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.
Raph Rashid’s 24-Hour Burger Flip-A-Thon
12 Edward Street, Brunswick | 11am, Saturday 29 August–11am, Sunday 30 August
Image: Raph Rashid | Supplied
Melbourne food entrepreneur Raph Rashid might be known as Snacc Boss and the mind behind Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck, and All Day Donuts—but on Saturday 29 August, he’s getting back behind the grill for a full 24 hours. That’s right; he’ll be flipping burgers for an entire day and night to raise money for Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS), Victoria’s leading youth health, drug, and alcohol support organisation.
This year’s Flip-a-Thon will run non-stop from 11am on the 29th, with 100% of profits going directly to YSAS. Raph will be joined by a rotating crew of chefs, DJs, and friends from across Melbourne’s food community (like Shannon Martinez, Sofia Levin, and Lucy Feagins) to keep the energy going, even at 3am.
The menu itself will include signatures from Beatbox Kitchen and Juanita Peaches, like the iconic Raph Burger, a Shroom Burger for vegetarians, and a Double Cheeseburger on a house-made steamed bun. If you get up early enough on Sunday morning, you might even snag a Basghetti Jaffle. You can rock up at any time across the 24 hours, and every burger sold makes a difference.
Blobfish Beer Festival
Hop Nation Taproom, Footscray | Saturday 29 August
Image: Blobfish | Supplied
If you’re in a love-hate relationship with the standard tap lineup around Melbourne, Blobfish Beer Festival is right up your alley. This brew-lover’s day out at the Hop Nation Taproom in Footscray boasts the cutest festival name going, and is dedicated entirely to sour, wild, and funky beers. Think barrel-aged, fruit-filled, and small-batch varieties from the more adventurous breweries across Australia and New Zealand.
On Saturday 29 August, your ticket will include 60ml tastings across the festival and a branded Blobfish glass to take home. Sample from breweries like Garage Project from Wellington, La Sirène, Sailors Grave, Boatrocker, and Sobremesa Fermentory, as well as the hosts, Hop Nation, themselves.
There are three sessions across the day, and they’re all expected to sell out—so secure your spot early.
Affordable Art Fair Returns To Melbourne
Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton | Thursday 27–Sunday 30 August
Image: Affordable Art Fair | Supplied
Affordable Art Fair is returning to the Royal Exhibition Building later this August, and its sixth edition will feature over 70 galleries, thousands of original works, and every piece priced between $100 and $10,000.
Globally, the fair is in its 27th year, and has sold nearly 690,000 artworks across 16 cities since it first launched in London. This year in Melbourne, Affordable Art Fair expects to attract 18,000 visitors across its four days, and its galleries will regularly refresh their displays as pieces sell.
For those with kids, don’t miss the kaleidoscopic Children’s Art Studio from Queensland artist Claudio Kirac, which is inspired by toys and kawaii culture. There’ll be live Artist in Action painting demonstrations, a hand-painted entrance mural to marvel at by Daylesford artist Struan Hopgood, and a program spotlighting eight emerging young artists across the weekend. Plus, Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation is returning as the fair’s Access Partner to represent remote Central Australian desert communities.
50 Years Of The BIRKENSTOCK Boston
The Malt Store, 551 Swanston Street, Carlton | Until 31 August
Image: BIRKENSTOCK | Supplied
Odds are you’re one of the millions of people around the world who have owned a pair of BIRKENSTOCKs. If that pair happens to be the iconic Boston clog, then you’re in luck: this galley-style archive exhibition is celebrating 50 years of the world’s comfiest ‘door shoe’.
Head to the Malt Store in Carlton to trace the Boston’s journey from functional 1976 work shoe (first loved among medical professionals) to high-fashion, with collaborations with Rick Owens, Manolo Blahnik, and beyond. The exhibition will feature archival footwear alongside storytelling from across five culturally relevant decades of the Boston.
BIRKENSTOCK at the Malt Store is free to visit, and you’ll score a complimentary Boston pin on arrival. Attendees who sign up for emails will get the chance to win a pair of Bostons, and all in-store purchases of the clog will be eligible for a gift with purchase.
Seek The Heat At Peninsula Hot Springs
Peninsula Hot Springs, Fingal | Until 4 October
Image: Peninsula Hot Springs | Supplied
This grey Melbourne winter weather has us craving warmth and some serious R&R, and a bath at home just isn’t really cutting it. Enter, Peninsula Hot Springs’ Seek the Heat program. Until 4 October, the award-winning geothermal springs will become a full sensory experience after dark that’s designed for serious restorativeness.
With your general bathing ticket, explore seven chakra-coloured illuminated pools accompanied by original soundscapes from artist Josh Rodyhouse—designed to play through the water itself, rather than just blared overhead—and enjoy colour-immersive saunas for peak relaxation. You can also purchase add-on experiences like aromatic Sauna Infusions and Cacao Rituals.
Movie Nostalgia In The Inner West
34 Moreland Street, Footscray | 27–30 August
Before the days of multiplexes and the domination of chain cinemas, Footscray was one of the great entertainment districts of Melbourne. Picture cinemas, dance halls, live performance, and a nightlife that earned the suburb the nickname “St Kilda of the north”. Now, Footscray Flix is bringing back that spirit for four nights, thanks to a custom-built boutique cinema that will screen a stellar lineup of ’80s and ’90s classics.
The program opens with films that were actually shot across Melbourne’s west: The Big Steal, filmed in Footscray, and Mad Max, which used various locations across the western suburbs. They’re followed by heavy-hitters by the names of Dazed and Confused, Trainspotting, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Alien, Blade Runner, Dirty Dancing, and Point Break.
After every session, hang around to catch DJs spinning sets inspired by the films, or come along on opening night to score free pizza and a drink.
Supernormal's Six-Week Showcase Of Creative Noodle Dishes
180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne | Until 6 September
Image: Supernormal | Supplied
Until 6 September, you’ll find Supernormal deep in a noodle obsession. Six weeks means six brand-new dishes where each noodle is hand-rolled, steamed, or boiled to perfection. Each dish runs exclusively for one week only alongside the regular Asian-inspired menu.
The specials range from Shaanxi-style noodles with braised oxtail to tiger prawn egg noodles with smoked roe, and knife-cut wheat noodles with spiced cumin lamb to Dan Dan noodles with Szechuan sesame sauce. The final dish finishes the six-week run with Fujian-style wok-fried crab noodles, and this is the one worth scheduling in. And we can’t forget that every dish also comes with a paired drinks suggestion to ensure you’re dining in style—book via the Supernormal website here.
The Wharf Winter Glasshouses
18/38 Siddeley St, Docklands | June–September
Image credit: Supplied
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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Fondue + Bingo At Chandon
Chandon Australia, Coldstream | Until 31 August
Image: Chandon | Supplied
The Yarra Valley in winter is never a bad idea, but Chandon Australia has just upped the ante. Their limited-time Fondue + Bingo experience involves melted cheese, sparkling wine, and a competitive game of bingo for groups of two to ten, and we can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.
For 1.5 hours, enjoy fondue that blends Swiss raclette with Long Paddock cheese and Chandon sparkling wine, served with baby potatoes, Brussels sprouts, grilled pear, broccolini, saucisson, and pickles. Look forward to a French onion soup reimagined as a sourdough toastie, filled with caramelised onion and cheese velouté and specifically designed to dunk into more cheese.
Three 60ml Chandon pairings will take you from a Blanc de Blancs aperitif to a Cuvée 205, and finally to a Ruby Cuvée alongside a s’mores-inspired chocolate tartlet to finish. The bingo game is self-guided and the winner at each table wins a prize, so there’s no excuse to not get competitive.
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 | 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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