotted throughout the fields. 

The Tesselaar food offering really sweetens the deal, too. Eat your way through poffertjes, Dutch kibbeling, croquettes, and frikandellen, amongst many more delicious food and souvenir options across the stalls. And for anyone in need of new footwear, you can buy yourself a pair of wooden clogs imported directly from Holland, or just snap a photo of Australia’s largest clog, which will be on site all weekend.

Due to unusually warm and wet growing conditions this season, the tulip fields are set to be smaller than usual at the 2026 festival. With this in mind, organisers have dropped ticket prices by 30%, meaning entry could cost as little as $24.50. 

Support Nepalese Flood Relief At Bobbie Peels

Bobbie Peels, North Melbourne | 12–5pm, Saturday 19 September

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bobbie Peels (@bobbiepeels)

Park up for a few pints and a good cause this weekend in North Melbourne. Locally loved pub Bobbie Peels is raising money for Nepal’s flood recovery this Saturday. The Nepal Recovery Relief Fundraiser will see every dollar of profit between 12pm and 5pm go directly to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. 

For Bobbie Peels, this is personal. Co-owner Phil Gijsbers was born in Nepal, and the event—which is aiming to raise $10,000—is a heartfelt response to the recent devastating floods along Nepal’s border with Tibet. 

Head to the neighbourhood pub from 12pm for momos, a raffle, merch giveaways, and an auction of old and rare wines that have been kindly donated. Support has already started from Bobbie’s friends at Devilbend Estate, Sentio Wines, Unico Zelo, and others, so make sure you get around a great cause this weekend. 

Keep up with the details on the pub’s Instagram.

Margaret Preston At The NGV

Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne | 4 September 2026–31 January 2027

After seven decades of work and over 200 paintings, prints, and sculptures, the first major retrospective retrospective of Margaret Preston’s career in over 20 years is heading for the NGV’s Ian Potter Centre. Opening in September, this landmark exhibition will chart the full arc of one of Australia’s most influential modern artists. Preston is known for her Post-Impressionist-influenced still lifes of the early 1900s, her expansive landscapes depicting the 1940s, and her characteristically bold woodblock prints that she’s perhaps best known for. 

In addition to Preston’s work, you’ll be able to check out nineteen works by contemporary First Nations artists like world-premiere commissions by Marilyn Russell and Jimmy Frank Jupurrla. This places Preston’s appropriation of Indigenous visual culture in direct and necessary dialogue with the people who have since responded to, interrogated, and reframed it. 

To explore highlight artworks like Flannel flowers, Shoalhaven Gorge, New South Wales, and over 30 woodblock prints

World Wellness Weekend At Peninsula Hot Springs

Peninsula Hot Springs, Fingal | Saturday 19–Sunday 20 September

There’s never a bad reason for a trip down the Mornington Peninsula, but this weekend you have an especially good one up your sleeve. Peninsula Hot Springs is set to celebrate World Wellness Weekend (who knew?) in style, with a program of complimentary activities across Saturday and Sunday that are all included with general bathing entry. 

On Saturday, the weekend of wellness begins with Melbourne acoustic performer Tim McMillan roving through the Bath House from midday, playing a gentle set that will drift across the pools as you kick back and enjoy your soak. Later in the afternoon, head to the Amphitheatre for a 30-minute water-based yoga session with instructor Bec Morrison. It’s designed for yogis with no prior experience, and allows you to slow down and move with the natural buoyancy of the springs.

Brad Kennedy will play live acoustic music at the Bath House Cafe from 12pm on Sunday, with originals and covers to soundtrack your food stop amidst a long, leisurely afternoon in the water. Book in your bathing session here and enjoy the extra dose of wellness this weekend.

The Wharf Winter Glasshouses 

18/38 Siddeley St, Docklands | June–September

Image credit: Supplied

The Wharf's beloved Winter Glasshouses have returned to the banks of the Yarra, bringing three private themed dining spaces back to Melbourne for the cooler months. Whether you're planning a date night, birthday celebration or long-overdue catch-up with friends, these cosy glasshouses offer a front-row seat to the river without having to brave the chill.
 
Choose between the bright and blooming Sunflower House, dreamy Starry Night or romantic Scarlet Bloom, then settle in with a hearty two-course feast or a more relaxed grazing spread. If you're looking to elevate the experience, there are optional add-ons including chocolate fondue, wine and gin tasting flights, plus self-guided paint and sip sessions.
 
Running until September, The Wharf's Winter Glasshouses are the kind of winter plan you'll want to lock in before everyone else does. Check it out here.

Celebrate Defiant Love At The Rebel Heart Exhibition

Keith Murdoch Gallery, State Library Victoria | Until 27 January 2027


Image: Rebel Heart | Eugene Hyland

Love doesn’t follow a rulebook, and the State Library Victoria’s latest exhibition is dedicated to the people who throw that book entirely out the window. Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations uses the Library’s extensive archive of letters, diaries, and rare manuscripts to share stories of romantic defiance across the ages, from Victorian-era same-sex couples to a mid-century marriage caught in the crossfire of the White Australia policy. 

The high notes of the exhibition include a mourning brooch woven from the hair of pastoralist couple Anne Drysdale and Caroline Newcomb, and the story of bushrangers Captain Moonlight and James Nesbitt after they met in Pentridge Prison. Eventually turning to the present, Rebel Heart explores digital intimacy through mixtapes, DMs, and even AI relationships. 

Check out original music commissions from Angie McMahon, Mindy Meng Wang, Mo’Ju, and Amos Roach, all of which respond to the material on display to add a truly moving layer to the experience. Entry is free, and the exhibition runs until January 2027; find out more here.

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Bubble Planet

62 Dawson St, Brunswick | Ongoing

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. 

Main image credit: City of Melbourne | Website

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