Our fortnightly guide to the smaller events, shows, markets and experiences worth building a trip around — or simply enjoying if you're already here.
Citywide — Arts Centre, Town Hall, Hamer Hall, ACMI & more
Melbourne's best winter event is back — and this year it's running 100+ events across 13 days, with 376 artists, 7 world premieres and more free programming than ever. The 2026 edition centres on music and movement: Lil' Kim at Festival Hall, Dry Cleaning and Wednesday at the Forum, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 at Hamer Hall, and the atmospheric Day Tripper multi-room music marathon across Melbourne Town Hall and Max Watt's on Saturday 6 June.
Beyond the music, RISING 2026 reopens the Flinders Street Station Ballroom as a living dance academy — you can join classes in ballet, jazz, vogue and street dance. Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Raven Chacon presents Voiceless Mass inside St Paul's Cathedral. And the inaugural Australian Dance Biennale (3–8 June) runs alongside the main festival, with free classes and performances across public spaces.
Many events sell out. Check the program early and book what you want — but there's plenty worth experiencing for free across the city too.
Closest MAC properties: South Yarra (Toorak Rd tram direct to Flinders St) and Richmond (short cab to the Arts Centre precinct). RISING fills the city — any of our locations works well as a base.
Under the Big Top, Flemington Racecourse
Under the Big Top, Flemington Racecourse
Cirque du Soleil returns to Melbourne with KOOZA, a vibrant production that blends traditional circus artistry — contortion, juggling, high wire, acrobatics — with a theatrically rich storyline and a live band under the Big Top at Flemington. It runs through to late June, so there are plenty of sessions to choose from. Good for a wide age range; the spectacle is the thing.
Getting there: Flemington Racecourse is a short drive or tram from the CBD. Easy evening out from any MAC property — book a late dinner on Lygon Street or Swan Street after the show.