When the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) trumpets on around, the city becomes a rich tapestry full of toe-tapping soul, rhythm and blues. But when...
Culture
The best of Melbourne theatre, film, art and music reviews and news
![Melbourne Music Festival Guide Melbourne Music Festival Guide](https://media.timeout.com/images/106047842/750/562/image.jpg)
Melbourne Music Festival Guide
At long last, festival season is almost upon us. Melburians live and breathe live music, so it's no surprise that when the doof stick season rolls around,...
![The best art, craft and life drawing classes in Melbourne to get creative The best art, craft and life drawing classes in Melbourne to get creative](https://media.timeout.com/images/106052611/750/562/image.jpg)
The best art, craft and life drawing classes in Melbourne to get creative
They say creativity takes courage, so why not draw up some confidence by participating in one of the many art, craft and life drawing classes...
![The ten best films to see at MQFF this year The ten best films to see at MQFF this year](https://media.timeout.com/images/106052589/750/562/image.jpg)
The ten best films to see at MQFF this year
The freshly installed Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) program director Cerise Howard unveiled a remarkable program of LGBTQIA+ magnificence at a...
![The best of Melbourne theatre and musicals this month The best of Melbourne theatre and musicals this month](https://media.timeout.com/images/106021660/750/562/image.jpg)
The best of Melbourne theatre and musicals this month
October 2023: It’s lights, camera, and action for October, and you can expect a scintillating program of theatre productions and musicals. The...
Your guide to Melbourne Fringe Festival
![Reviews: Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 Reviews: Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023](https://media.timeout.com/images/106044951/750/562/image.jpg)
Reviews: Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is in full swing (quite literally, there's an eight-metre-tall swing outside the State Library Victoria), and there are more...
![The weirdest events at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 The weirdest events at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023](https://media.timeout.com/images/106036746/750/562/image.jpg)
The weirdest events at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023
No one does ‘weird’ as well as the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Over the decades, the Festival has seen production after production push the limits...
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is in full swing (quite literally, there's an eight-metre-tall swing outside the State Library Victoria), and there are more...
![Reviews: Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 Reviews: Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023](https://media.timeout.com/images/106044951/750/562/image.jpg)
Reviews: Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is in full swing (quite literally, there's an eight-metre-tall swing outside the State Library Victoria), and there are more...
![The weirdest events at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 The weirdest events at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023](https://media.timeout.com/images/106036746/750/562/image.jpg)
The weirdest events at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023
No one does ‘weird’ as well as the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Over the decades, the Festival has seen production after production push the limits...
![How to do Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 in style How to do Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 in style](https://media.timeout.com/images/106036744/750/562/image.jpg)
How to do Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 in style
Melbourne Fringe is swinging into action for another boundary-pushing year of theatre, cabaret, circus, comedy and all-round absurdity. Child-like wonder is...
![The best theatre shows at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 The best theatre shows at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023](https://media.timeout.com/images/106044886/750/562/image.jpg)
The best theatre shows at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023
A fictional interview with Harry Potter author JK Rowling. An invitation to a Middle Eastern wedding party featuring pop and techno. A play that unravels from...
![The best music events at the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023 The best music events at the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023](https://media.timeout.com/images/106045320/750/562/image.jpg)
The best music events at the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023
Have you ever seen a choir sing hydrating revelations in Melbourne City Baths? Or heard what happens when you mix honky-tonk country with the violence of Grand...
Things to do in Melbourne
Theatre now on in Melbourne
![Tim Minchin Tim Minchin](https://media.timeout.com/images/106032990/750/562/image.jpg)
Tim Minchin
The comedian-pianist will host several intimate evenings of entertainment at the Comedy Theatre
![Moulin Rouge! The Musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical](https://media.timeout.com/images/105832867/750/562/image.jpg)
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Can can can they capture the Absinthe fairy magic as the Luhrmann-inspired jukebox musical returns to Melbourne?
The comedian-pianist will host several intimate evenings of entertainment at the Comedy Theatre
![Tim Minchin Tim Minchin](https://media.timeout.com/images/106032990/750/562/image.jpg)
Tim Minchin
The comedian-pianist will host several intimate evenings of entertainment at the Comedy Theatre
![Moulin Rouge! The Musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical](https://media.timeout.com/images/105832867/750/562/image.jpg)
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Can can can they capture the Absinthe fairy magic as the Luhrmann-inspired jukebox musical returns to Melbourne?
![Matador Matador](https://media.timeout.com/images/106053444/750/562/image.jpg)
![Elvis: A Musical Revolution Elvis: A Musical Revolution](https://media.timeout.com/images/106051311/750/562/image.jpg)
Elvis: A Musical Revolution
Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis is in the building – this jukebox musical charts the King's astonishing rise to fame and glory
![Mamma Mia! The Musical Mamma Mia! The Musical](https://media.timeout.com/images/106021660/750/562/image.jpg)
Mamma Mia! The Musical
This theatrical mainstay is a sunny, sparkly spectacle that will have you dancing in your seat
Have you heard about...
![The best natural wonders to discover in the Grampians The best natural wonders to discover in the Grampians](https://media.timeout.com/images/105982372/750/562/image.jpg)
The best natural wonders to discover in the Grampians
The Grampians – or Gariwerd to the Djab Wurrung and the Jardwadjali, traditional people of this area – is glorious from top to bottom. Upon...
![The best natural wonders to explore in Geelong and the Bellarine The best natural wonders to explore in Geelong and the Bellarine](https://media.timeout.com/images/105977562/750/562/image.jpg)
The best natural wonders to explore in Geelong and the Bellarine
Just an hour's drive from Melbourne, the seaside town of Geelong and its neighbouring peninsula – the Bellarine – is a treasure trove of hidden...
The Grampians – or Gariwerd to the Djab Wurrung and the Jardwadjali, traditional people of this area – is glorious from top to bottom. Upon...
![The best natural wonders to discover in the Grampians The best natural wonders to discover in the Grampians](https://media.timeout.com/images/105982372/750/562/image.jpg)
The best natural wonders to discover in the Grampians
The Grampians – or Gariwerd to the Djab Wurrung and the Jardwadjali, traditional people of this area – is glorious from top to bottom. Upon...
![The best natural wonders to explore in Geelong and the Bellarine The best natural wonders to explore in Geelong and the Bellarine](https://media.timeout.com/images/105977562/750/562/image.jpg)
The best natural wonders to explore in Geelong and the Bellarine
Just an hour's drive from Melbourne, the seaside town of Geelong and its neighbouring peninsula – the Bellarine – is a treasure trove of hidden...
![Five things you didn't know about Mary Poppins the Musical, now playing in Melbourne Five things you didn't know about Mary Poppins the Musical, now playing in Melbourne](https://media.timeout.com/images/105934793/750/562/image.jpg)
Five things you didn't know about Mary Poppins the Musical, now playing in Melbourne
It truly takes a character of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious quality to command almost a century of unfaltering popularity. But given that Mary Poppins is...
Latest theatre and dance reviews
![Mamma Mia! The Musical Mamma Mia! The Musical](https://media.timeout.com/images/106021660/750/562/image.jpg)
Mamma Mia! The Musical
This theatrical mainstay is a sunny, sparkly spectacle that will have you dancing in your seat
![A Dodgeball Named Desire A Dodgeball Named Desire](https://media.timeout.com/images/106056983/750/562/image.jpg)
A Dodgeball Named Desire
Tennessee Williams' classic tale is transported to a dodgeball court in this hilarious (and often violent) show
![The Rocky Horror Show The Rocky Horror Show](https://media.timeout.com/images/106009842/750/562/image.jpg)
The Rocky Horror Show
The legendary rock 'n' roll musical will return in 2024 starring Jason Donovan as Frank-N-Furter
![Love Lust Lost Love Lust Lost](https://media.timeout.com/images/106044823/750/562/image.jpg)
Love Lust Lost
Sink into this immersive theatre experience that plunges you into a chaotic submarine thousands of leagues deep
Latest film reviews
![Savage Waters Savage Waters](https://media.timeout.com/images/106057155/750/562/image.jpg)
![The Pigeon Tunnel The Pigeon Tunnel](https://media.timeout.com/images/106055112/750/562/image.jpg)
The Pigeon Tunnel
Legendary spy novelist John le Carré confronts trauma and treachery in Errol Morris’s searching documentary
![Beyond Utopia Beyond Utopia](https://media.timeout.com/images/106054758/750/562/image.jpg)
Beyond Utopia
This terrific documentary about North Korean defectors is as gripping as any spy thriller
![Ferrari Ferrari](https://media.timeout.com/images/106038148/750/562/image.jpg)
Latest in music
![Queenscliff Music Festival Queenscliff Music Festival](https://media.timeout.com/images/106057025/750/562/image.jpg)
Queenscliff Music Festival
A multi-day live music celebration is happening over on the Bellarine Peninsula and you're invited
![Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age](https://media.timeout.com/images/106056982/750/562/image.jpg)
Queens of the Stone Age
Hot on the heels of the release of their new album, the rock heavyweights will perform a one-off show at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl
![Golden Plains Golden Plains](https://media.timeout.com/images/106054964/750/562/image.jpg)
Golden Plains
The festival is throwing one heck of a party at the Supernatural Amphitheatre for its sixteenth birthday
![Declan McKenna Declan McKenna](https://media.timeout.com/images/106054505/750/562/image.jpg)
Declan McKenna
The British singer-songwriter will perform a one-off concert at the Forum to promote his forthcoming album 'What Happened To The Beach?'
Your guide to art in Melbourne
![The best free exhibitions in Melbourne this month The best free exhibitions in Melbourne this month](https://media.timeout.com/images/106042670/750/562/image.jpg)
The best free exhibitions in Melbourne this month
As the cost of living continues to tighten purse strings, it's hard to find things to do in the city that won't break the bank. So, if you're keen on seeing...
![Where to find the best street art in Melbourne Where to find the best street art in Melbourne](https://media.timeout.com/images/105748996/750/562/image.jpg)
Where to find the best street art in Melbourne
If you're a fan of street art, you've come to the right city to find it. Melbourne is famed for its kaleidoscopic laneways, with street art found not only...
![Where to buy art in Melbourne Where to buy art in Melbourne](https://media.timeout.com/images/105929262/750/562/image.jpg)
Where to buy art in Melbourne
Maybe you're OK with bare walls and prefer to keep things minimalistic, or maybe that one Pulp Fiction poster you've had since university still has...
![Where to find Melbourne’s best public artworks Where to find Melbourne’s best public artworks](https://media.timeout.com/images/105521581/750/562/image.jpg)
Where to find Melbourne’s best public artworks
As Australia's cultural capital, Melbourne is peppered with public artworks that burn bright against our urban cityscape. Wander the streets, gardens and...
Your guide to theatre in Melbourne
![Where to sit in Melbourne's theatres Where to sit in Melbourne's theatres](https://media.timeout.com/images/105714775/750/562/image.jpg)
Where to sit in Melbourne's theatres
Melbourne is blessed with a wealth of theatres, from the grand old dames like the Princess Theatre, to the kooky hidden gems; no city in Australia can lay...
![How to get cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne How to get cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne](https://media.timeout.com/images/105760103/750/562/image.jpg)
How to get cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne
Venerable American theatre critic Jonathan Kalb once remarked that the only way to really enjoy theatre was in large doses. The playwright Terrence McNally...
Melbourne is blessed with a wealth of theatres, from the grand old dames like the Princess Theatre, to the kooky hidden gems; no city in Australia can lay...
![Where to sit in Melbourne's theatres Where to sit in Melbourne's theatres](https://media.timeout.com/images/105714775/750/562/image.jpg)
Where to sit in Melbourne's theatres
Melbourne is blessed with a wealth of theatres, from the grand old dames like the Princess Theatre, to the kooky hidden gems; no city in Australia can lay...
![How to get cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne How to get cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne](https://media.timeout.com/images/105760103/750/562/image.jpg)
How to get cheap theatre tickets in Melbourne
Venerable American theatre critic Jonathan Kalb once remarked that the only way to really enjoy theatre was in large doses. The playwright Terrence McNally...
![The top 10 moments in Hamilton The top 10 moments in Hamilton](https://media.timeout.com/images/105759684/750/562/image.jpg)
The top 10 moments in Hamilton
It's the kind of show that encourages and rewards obsessive fandom, and part of that is the numerous showstopping, fist-punching moments sprinkled throughout.
![Australian soprano Stacey Alleaume's tips for first-time opera audiences Australian soprano Stacey Alleaume's tips for first-time opera audiences](https://media.timeout.com/images/105885340/750/562/image.jpg)
Australian soprano Stacey Alleaume's tips for first-time opera audiences
Never been to the opera before, and feeling intrigued but also a bit overwhelmed and intimidated? You’re not alone.
![How they make the magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child happen How they make the magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child happen](https://media.timeout.com/images/105792769/750/562/image.jpg)
How they make the magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child happen
Illusion and magic team Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher do impossible things. Their mission: to make those impossible things happen.