Build a Gladiator Mask at Melbourne Museum

The rumble of an arena crowd and the clang of armour fill the Learning Lab before a single piece of cardboard has been cut. Melbourne Museum’s newest school holiday workshop drops children straight into the armoury beneath the Colosseum, using immersive sound and projection to set the scene for a very hands-on Roman history lesson.

Creative Lab: Rise of the Gladiators runs across the first two weeks of the winter break, from Saturday 27 June to Sunday 12 July, with no session on 5 July. Four 30-minute workshops a day, at 10am, 11am, noon and 1.30pm, give families plenty of slots to choose from. But they are not large, and they do fill.

Children aged 6 to 12 will get a crash course in how gladiators used helmets, masks and painted symbols to declare their identity and status before stepping onto the sand. Then they sit down to design and build their own gladiator mask, pulling together cardboard, paint and metallic details while the soundscape keeps the arena atmosphere humming around them.

It is not a passive gallery experience. Kids are making, not just looking. That sits squarely inside the museum’s Creative Lab series, which rotates themes aligned with major exhibitions. This edition draws energy from the Ancient Rome content already on show in the museum, so the 30-minute workshop can easily become half a day by pairing it with the permanent galleries and the Roman displays afterwards.

Booking ahead is non-negotiable. Sessions are ticketed at $12 per child, or $10 for museum members, and every slot is capped to keep the experience manageable. The meeting point is near the escalators by the Children’s Gallery on the lower level, and organisers recommend arriving 10 minutes early to get everyone into the armoury on time.

Because this is a short winter window and there are only four sessions each day, the early morning and late morning slots tend to go first. The 5 July exclusion shrinks the two-week period to 11 available days, so if you have a date in mind, treat it the same way you would a popular theatre booking. Some sessions will almost certainly be full before the holidays begin.

Tram routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72 all stop at or near the museum on Nicholson Street. Parliament Station is a brief walk away for those on the city loop. On-site parking exists but is limited, and Carlton’s Lygon Street favourite pizza and pasta spots are only a short stroll north when the building is finished.

Melbourne Museum’s address is 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton. Tickets are available through the Museums Victoria website.