Tina Arena And Cinema Under The Stars: Open Air At The Square’s Free Summer Program

Balmy summer arvos are made for outdoor shenanigans. Lucky for Melburnians, Federation Square is coming alive in February with a huge lineup of live music, open-air cinema, special performances and cultural celebrations. 

Running from Monday 2 to Saturday 28 February 2026, Open Air at the Square is pulling out all the stops, hosting a mix of events featuring global and local talent. The best part is: all of it is free.

Melbourne Arts Precinct Director & CEO, Katrina Sedgwick, tells Urban List, “We’re proud to once again present Fed Square’s hugely popular Open Air festival this February.”

“Featuring live music concerts, cinema under the stars, dance parties, sound systems and performance art. Summer is the perfect time to come together, settle into Fed Square, and enjoy the very best of Melbourne’s arts and culture”

Free Live Music And Candlelight Concerts

There are heaps of live gigs to get around as part of Open Air at the Square. 

On Saturday 7 Feb, Garage Band shines a spotlight on Victoria’s emerging artists with an epic talent quest. Hosted by globally renowned performer JOF (Joseph O’Farrell), the multi-stage event mentors young musicians through workshops and live performances. 

Fever’s Candlelight Concert series is taking over the Square, spreading across three unforgettable nights from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 February, 8.30pm–9.30pm. The Tina Arena will be performing an intimate Thank You Melbourne show as part of her huge 5.0 Tour, celebrating 50 years in the music industry. Homegrown favourites Folk Bitch Trio and First Nations R&B singer Dean Brady are also on the lineup, all framed by thousands of flickering candles and the gorg city skyline. Plus, the performances will all be Auslan interpreted and will have an accessible viewing area. 

Other acts include Glastonbury-ledge The Beatles Dub Club aka DJ Chris Arnold on Thursday 26 Feb, New Orleans hip-hop and queer star Big Freedia and friends on Friday 27 Feb, and house-music hit François K alongside Greek pop artist Σtella and multi-instrumentalist Ganavya closing out the festival on Saturday 28 Feb. 

Rustle up a picnic rug or grab an al fresco table at a local restaurant to enjoy live tunes and support the artists. 

Outdoor Cinema Sessions Under The Stars

Under Melbourne’s moonlight, Open Air brings an outdoor cinema to Fed Square with two curated film programs.

In Defence Of Satire kicks off on Monday 2 to Thursday 5 Feb from 8pm, showcasing laugh-inducing screenings such as Stanley Kubrick’s black-and-white comedy Dr Strangelove and How I Stopped Worrying About The Atomic Bomb (1964); Academy Award-winning Network (1976) about a news anchor’s on-air breakdown; Rob Reiner’s mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984) following a fictional British rock band on a crazy U.S. tour; and Robert Altman’s murder-mystery Hollywood satire The Player (1992). 

Silent Cinema With Live Scores follows from Monday 16 to Friday 20 February from 8pm, screening silent cinema across horror, satire and comedy from around the globe, backed by live scores performed by pro composers and musicians. A major highlight is Charlie Chaplin’s satire about industrialisation, Modern Times (1936), playing on Wednesday night. 

Dance Battles, Twilight Markets And Street Parties

Open Air brings a range of fun performances, visual arts, cultural events and community activities to Fed Square. 

Celebrating Indonesian culture, Nongkrong Festival returns to the Square this Valentine’s Day on Saturday 14 February from 3pm to 10pm. The free, family-friendly pasar senja (twilight fair) offers a deep dive into Indonesian food, music and dance. There’ll be gerobaks (food carts), an Indonesian maker’s market and hands-on arts and crafts workshops.

Then, on Saturday 21 February, a massive day-to-night party is flying through the CBD streets for the Afro Caribbean Carnival. There’ll be live music from Jamaican dancehall artist Sister Nancy, UK-born General Levy, and local sound systems, plus street food from The Real Jerk, Vola Foods and Braz Oz Brazilian BBQ at Swanston Street Forecourt. 

City Sessions 2026 also takes over on Saturday 21 Feb from 4pm with electric street dance battles. Watch dance crews across the country go head-to-head to get into the final showdown on Sunday 22 Feb. 

The Details

What: Open Air at the Square
Where: Federation Square, Melbourne CBD
When: Monday 2 February–Saturday 28 February, 2026

For the full free summer program of Open Air at the Square, visit here.

Image credits: Fed Square and Candelight Concerts by Fever | Facebook