Winter might be setting in, but there’s still plenty to do

For those who love the great outdoors, winter can be a challenging time. Fortunately in Melbourne there are always plenty of options when it comes to the arts and culture.

Scheherazade
Hamer Hall, June 2

For a transcendental start to your week like no other, join the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s ‘quick fix at half six’ on the first Monday of June – a 75-minute performance that kickstarts with excerpts and insights from the conductor before a work is performed in full. On this night in question, the conductor is Hong Kong-born, internationally renowned conductor Elim Chan and the work is Scheherazade, a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 and based on One Thousand and One Nights.

First Voices Showcase
Iwaki Auditorium, June 4

Celebrate the culmination of one of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s most exciting artist development programs, the First Voices Composer program, at this showcase event. Hear the premiere of works by Jaadwa composer, producer and sound artist James Howard and Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri and South Sea Islander multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Nathaniel Andrew, performed by musicians of the MSO, in an evening that celebrates the vital contribution of First Nations artists to the ongoing vitality of the orchestral sector. Noongar violinist, violist, composer and conductor Aaron Wyatt will conduct and present on the night.

The Birds
Malthouse, until June 7

Paula Arundell in a scene from The Birds.Credit: Pia Johnson

Forever immortalised on film by master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, Daphne du Maurier’s chilling thriller The Birds has been adapted into a stage production at Malthouse Theatre. Directed by Malthouse’s former artistic director Matthew Lutton and brought to life by playwright Louise Fox, the one-woman show stars Paula Arundell – one of Australia’s most compelling stage actors – in an unforgettable tour de force. Armed with individual headsets, theatregoers are thrust into an adrenaline-fuelled soundscape of flying feathers and murderous swoops as relentless, supernatural birds attack a coastal town.

Chinese Textile Donations from Tyon Gee
Museum of Chinese Australian History, June 8

This one-of-a-kind event will unveil a beautiful capsule collection of Chinese garments donated by Tyon Gee, an early Chinese migrant who moved from Guangdong to Sydney in 1939 with her husband and two children. Her story and wardrobe reflect the resilience and cultural heritage of Chinese Australians in the 1930s, highlighting the tension at the time between tradition and assimilation and the preservation of cultural roots. It’s a special opportunity to explore history through fabric, fashion, and migrant-led storytelling.

Nocturnal: Museum after Dark
Melbourne Museum, June 12
A series of bewitching after-hours monthly events which blend art, science, history and culture in a unique adults-only experience, Nocturnal: Museum After Dark presents informative expert talks and tours, fine tunes, immersive exhibitions and hands-on activities. Blast off to the outer reaches of the universe in this month’s Space Odyssey-themed night. Learn about how different wavelengths of light offer new perspectives on the cosmos or discover how the James Webb Space Telescope is poised to revolutionise our understanding of the universe, among numerous other activities on offer.

Design Show Australia
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, June 12–14

This three-day design show is predominantly a trade show for the first two days, but join on the final day which is geared towards home owners and design enthusiasts in search of luxury, authentic design, architectural products and inspiration. Learn how to expand your smart home, explore kitchen design trends, delve into how to transform your home through lighting, and discover how reused materials are powering the next wave of sustainable design.

Water Refuge
Denmark House, June 14

As the winter solstice approaches, connect with fellow swimmers, artists, and literary enthusiasts for an afternoon of seasonal Nordic food, drinks and a conversation between multidisciplinary artist Wei Weng and award-winning journalist Louisa Lim on cold-water immersion, cross-cultural dialogue, and the role of literature as a bridge between cultures. Inspired by Denmark’s winter bathing traditions, Wei Weng’s 2023 book Water Refuge explores how bodies of water transcend geography – becoming spaces of renewal, resilience and connection, and a symbol of sanctuary, migration, and belonging.

RISING
Venues throughout Melbourne, until June 15

Melbourne’s answer to a winter festival, RISING’s activation of spaces around Melbourne runs the gamut from big names like Suki Waterhouse, Marlon Williams and Chrissy Amphlett to free events that celebrate feats of ingenuity. The Capitol is transformed into a pulsing ocean of lasers under artist Shohei Fujimoto’s direction in Intangible #Form, while Melbourne Town Hall becomes a site of co-creation and elation in mass musicking event Shouse Communitas. Flinders Street Station’s ballroom morphs into a feminist reclamation of mini golf in Swingers, while everyone’s favourite Grafton lesbian comic Zoë Coombs Marr commandeers a live studio taping gone horribly wrong in Wrap It Up!. Plenty of events to choose from, most of them undercover.

Q-Lit
Venues throughout Melbourne, June 20 to 28

Melburnians can look forward to eight days of panels, performances, workshops, a book fair and celebrations featuring over 60 queer writers and artists in LGBTQIA+ festival of words Q-Lit’s first metro iteration. From famed author Christos Tsiolkas and Drag Race Down Under winner Lazy Susan to award-winning stand-up comic Scout Boxall and Bardi Jawi poet and artist Bebe Oliver, this year’s festival centres queer creativity across generations and genres and storytelling as survival, celebration and resistance.

The Capitol Orchestra and My Fair Lady
The Capitol, June 21

At the turn of the last century, every notable theatre, hotel and dancehall had an orchestra. Art deco institution The Capitol is continuing this tradition with the resurrection of its magnificent 12-piece 1920s theatre orchestra, re-established in November 2024 to commemorate the centenary of The Capitol’s opening. Enjoy some lively tunes from this resident jazz orchestra before sitting back and enjoying the 1964 classic My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

Winter Night Market
Queen Victoria Market, June 4, 11, 18 and 25

The Winter Night Market is by now a regular fixture on people’s winter calendars, and the first one of this season will be on June 4. Largely undercover and teeming with the most assorted array of food and drink stalls, the Winter Night Market is the perfect mid-week reprieve. From the always-popular Guru Dudu Silent Disco to must-try drinks like spiced Milo, mulled wine and warm butterbeer, the Winter Night Market is bringing back beloved mainstays as well as many new and exciting traders. If you run out of stomach space, browse more than 60 specialty shopping stores and stalls offering one-of-a-kind treasures.

Adults Sleepover at the Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum, June 27–28

If Nocturnal: Museum after Dark wasn’t enough for you, there’s the option of recreating Night at the Museum and treating yourself to a sleepover within the building’s majestic confines. Gain exclusive after-hours access to the world-first LEGO® Star Wars exhibition, watch a giant IMAX screening armed with snacks, embark on a private tour of galleries, and enjoy indulgent luxuries like midnight gin and jaffles. If you’re worried about your quality of sleep, fret not – each person gets an ergonomic Ecosa single-bed mattress and what’s better, a hot breakfast upon waking and admission to the museum the following day.

Makers Market at the District
The District Docklands, Star Crescent, June 29

Experience a wide range of arts and crafts, jewellery, fashion, homewares and gifts at this entirely undercover monthly market. You won’t go hungry with the plethora of food and drink options around, and furry friends are welcome as the District is a pet-friendly precinct.

Theatre at RISING
Arts Centre Melbourne, Southbank Theatre and Athenaeum Theatre, throughout June

Notable are the several stage productions being presented as part of RISING. If you were lucky enough to catch Counting and Cracking – the award-winning, trilingual, multigenerational epic by Western Sydney playwright S. Shakthidharan – you’ll be pleased to hear that his bold new mother-daughter story The Wrong Gods is coming to Melbourne from Sydney’s Belvoir. Legends (Of The Golden Arches) sees two best friends – lead actors and co-creators Joe Paradise Lui and Merlynn Tong – plunged into the Chinese afterlife. The anarchic spirit of rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch comes to life in the first Australian revival of the source material since 2008, featuring Seann Miley Moore and a rambunctious live band.

Big ideas at The Wheeler Centre
The Wheeler Centre and Melbourne Town Hall, throughout June

Take shelter from the harsh elements of June by settling in for thought-provoking conversations that take us from China to Ukraine to the fictional Kingdom of Ilya. Journalist and recipient of the 2024 Press Freedom Award, Cheng Lei, shares the harrowing story of her wrongful imprisonment in China – and how she survived it. Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko, examines the current state of play between Ukraine and the Trump administration, recent developments in the conflict and their profound ramifications on global security. In a Melbourne exclusive, BookTok phenomenon Lauren Roberts discusses bringing her smash hit, dagger-to-the throat, bestselling romantasy Powerless trilogy to its thrilling conclusion.

Beetlejuice
Regent Theatre, all of June

Tim Burton’s 1988 dark fantasy comedy horror Beetlejuice catapulted back into the collective consciousness with his long-awaited 2024 sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but the fun isn’t over for ardent fans of the afterlife’s leading bio-exorcist. The Broadway musical theatre adaptation taking over Regent Theatre until August features Eddie Perfect as lead actor, composer and lyricist with a supporting cast of Karis Oka, Tom Wren, Erin Claire and many more. Deliciously wacky, gleefully ghoulish and positively camp, Beetlejuice is one of the theatrical highlights of the year.

Hadestown
Her Majesty’s Theatre, all of June

Arguably the most highly vaunted fixture on the Melbourne theatre calendar, the Tony Award-winning, smash-hit Broadway musical Hadestown has finally arrived. Marrying the two mythic love stories of Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone with a distinctly American mythos and musicality, Hadestown has delighted audiences around the world. Look forward to Christine Anu as Hermes, American singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell’s rousing score and an on-stage complement of musicians.

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