Things to do in Melbourne
Cultural Melbourne
After one visit to Melbourne, you cannot fail to appreciate why it is internationally renowned as the arts and cultural capital of Australia. Lovers of opera, art, music, dance and comedy will be in awe of the dazzling array of entertainment on offer all year, in and around the city.
Diverse culture can be found at every turn from the city lanes to regional centres such as Heidelberg and Elwood. The area of Southbank is a cultural hub and home to the Victorian Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Australian Ballet, Melbourne Symphony, the Victorian College of the Arts and Playbox Theatre Company.
Each year the Melbourne Fringe Festival spices up the city's cultural calendar with an entertaining programme of groundbreaking and daring performances ranging across all art forms.
Theatre
Theatre lovers are spoilt for choice as every night of the week curtains rise on stages across the city, to reveal the latest Broadway sensation or a new take on an old classic. In the summer months, visit the Royal Botanic Gardens for outdoor performances of Shakespeare.
Music
Whatever your taste in music, you can find it in Melbourne. The city's pub culture sees many local acts playing at smaller venues whilst international artists regularly play the big entertainment centres. Annual music events include the International Music Festival to Melbourne in February and the Umbria Jazz Festival.
Sport
Melbourne is a city with a worldwide reputation for its fanatical following of sport and the city is proud of its history of staging successful international sporting events. It is the home of many of the world's largest tournaments and the Melbournians turn out in their thousands to enjoy them. Melbourne has ensured that it is the nation's sporting capital by establishing such great sporting events as the Melbourne Cup and Australian Open, amongst other leading annual events.
Gay and Lesbian
No one can argue that Melbourne isn't gay and lesbian friendly. Melbournians are proud of their liberal views to sexuality and seize the opportunity to tell the world as often as possible! Key events in the calendar include:
- The Midsumma Festival which takes place over three weeks in summer, and is a gay and lesbian celebration of events including a pride march, carnival day and picnic.
- The Melbourne Queer Film Festival which is held every March, and shows local and international features, documentaries and short films during this ten-day festival.
