ACMI’s Listening Room: Ballot-Only After-Dark Vinyl
ACMI’s hidden Listening Room seats just 40 people. After-dark access is ballot-only for Reverb ticket holders, with sessions curated by Triple R’s Yasmine Sharaf.
Location: Melbourne CBD
Prive Cocktail Bar Opens in Historic Safe Deposit Building
Bookings open 10 June for Prive, the Reine Team’s intimate 24-seat cocktail bar inside the heritage-listed Safe Deposit Building. Classic cocktails, moody interiors, and a direct link to Reine & La Rue.
10 Days of Play: Games Week Returns to Melbourne CBD
Melbourne International Games Week returns for 10 days in October 2026, bringing industry conferences, public showcases, and family events to the CBD. Here’s what to expect.
Bar Ferdinand Brings Garden Cocktails to Heritage CBD Spot
A 21-seat garden-inspired cocktail bar with a reimagined Japanese Slipper, seasonal drinks and picnic snacks opens above 7 Alfred in Melbourne’s heritage CBD.
Cote Basque Leads Eight New Melbourne Winter Dining Openings
Cote Basque, Andrew McConnell’s wood-fired Basque grill in a heritage laneway, leads a list of eight new dining spots opening in the CBD this winter, alongside Sergio’s and Smith & Deli.
Curators’ ‘Relentless’ Motherhood Shapes NGV’s Free MOTHER Show
The NGV’s MOTHER exhibition at Fed Square presents more than 200 works on motherhood from across cultures and centuries, with free entry until 12 July. Curators Sophie Gerhard and Katharina Prugger drew on their own experiences of early mothering to shape this raw and honest show.
Vinyl Factory Reverb Lands at ACMI
ACMI and RISING present The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, a multisensory exhibition of 14 installations and a listening room curated by Yasmine Sharaf, until 31 August.
Melbourne at its most Melbourne: Winter campaign leans into the grey
City of Melbourne’s winter campaign ‘Melbourne at its most Melbourne’ aims to repeat last year’s $66.5 million economic uplift by owning the cold, grey months. Featuring a tram wrap, AFL-aligned ads and ‘The Cold List’ of events and deals.
Lil’ Kim ends 15-year Australian drought at RISING
Lil’ Kim ends a 15-year Australian absence at RISING 2026, headlining Festival Hall on 30 May. The festival also debuts the Australian Dance Biennale with Lucy Guerin Inc’s The Forest.
Melbourne mulls special nang bins to prevent bin explosions
City of Melbourne is considering dedicated collection bins for nitrous oxide canisters after nearly 50,000 are retrieved from streets each year, posing explosion risks in public rubbish bins.