The Best Things to Do in Winter in Melbourne

When it comes to things to do in Melbourne in winter, a packed calendar of festivals, world-class theatre premieres, and charming night markets turns the colder months into an excuse to see this city at its best.

Despite what people from the northern states might say, Melbourne in winter is not exactly Siberia. From June to September, the city catches cold fronts that sweep up from Antarctic waters across the Southern Ocean, but daytime temperatures usually sit between 5°C and 18°C.

Cool mornings, crisp nights, and sudden clear spells mean the weather can change twice before lunch. Layers are essential. Pack a light waterproof coat, a substantial scarf, warm jumper, and shoes that grip on rain-slicked bluestone. Gloves don’t hurt either if you’re planning late nights outdoors.

July is statistically the coldest month, and if you’re visiting in early July you’ll share the city with Victorian school holiday crowds. June and August tend to be quieter for booking accommodation, and winter’s shorter days mean more time to enjoy Melbourne after dark.

Winter in Melbourne is a wonderland of events designed for long nights, and the city takes full advantage of its love affair with arts, sport, and amazing food.

Wednesdays from early June to late August belong to the Queen Victoria Market Winter Night Market, where the smell of charcoal, spices, and mulled wine drifts through the sheds. Traders serve Sri Lankan hoppers, raclette toasties, artisanal doughnuts and enough knitwear to see you through the season. Even if you’ve been before, the line-up changes regularly, so there’s always a new dish to try or band to discover.

In June, RISING Festival turns the city into an after-dark playground of art, music and performance sprawled across rooftops, riverbanks and laneways you might otherwise walk straight past. Installations range from large-scale light sculptures to tiny performances in tucked-away shopfronts, making it as much about urban exploration as it is about the program itself.

Mid-June, the Belgrave Lantern Festival marks the winter solstice with a glowing parade of handmade lanterns, fire twirlers, belly dancers and street-side music. Leading up to the event, workshops let you create your own lantern so you can be part of the spectacle rather than just watching.

Early July sees Docklands completely transform for the Firelight Festival, a free waterfront carnival of fire sculptures, roving performers and live music. The combination of flaming braziers and food trucks makes it one of the most atmospheric events of the season.

From late June into mid-August, the Royal Botanic Gardens hosts Lightscape Melbourne, a 2.2-kilometre trail of illuminated installations that actively benefits from the bite of a frosty night. Think glowing tree canopies, colour-shifting light tunnels and dramatic soundscapes that turn the gardens into an outdoor art gallery.

August, however, really belongs to film lovers. The Melbourne International Film Festival screens more than 275 films alongside galas, Q&As and immersive events across the city, followed almost immediately by the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne with premieres, panel discussions, and the popular Federation Square dance competition.

Across the same month, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Secret Symphony pop-up concerts reimagine classical music in undisclosed venues, with the location revealed just 48 hours before curtain-up.

Winter thaws into spring with the Melbourne Fringe Festival from late September to early October, spilling out over the city with more than 400 shows spanning theatre, cabaret, comedy, music, circus and digital arts. Smaller neighbourhood festivals fill the gaps, from Brunswick Music Festival’s mid-winter sessions to weekend laneway markets in Northcote and Fitzroy.

Even rain won't slow down a Melbourne winter. From early June to October, the National Gallery of Victoria Winter Masterpieces exhibitions are an annual pilgrimage for art lovers. The gallery hosts after-dark events each Friday pairing live music and gallery access with espresso martinis under the skylights. The Garden Restaurant makes it easy to turn an evening viewing into a full night out, with menus often themed to the major exhibitions.

A short walk across Federation Square, ACMI, the national centre for screen culture, runs everything from interactive exhibitions to rare film retrospectives. Kids and adults get hooked in the Foley Studio, where you can create your own sound effects, or in the Games Lab, where playable indie titles sit alongside retro classics. You could easily spend hours here without a glimpse of daylight.

When the skies open up, the Melbourne Museum’s forest gallery is a strange delight: a climate-controlled pocket of greenery and birdsong in the middle of the city. In the main galleries, natural history sits alongside contemporary science exhibitions. Down on Flinders Street, the Immigration Museum tells the stories of the people who built Melbourne’s identity through waves of migration, with exhibitions often paired with cooking demonstrations or music performances.

Winter is also Melbourne’s peak theatre season from the Regent Theatre on Collins Street to the Princess Theatre on Spring Street. For a more intimate performance experience, the Malthouse Theatre in Southbank programmes new Australian works that lean bold and contemporary, while the Arts Centre Melbourne offers everything from ballet to spoken word under its spire.

Winter is prime book-buying season. Readings Carlton is a Melbourne institution; Hill of Content on Bourke Street has old-school charm; The Paperback Bookshop keeps the city’s literary pulse alive after dark; Metropolis in Curtin House specialises in art, design, and photography. Each is a warm refuge, and during the Emerging Writers’ Festival in early September, many host readings, panels and workshops.

For many Australians, winter in Melbourne means one thing: AFL. A game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in July or August is less a sporting event than a cultural immersion. Eighty thousand people in team scarves will chant, groan and roar, often offering running commentary to anyone within earshot. Even if you can’t tell a centre bounce from a set shot, the atmosphere under stadium lights is unforgettable.

If there’s no game scheduled, the MCG’s daily tours reveal the quieter grandeur of the place, from players’ rooms to the hallowed turf. You can combine it with a visit to the Australian Sports Museum, which blends memorabilia with interactive exhibits, like testing your reflexes against virtual cricket and AFL players.

Rugby league fans can swap codes at AAMI Park, where the Melbourne Storm’s winter fixtures have their own cult following. The stadium’s design means even in poor weather you’re well protected, and the pre-game atmosphere in the surrounding bars is part of the experience.

Soccer has its winter moment too, with Melbourne Victory and Western United fixtures bringing A-League fans to AAMI Park. For basketball devotees, the Melbourne United NBL team plays at John Cain Arena, which also hosts netball’s Melbourne Vixens during the winter months.

Even fringe sports find a winter audience here: Docklands’ O’Brien Icehouse offers Australia's largest, full-size rink with public skating sessions, figure-skating exhibitions, and lessons for the brave. The Melbourne Ice and Melbourne Mustangs ice hockey teams play at O’Brien Icehouse through the Australian Ice Hockey League season, and matches are fast, loud, and surprisingly affordable to attend. Curling sessions for the public occasionally run here too, complete with coaching.

Melbourne’s rooftop bars and restaurants don’t pack up for winter, they simply change their fitout with glowing heaters, throw in some blankets, and offer drinks that double as hand warmers.

Fourteen floors above Lonsdale Street, Fable serves Mediterranean share plates with views stretching to the bay. A retractable awning and multiple heaters mean you can linger over a whisky-apricot “Ruby Renaissance” cocktail without shivering. The bar’s winter menu features slow-cooked lamb and rich dips to share. Nearby Bomba transforms its rooftop into a weather-proof tapas and vermouth bar. Grilled chorizo, patatas bravas and a house-made sangria served warm make it a Spanish winter haven.

Morris House on Exhibition Street keeps its rooftop buzzing in winter with DJs, plentiful heating and a menu that mixes pub classics with easy-to-share snacks like flatbreads and charcuterie boards. It’s the kind of space where you can start with mulled cider and end up dancing in your coat. Good Heavens in the CBD turns into a winter playground with overhead heaters, a curling rink for group challenges, and cocktails like a s’mores espresso martini complete with toasted marshmallow.

If you’re looking for a cosy meal, Marion on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy delivers both warmth and skill, pouring thoughtful wines alongside clever seasonal dishes like roasted duck with quince or handmade pasta with winter truffle. Embla in the CBD has the same intimate feel, with low lighting, a roaming wine list, and a wood-fired kitchen turning out plates like charred cabbage with miso butter or slow-cooked lamb shoulder.

For something hearty, San Telmo’s Argentinian grill is a classic - all leather booths, cowhide accents and smoky aromas, or find real-deal Italian at Tipo 00 with warming bowls of silky pappardelle with rich ragu. Warm your belly at Mr Ramen San in Mid-City Arcade, where the 24-hour tonkotsu broth draws a loyal queue, or wander into Koreatown’s Healeys Lane for late-night barbecue at G2 Korean BBQ. In Collingwood, the beloved Grace Darling has fireplaces, generous Sunday roasts, a rotating craft beer list and a very healthy AFL fandom if you want a place to go after the game.

When it comes to a great coffee in Melbourne, Hobba in Prahran, Proud Mary in Collingwood, and Neds in South Yarra are all worth the tram ride, each with seasonal single-origin filters and espresso blends strong enough to thaw frozen fingers. Code Black Coffee adds a touch of theatre with its siphon brews and rotating menu of pastries and with locations including Flinders Lane, Collins Street, Little Collins Street, Southbank, and Brunswick, you’re never far from an excellent coffee.

But the very best thing to do in Melbourne in winter is to pull on a coat wandering and just explore her busy backstreets and artful laneways: you'll find tiny galleries hiding above cafes and karaoke bars over boutiques, a door you’ve never noticed can open onto a bar you didn’t know existed or a meal you'll never forget.